[mythtv-users] CableCard and FIOS

[Devin Heitmueller]

On Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 9:29 AM, Eric Sharkey <eric at lisaneric.org> wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 2:49 PM, Billy Macdonald
> <toastyfries at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>      But then I got to thinking, FIOS has their multiroom DVR package.  How
>> is it that they can have any shows that aren't "copy-freely" transmitted to
>> other TVs, but MythTV, Tivo, and even Windows Media Center cannot do the
>> same?
>
> The way it was explained to me is that TiVo implements multi-room
> viewing by actually copying the the video to non-volatile storage on
> the remote unit and as such this is seen as a copy and is prohibited.
> Windows Media Center streams the content into buffers in RAM and never
> writes the data to disk and this is considered not a copy and
> therefore allowed.  I believe the Verizon branded DVRs are similar to
> the WMC method.
>
> To anyone who understands what virtual memory is, this all seems like
> a bunch of lawyers arguing over nothing.
>
> Eric

The other key issue is that such devices use technologies such as code
signing and DRM to ensure a protected content path all the way to the
television.  The basic philosophy is that the cablecard device will
not give up access to the stream unless the receiver can guarantee the
unencrypted video is never accessible (by using a CableLabs approved
DRM scheme).

That's why you can do it with MCE and cable company DVRs.

Devin

-- 
Devin J. Heitmueller - Kernel Labs
http://www.kernellabs.com