[opendtv] Re: News: The Real Fight Over Fake News

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008 13:04:21 -0400

Thanks Adam. THis makes good sense to me now.

Regards
Craig


No, the blocking does not 'occur' anywhere.  You've got it upside down.
Access is only provided if authorized.  For a channel that you subscribe to,
your receiver is provided with an authorization (EMM) which gives the
security element in the receiver the key(s) it needs to get the descrambling
keys (ECM), which are then used to decrypt the programming.  If you don't
get the authorization, you can't get the descrambling keys, and you can't
get the content.  THIS IS ENTIRELY A ONE-WAY OPERATION.  That's why it works
without a real-time return channel (one-way CableCARD sets, satellite, etc).

The two-way stuff is significantly and entirely different.  Acquiring PPV,
for example, requires a backchannel.  But that's not what we're talking
about.

-----Original Message-----
From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Craig Birkmaier
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 9:12 AM
To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [opendtv] Re: News: The Real Fight Over Fake News

At 10:10 AM -0400 6/8/08, Adam Goldberg wrote:
  > With digital cable the cable company can enable/disable channels on
  an individual basis via the STB - a critical part of the two-way

Channel authorizations have NOTHING to do with the two-way 'agreement' (if
there is one).

You may be correct. The blocking may occur at the head end when you
request an encrypted channel. But the result is the same - you will
get a screen that asks you to contact your service provider to
authorize this channel. I'm not sure where these screens are
generated 9at the head end or in my cable box). Any TV with built-in
two way capability will need to do the same thing.

Without expressing an opinion on a la carte, I haven't heard this argument
against it.  What they argue, I think, is that channels are cheaper in
bundles (for them, and they pass the savings on to you).

Actually I have heard both. The analog problem is well know, and the
FCC has recognized that blocking individual analog channels is not
technically feasible for analog cable ready TVs. The argument that
you cite is being used by DBS and the cable industry despite the fact
that it is largely untrue. What they are really saying - which may or
may not be true - is that subscriber fees would likely go up
significantly if the congloms could not get paid for every extended
basic subscriber.  For example, if ESPN suddenly lost half of the
subscribers who are currently paying about $3.70 per month, they
would probably raise the subscriber fee on those who want ESPN.

IMHO this argument only holds water for a limited number of channels.
For the vast majority I believe the subscriber fees would go away, to
prevent a sudden contraction in the total number of homes where that
channel is available.

The best evidence to support this is that companies are bidding up
the price to be seen on Freeview, knowing that they must make up
these carriage costs via advertising revenue.

Regards
Craig


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