[opendtv] Re: How Big Cable killed the open set-top box-and what to do about it
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:57:49 -0500
Monty Solomon posted:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/07/how-big-cable-killed-the-open-set-top-box-and-what-to-do-about-it/
A good description of the games the MVPDs play. I especially liked the way the
article describes putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
On this quote, though:
---------------------------
Schultze believes that the FCC has been focusing on the wrong interface. Rather
than restricting cable firms from encrypting content as it passes from the
cable company to the customer's set-top box, Schultze believes cable companies
should offer access to unencrypted video to devices inside the home.
"The provider's set-top box (or CableCARD) could still be responsible for
decrypting signals in order to prevent service theft," he wrote, "but the video
signal emitted from that device could be mandated to be 'in the clear' to any
device that wishes to interoperate."
---------------------------
This would be pretty decent. You have a box at the point of cable entry into
the house, and then from there on, all sets in the house would be seeing
clearQAM. And the box could decrypt all of the channels that household signed
up for.
You can go much further if the cable system switches over to all IP streams,
*or* if cable systems design cable boxes that convert incoming TV channels into
standard IP streams. Then you can leverage the full IP suite to do any kind of
EPG scheme and interactivity your hearth desires.
The problem is, it makes too much good sense. MVPDs much prefer forcing people
to add unnecessary rental hardware in front of each one of their TV sets, not
to mention rental or in-system PVRs.
Bert
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