[mythtv-users] Myth on WD HDTV Media Player for $99

[Brian Wood]

On Sunday 11 October 2009 09:40:15 Scott D. Davilla wrote:

> Here's a thought, decoding h.264 requires a license with the patent
> holders. That's a fact that we conveniently ignore all the time in
> open source software because the patent holders will only go after
> big fish that bundle and sell such software. Anytime you use ffmpeg
> to play h.264 content via software, you are violating the licensing
> no matter how much you might feel entitled. So you could say that use
> of a lib like vdpau or crystal hd actually is more legal than using a
> software based solution. You better believe that Both Nvidia and
> Broadcom have licenses with the patent holders for decoding the video
> formats that they support.

I'm certainly no expert here, but as I understand it even decoding MPEG2 
requires a license.

Is there any "legal" way to decode MPEG2 under Linux? I'm not aware of any, 
certainly there is no legal way to decode CSS under Linux.

I believe that there is no way to even play a legally-purchased DVD under 
Linux, and that has nothing to do with CSS, just the MPEG2. Even playing a 
non-protected DVD would be illegal without an MPEG2 license, and there is no 
such thing for Linux that I know of.

I certainly feel "entitled" to play a DVD that I paid for without having to 
send money to Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

If you purchase a retail version of a DVD drive it usually comes with 
(presumably licensed) software to play DVDs, but I think the license is tied 
to the software, not the drive itself.

Morally I feel I have paid for the right to play a DVD, both when I purchased 
the drive, and when I purchased the DVD itself.

If anyone needs to pay for the MPEG2 license it should be the DVD maker, not 
me.

Certainly nobody had to buy an NTSC license to watch analog TV these past 50 
years.

Something so ubiquitous should not be proprietary and patentable. The entire 
software patent issue is getting insane.

People certainly deserve to be paid for their work, I don't believe that all 
software should be free, but I should be able to use a product that I have 
paid for.

-- 
Brian Wood
beww at beww.org