[mythtv-users] New MythTV Hardware Review

[Brad Templeton]

> I was under the impression that the cards must be able to read the flag. 
> In that case what if the card just transmitted that to the software and 
> let the software handle recording or live-viewing only (for flagged 
> broadcasts). I don't know how this would be handled in v4l but maybe an 
> additional device could be added which software could read from 
> (/dev/video/flag ?) to let it know it was flagged content. I don't know 
> all that much about the subject, so this is just speculation on my part.

The law requires that any tuner not make the stream generally available.
If it goes out digital outputs, it must be encrypted  and sent only
to blessed devices or software that have agreed to obey the flag in order
to get the keys to decrypt.

As our lawyers read it, it probably will  be impossible to do open source software
which can't promise to abide by the rules.

You can buy a card before June, 2005, and use it from then on.  There is
some debate about cards being re-sold after that date.  They can be given
away, we think.

One hope is that Canada  won't pass a similar law, though there is one in
process there.  ATI is a Canadian company, and they might make cards for
Canada that don't follow the flag rule.   But it's just a hope.

ATSC is not very common in Canada right now because they didn't force all
broadcasters to switch there.   Most Canadians do not get DTV over the air,
and if they do, it's from the USA or from CITY-TV in Toronto.