Who Controls Your Television?

[stevel]

How the Digital Video Broadcasting Project's DRM Standards Jeopardize Innovation, Competition, and Consumer Rights

"The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the only public interest group to have attended DVB's closed technical meetings. As a condition of participation, DVB imposed restrictions on our ability to report on these meetings. Now, after key parts of DVB's new DRM specification have been sent to the European standards body and may soon be provided to other EU regulators, we are releasing this paper to help consumer organizations and EU regulators understand the significant public policy implications of various DVB work items."

http://www.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_briefing_paper.php

TiVo mentioned indirectly, but this topic directly affects TiVo owners.

[ZeoTiVo]

yes, the ability to resell ability to copy to another device does indeed suck. I should be able to watch a show where I want

[JimSpence]

Since the viewing public is totally addicted to TV a consumer boycott of all content would be impossible. But, that's the only way the viewer can tell the ego heads in Hollywood to butt out.

[nirisahn]

In the years before Tivo, I used to read a lot more because there was nothing on when I wanted to watch when I had time to watch. Then along came the vcr. My Tv viewing increased. Then came Tivo, and my viewing increased some more. I wonder if the geniuses behind this have studied how much TV and movies people watch when they can watch on their own schedule vs. how much they watch when tied to broadcast schedules. If this actually occurs and I can no longer time shift my viewing, I guess I'll finally catch up on my reading! I wonder how many people like me (who've greatly increased their viewing hours because time shifting is convenient) are out there? I wonder how many of those viewing hours will be lost when viewing is no longer convenient? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! Then again, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe we'd all go back to reading books instead of watching tv. :)

[mattack]

In the years before Tivo, I used to read a lot more because there was nothing on when I wanted to watch when I had time to watch. Then along came the vcr. My Tv viewing increased. Then came Tivo, and my viewing increased some more. I wonder if the geniuses behind this have studied how much TV and movies people watch when they can watch on their own schedule vs. how much they watch when tied to broadcast schedules.

The "geniuses" don't care that your TV viewing increased, since you're most likely ignoring the commercials.

You are not the network's customer. The advertizers are. The advertizers DON'T care that you are watching more TV, but DO care that you aren't watching more ads (since they argue that watching ads -> buying products shown in ads).

[jsmeeker]

TiVo man has total control of mine.

[ZeoTiVo]

The "geniuses" don't care that your TV viewing increased, since you're most likely ignoring the commercials.

You are not the network's customer. The advertizers are. The advertizers DON'T care that you are watching more TV, but DO care that you aren't watching more ads (since they argue that watching ads -> buying products shown in ads).
yep. Follow the money - it will explain why there is so much effort in trying to contain digital within some DRM web.