TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Who Killed TiVoToGo?

Who Killed TiVoToGo?

Monty Solomon (monty@roscom.com)
Fri, 13 Oct 2006 08:02:23 -0400

Digital Cable and Satellite DRM Harms TV Fans and Innovators

It's the latest digital media murder mystery: TiVo Series2's TiVoToGo1
enabled limited portability of recorded content to PCs and other
devices, but the TiVo Series3 HD did not include this feature when
recently released.2 In other words, if you want to upgrade to HD, you
have to downgrade your TiVo's features.

You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to guess that this story somehow
involves Hollywood, the FCC, and "digital rights management" (DRM)
restrictions. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has opposed
these restrictions every step of the way, and, in this article, we'll
explain digital cable DRM's sordid history, how digital cable and
satellite DRM may affect you, and what you can do to fight back.

In short, get ready for copying limits on cable and satellite content
that won't stop "Internet piracy"3 but will stop you from making
legitimate use of lawfully acquired content. You'll be forced to only
buy devices with limited features, and restricted digital outputs
could break compatibility with your current HD displays and receivers,
even though you may have already invested thousands of dollars in
them. Innovators will have to beg permission before inventing new
digital devices that help you get more from your satellite and cable
content.

Unfortunately, TiVoToGo's disappearance is just the tip of the
iceberg.

http://www.eff.org/IP/pnp/cablewp.php
http://www.eff.org/IP/pnp/eff_cablewp.pdf

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