[mythtv] BBC Freeview HD encoded/licensed EPG content proposal - comments due today!

[TJ]

I've just spotted the EFF's reporting of the BBC proposal to OFCOM to
vary the public service broadcast license to allow the BBC to compress
the EPG for the post-switchover Freeview HD DTT multiplex (DVB-T2 and
MPEG-4).

The proposal was sent to OFCOM at the end of August and OFCOM invited
comments on 3rd September with **responses due by today**, 16th
September.

The effect would be to make the EPG unavailable -a crude means of
content-protection a.k.a. DRM being pushed on the BBC by
'rights-holders'.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/tvlicensing/enquiry/

The BBC would license the tables required to uncompress a
Huffman-encoded EPG only to 'manufacturers' who agree to implement
content protection a.k.a. DRM measures and would withhold the Freeview
logo endorsement from those that don't, amongst other steps.

The link to the PDF of the proposal on the OFCOM site:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/tvlicensing/enquiry/ofcom_bbc.pdf

I've seen no discussion of this and how it might affect open-source
projects in the future, but it seems on first reading to imply that
projects like MythTV would then have to rely on 3rd-party programme
information sources, or figure out the Huffman look-up tables being
used.

"Ofcom invites comments on this amendment to the licence. Comments
should be received by Ofcom by 16th September 2009. Any comments should
be directed to:"

Andrew.Dumbreck at ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom
3rd Floor
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London, SE1 9HA
UK
Tel direct +44 20 7981 3796
Tel operator +44 20 7981 3000