[mythtv-users] SiliconDust to Announce CableCard Product at CES [RUMOR]

[Rod Smith]

On Thursday 07 January 2010 01:08:57 pm Johnny wrote:
> > If that's the case, then even if SD doesn't provide linux support,
> > then simply discussing reverse engineering an appropriate interface
> > package should not be disallowed by the mailing list rules.
>
> They weren't referring to this portion of the discussion. It was the
> discussion encryption and how to circumvent it that was not allowed.
> Getting Linux access to the non-DRM streams/files is fine. But there
> will be some some (maybe most) files that are flagged and encrypted
> with DRM so there is simply no legal way to get around that and
> discussions of that would be against list policy.

There's another approach that's been bouncing around in my head, although I 
have no idea how practical it would be: Use WINE and whatever Windows 
software is required to play those files. Presumably you'd set this up as a 
player in MythVideo, and I have no idea if you'd need to use Windows software 
(presumably also under WINE) to record them or if you could use MythTV's 
scheduler for that part, with MythTV recording a show that it couldn't play 
back directly because of the DRM. My suspicion is that this would be a very 
awkward solution, but AFAIK it'd be legal, since you'd be using whatever 
licensed Windows software is required for the job, just with MythTV and Linux 
as a wrapper. Depending on the details of the hardware and official supported 
software, it might be workable. OTOH, maybe there's something basic I just 
don't understand (maybe the Windows software doesn't work under WINE or is 
too bloated for this sort of use, for instance). Still, I thought it was 
worth tossing out as a pie-in-the-sky sort of option....

-- 
Rod Smith