[NCLUG] MythTV Questions

[Brian Wood]

Paul Hummer wrote:

> The Hauppauge product you talked about that decrypts, is that a PCI 
> card?  Could you use a case with similar TiVo form factor, and have it 
> replace your satellite/cable set top box/DVR?  Technically, if you were 
> to do that, and run MythTV, the only subscription you would have to pay 
> for is the channel listing service.  I would definitely be interested in 
> building something like that (and there HAS to be a market for them, at 
> least with the hardware hackers).

Whoa, I never talked about a product from Hauppauge, or anyone else, 
that "decrypts". Such a product would be illegal unless sanctioned by 
the program providers (like CableCard). At the very least it would be a 
DMCA violation, and perhaps copyright licenses as well.

The promised Hauppauge product, due out next month, will allow the 
encoding of baseband (component or HDMI) HD video, essentially what the 
PVR card does now but allowing for HD resolutions. Until now this has 
not been possible with consumer-level devices.

Your cable STB or satellite receiver performs any decryption required, 
outputting clear video that the Hauppauge device can then encode. You 
would still need a programmer-supplied device to perform any decryption. 
The only way to decrypt with customer-provided equipment is with 
CableCard, and Linux support for it does not look promising, since 
Hollywood looks on Linux users as a "bunch of pirates".

Actually it would be more accurate to refer to "CableCard support for 
Linux", rather than the opposite. Hollywood's classification of Linux 
users is a self-fulfilling prophecy, since they have refused to license 
any Linux capability to decrypt even standard DVDs. The "pirates" are 
just trying to watch programming that they have legally paid for with 
legal equipment that they have paid for. Hardly a "piratical" act IMHO.

The new Hauppauge device, which is USB-connected, will allow MythTV to 
access a lot of HD programming that is not usable today, but it will not 
replace a cable STB or satellite receiver, unfortunately.

What you are proposing would be theft of service if you did not pay for 
the cable subscription. Most Myth users would be wiling to pay for a 
device (CableCard?) that allowed them to use the programming they are 
paying for in the way they want, but I guess that's too much to ask from 
an industry that refuses to condone watching a DVD on your platform of 
choice.

beww