[opendtv] How Big Cable killed the open set-top box-and what to do about it
- From: Monty Solomon <monty@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: undisclosed-recipient:;
- Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:53:59 -0400
How Big Cable killed the open set-top box-and what to do about it
Researcher argues the FCC's set-top box strategy is doomed to failure.
by Timothy B. Lee
July 24 2012
Ars Technica
Steve Schultze once enjoyed the ability to record cable television
content on the desktop computer in his Cambridge, MA home. But when
he moved across the river to Boston, he was forced to switch to a
digital cable service that encrypted most of its channels, greatly
reducing the utility of his video recording gear.
Schultze, who now works for the Center for Information Technology
Policy at Princeton University, writes that his experience is part of
a broader trend. For more than a decade, the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) has tried to promote development of third-party
set-top boxes-but poorly conceived strategy and cable company
foot-dragging has largely foiled that agency.
A final nail in the open set-top box coffin could come soon. The FCC
currently prohibits cable providers from encrypting basic cable
channels in order to preserve compatibility with third-party devices.
But these third-party devices have become increasingly rare, so the
FCC is considering dropping the encryption ban altogether.
...
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/07/how-big-cable-killed-the-open-set-top-box-and-what-to-do-about-it/
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