[mythtv-users] Switching away from comcast to online streams

[CACook at Quantum-Sci.com]

On Mon, 27 Jan 2014 22:42:37 +0000
Gary Buhrmaster <gary.buhrmaster at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, Jan 27, 2014 at 8:56 PM, Michael T. Dean
> <mtdean at thirdcontact.com> wrote:
> > ....  So, if
> > anyone is doing something wrong, here, it's Sony (or, specifically,
> > that Sony receiver that's failing to apply HDCP), but likely it's
> > not "wrong" so much as just "outdated" and expected to be "fixed"
> > through attrition/eventual replacement.
> 
> It was known that there were some (old) Sony AV receivers
> that did not do HDMI + HDCP properly, if at all.  One can
> go to the various avsforum boards to find such discussions (or
> at least that is where I seem to recall I saw them years ago).
> AFAIK no current shipping Sony devices are deficient in that
> regard (HDMI v1.x + HDCP is deficient, but that is a different
> animal).  I am sure HDMI v2.2 will be better, because they
> have certainly learned their lesson........maybe.......
> 
> It is interesting that one of the pieces of home theater
> equipment that tends to have the longest lifetime is the AV
> receiver.  It is not unusual to find people on their 2nd/3rd
> generation of TV/projector that are still using the same AV
> receiver they initially purchased.  The biggest reason to
> upgrade seems to be the number of HDMI ports or a desire
> for some streaming capability, aka AirPlay (and not because
> they want 11.2 channels).  So attrition in the receiver world
> takes longer than Sony (and its stockholders) would like;
> Sony is now rated as junk by Moody's.

I have to agree that the 'working' Sony receiver has a busted ('old') HDCP implementation.  And that using it is probably in violation of the content providers' wishes.

But you have to ask yourself whether their 'wishes' are driven by a purely mercenary, radically self-serving profit motive in contravention of the 100 years of IP law which built this country...  or are their 'wishes' in the general best interest of the Public and the common good as defined by centuries of common law?

If your concern is recent legislation, then yes you are technically in violation by using the passing Sony receiver, and you'd better stop now.  But if you are asking whether your use is in violation of centuries of IP law, well no.  In fact there is far more that you could do.