TiVo User's Fears Explored 363
elrous0 writes "In spite of TiVo's continuing insistence that recent appearances of 'red flag' recordings are mere "glitches," the AP is reporting that customers are beginning to get nervous about the new content-blocking feature added in a recent TiVo upgrade. The story quotes Matt Haughey, of PVRblog.com, as saying 'TiVo would be of limited utility in the future if the studios were allowed to do this with regular broadcast content ... This is like cell-phone jammers. What if you couldn't talk on your cell phone? If customers can't do something with their TiVo that they could in the past, they will stop using it.'" We've touched on this topic in the past.
DRM is the issue, not TiVo (Score:5, Insightful)
ArsTechnica's [arstechnica.com] Ken "Caesar" Fisher [arstechnica.com] has written a rather insightful article [arstechnica.com] about just this issue. Well worth the read.
As "Caesar" stresses in his article, DRM on TiVo is nothing new [arstechnica.com]. There's really no point in getting steamed at TiVo about this...they're victims of DRM just as much as their customers.
If we're going to fix this problem, we need to do it at this [eff.org] level...not at TiVo's level.
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo (Score:5, Informative)
But why did TiVo implement DRM? (Score:3, Insightful)
(I don't completely believe Caesar's article. What law forces TiVo to implement DRM? FCC broadcast flag approval is a red herring, since the broadcast flag was killed.)
Re:But why did TiVo implement DRM? (Score:5, Informative)
More info here [tivo.com].
Re:But why did TiVo implement DRM? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:But why did TiVo implement DRM? (Score:2)
Re:But why did TiVo implement DRM? (Score:2)
Re:But why did TiVo implement DRM? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm pretty sure that's innaccurate... my understanding (which may also be innaccurate
TiVo needs Macrovision license for their combination DVD burner/player Tivo (not sure why, but it's probably part of the spec to get a "certified by the DVD consortium" DVD device with the appropriate stickers or whatever...)
Macrovision put Tivo over the
Re:But why did TiVo implement DRM? (Score:5, Informative)
Mavcrovision and CGMS-A are not encryption, thus you can totally ignore them if you want to. (e.g. most video capture cards ignore that stuff)
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo-WRONG! (Score:5, Informative)
This sounds so wrong to me. There is no law mandating that TiVo include these features yet. If there was, then every VCR sold would need them too - and all the satellite boxes already sold would be upgraded with it.
TiVo still is the problem. They're doing more to aid the content creation industry than they are for their paying customers. I have yet to hear of any copyright statute in law that says a copyright holder can regulate your use of content after you've purchased it - or received it for free over the air.
LET TIVO KNOW HOW MUCH THIS ANGERS YOU, or you're in line to lose more than this!
Mentioning it to Congress can't hurt either.
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo-WRONG! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo-WRONG! (Score:4, Informative)
I'm not sure what you mean by this, but that's exactly what copyright is all about. Title 17 [cornell.edu] of the US Code tells you what you may or may not do with copyrighted content without the owner's permission. Specifcally, 17 USC 106 states:
The owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:
(1) to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phonorecords;
Yes, there are stautory and judicial exceptions to that exclusivity, but there you go.
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo-WRONG! (Score:3, Informative)
I'm not sure what you mean by this
He's obviously referring to personal use, not commercial use or redistribution or public performance.
So no, in this context copyright law places no restrictions. You do not need the copyright holder's permission to make Fair Use.
US Code tells you what you may or may not do with copyrighted conte
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo-WRONG! (Score:3, Insightful)
An example I've used before is the DVD player. AFAIK there's no law requiring DVD manufacturers to enforce the instructions that prevent me from fast-forwarding or skipping whatever I want on the DVD (FBI/Interpol warnings, previews...). So why do they do it when its obvious that's not what consumers want?
The only answer I have is that they do this is that they need a valid DCSS key to play the content if they don't want to run afoul of the
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo (Score:2)
Our Dish Networks DVR does not have DRM and in fact we am legally allowed to record anything we want with it (and we do all the time). It even has instructions in the manual as to how to copy recorded events to VHS (though the same instructions could be used to record to any media).
So, why then is TiVo a victim whereas
Betamax decision (Score:2)
The Betamax decision merely stated that companies that sell technology that can be used to violate copyright laws are not responsible for those violations - as long as that is not the intention of said technology. It did not make it legal to violate copyrights, however.
See this site [findlaw.com] for (much) more information.Self correction (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:DRM is the issue, not TiVo (Score:5, Insightful)
tivo's GOT to be pissed. (Score:5, Insightful)
This is related to a previous article to which I posted my intent were tivo/"the industry" to begin to rein in my ability to:
I would pretty much dump my tivo... since those are the features of tivo that make television palatable. Since that related article, I've informally caucused friends and family with the possible changes in tivo services/features. Every single one of them agreed they'd not have use for tivo either. (And, they were all very concerned that this could happen -- especially after I verified with each one they were actually on the release of tivo that had these new "features".)
From what I've read, and my correspondence, tivo has resisted as well as they could for as long as they could. I wonder how it must feel at tivo these days when these fucktards start imposing their questionable (unethical) "standards" unilaterally. Sheesh.
Kind of reminds me of and old, old, old Peanuts cartoon... Lucy sees Linus playing with her toys, and in rage takes them all away. Linus is crestfallen, and Lucy taking pity as she walks away tosses him a rubber band, "Here, you can play with this". The next few frames show Linus becoming increasingly fascinated and entertained by and with the rubber band until finally Linus is totally in rapture. Lucy comes back, angrily rips that rubber band from Linus and says, "I didn't mean for you to have that much fun with it!".
Re:tivo's GOT to be pissed. (Score:2)
So while resisting flagged content they have opened the doors to additional commercials during fast forwarding? Give me a break. I loved my Tivo (and I love my DirecTivo) but there is absolutely no reason that someone should pay ~$14/mo to have to put u
I've already gotten rid of my TIVO. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I've already gotten rid of my TIVO. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I've already gotten rid of my TIVO. (Score:5, Interesting)
If I was TIVO, I'm not sure I would have made the entire screen red. That's really going to upset people. Maybe this will become the 'RED SCREEN OF DEATH' for TiVO.
Re:I've already gotten rid of my TIVO. (Score:4, Insightful)
And this is exactly how it should be. Let's all get up in arms over things we don't care about? If you watch pay per view and this gets in the way of how you use your TiVo then cancel your subscription, what better way to make your point? (Well, not you as I imagine you're not a TiVo user.)
As soon as this hits a show I want to watch and keep I'll be canceling my subscription. I debated paying the lifetime fee for my TiVo, but then I give up the only real way I've got to tell TiVo to shove it if I need to.
So what's new now? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:So what's new now? (Score:2)
Re:So what's new now? (Score:2)
Re:So what's new now? (Score:2)
Re:So what's new now? (Score:3, Funny)
Some fancy CSS
All The More Reason (Score:5, Informative)
Re:All The More Reason (Score:2)
I personally dont have a tivo (hell, I dont have cable or satalite or anything), but after news like this I'd very very very worried about getting one. I'd build a MythTV - or find someone to build/sell me one (if I wasnt capable) - I'm sure there are plently of people selling pre-build MythTV boxes.
Re:All The More Reason (Score:2, Interesting)
What cracks me up is that Slashdot used to be "WE LOVE TiVo because its based on Linux, way to fight the man!!" to "Screw TiVo they are the MAN with the DRM, DIY with some 0.x release of MythTV! Way to Fight the MAN!"
I have to plug SageTV... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:All The More Reason (Score:2)
Re:All The More Reason (Score:4, Informative)
video __ON MY TV___. TiVo can do this. If you read the MythTV HOWTO and even go down the
path of trying to deploy one of these, you will quickly find that TV output has pretty much
been ignored. What cards really actually work? What driver building hell do I have to go
through to get s-video or composite out to actually work? at a normal NTSC scan rate?
If you have a PVR-350, you just tell Myth to use that card's MPEG2 decoder output. Otherwise, you either convert your video card's VGA output to NTSC composite video using a sub-$100 converter box, or you get a video card whose composite &/or S-Video output(s) "just works". I use a GeForce2 something-or-other and there was exactly zero software work installed -- the POST, kernel boot, and X display all go out over the S-Video connector automagically.
Nice troll, though.
Sure! Oh wait... (Score:5, Insightful)
Myth is way cool, I LOVE the idea I really do. However it cannot give me what I *currently* have with the DTIVO being used in my home now. NO, *my* TIVO doesn't have this DRM code and *no* it won't have the code unless I allow it - and I'm not. I also do not see those FFWD commercials. I'm actually 2 revisions back with my DTIVO running software never meant for my box. (lol) I'll move to the 6.x code soon, really I will. But 7.2x can goto hell, I see no reason to run it and lots of reasons not to.
In any case, until I can get what I want out of MythTV I'm not wasting my time building one. OTA broadcast stuff I gave up years ago and I refuse to go back. The day they can decode my digital cable directly or attach to my SAT dish directly (as can be done in other countries apparently) I'll switch but not until then. If my TIVO suddenly stops working because they have blocked my hacks then I'll happily return it and my DIRECT subscription too.
P.S. Yes, I can do extraction, streaming, and other things on my box. http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/ [dealdatabase.com] The funny thing is that I'm far from bleeding edge with what I've done on my machine!
Here's a step-by-step video to show you how. (Score:3, Informative)
Systm has a show on MythTV [revision3.com] in a variety of formats including Ogg Vorbis+Theora. The show is licensed to share under a Creative Commons license, as are the other episodes of Systm.
Re:All The More Reason (Score:4, Informative)
Nope. TiVo hardware is a closed, special-purpose device. It happens to use Linux as its OS, but beyond that it bears little resemblance to any commercial off the shelf system.
the "noise" defense seems a little weak (Score:5, Informative)
Re:the "noise" defense seems a little weak (Score:2)
Re:the "noise" defense seems a little weak (Score:2)
Precarious position (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Precarious position (Score:2)
Re:Precarious position (Score:2)
Re:Precarious position (Score:2)
Hax0r it (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Hax0r it and pay the fine (Score:2)
It is also only a matter of time before content providers start suing and/or sending people to jail under the DMCA for doing this.
Well that answers that (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Well that answers that (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?Item=N8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
You dont need a high power processor, a ton of RAM, or anything beyond the on-board video, unless you plan on doing things beyond DVRing. I have a bit of experience with this, so drop me a message if you want any furter info.
Re:Well that answers that (Score:3, Interesting)
but really many slashdotters will have a Pc of that generation lying around.
Re:Well that answers that (Score:5, Informative)
So you can see the system requirements are very light. If you don't have any old hardware laying around, then even buying some new bottom-of-the-line stuff should do good with this card. Just off the top of my head, $100 each for CPU, motherboard and hard drive, $50 for memory, $30 each for case, CD/DVD drive and a cheap VGA card, plus $130 for the PVR-350, and you are only looking at $570. Actually, if you watch around, you can routinely find 200GB hard drive's for $40-$50 after rebate, so that puts you just over $500....plus your time (whatever you value that at).
Re:Well that answers that (Score:2)
Gateway 9000-series Laptop with TV-out USB2 PCMCIA Card $20
WinTV USB2 MPEG encoder + remote $100 with rebate
SageTV PVR Software $80
USB2 external drive for storage $100
Zap2IT subscription comes free with Sage
So I spent less than $400 without even trying to save cash. I'm certain you can do it for a lot cheaper, especially if you go the MythTV route
their fears are well founded (Score:5, Interesting)
The end of TiVo's usefullness is approaching quickly. Probably time to get some more developers working on the open source alternatives.
Why? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Why? (Score:3, Informative)
It was a licensing requirement from Macrovision
See here http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050914-530
Re:Why? (Score:2)
Re:Why? (Score:4, Insightful)
Exactly why is TiVo adding this functionality?
Put yourself in Tivo's place. Do you listen to your individual customers who are worried about what the industry will do and refrain from potentially screwing them all over? Or do you instead get that huge sale from Comcast who is willing to sign a contract to use Tivo hardware in every set top box for the next five years, thus forcing most cable customers to become your customer? After all, since the content providers just want the DRM there and promise not to use it till it is too late for your customers and since most of your customers won't know/care that it has happened for years it won't lose you too many sales. Tivo is just playing it safe by partnering with the big boys rather than fighting them.
Truthfully, this market has room for up to four distinct players: Content providers, hardware providers, software providers, and scheduling service providers. The big cable companies want to make sure they own all that space and will play dirty to do it. It is almost impossible to challenge them in the content space, since they are the only source of sufficient bandwidth in the last mile.
Ideally, all four of those areas would be separate and interoperable and there would be competition for each. You could buy an X brand set top PVR, install OS Y, subscribe to scheduling service Z, and still be stuck getting your content from the existing cable company. Already there are companies like Tivo and RealTV making the hardware and software, projects like MythTV and companies like Elgato providing software, and services like TitanTV selling just the subscription. This is the Cable companies ruin, so they are trying hard to maintain power. Thus they make a deal with the number one player, give them a really sweet deal with a long term supplier contract for more money and boxes than they could hope to sell on their own in years, and make sure the stage is set for them to gut the PVR space, by providing their own, limited, but cheaper (by the exact amount they just raised everyone's cable bill) boxes. No one can compete with their bundling, and they have a government enforced monopoly on the last mile that cannot be taken away easily. The result is Tivos starting to suck and be included in cable company provided boxes, that kinda sorta do what the users want, for now.
There are several possibly disruptive factors in their plans. One is cheap, fast internet that could cut them out of the loop and make them compete. Luckily for them, the cable companies and the content producers are mostly owned by the same corp. so there is little chance of that without a big indy video scene appearing. The second wildcard is Microsoft. Their media PS edition could completely screw them, but MS is planning for the long term. They will probably play nice and partner and add all the DRM they want, so long as it is MS DRM and locks everyone in to Windows for the foreseeable future. MS know some day it will all run thru the computer and that day they will subsume the cable companies. Until then they are content to build strength with their file format and OS lock in. The last wildcard is another Tivo. If someone can make a cheap enough device to do what Tivo does, that is easy to use and does not play ball with the cable companies, it could all come tumbling down. They are probably terrified of MythTV, since it cannot be bought out or bribed into the fold.
At least that is my take on it. I could be wrong.
That's why I use MythTV (Score:5, Insightful)
And if you don't like any free PVR, and are going to say something like "Free PVR X is too difficult to set up" or "X has a crappy interface compared to Tivo", I'm going to agree. But consider that in five years your Tivo is going to have the same usability and fewer features, while the free PVR will get easier to set up and use, will have more features, and above all will still be Free.
Tivo was all about taking control of your TV experience. The industry doesn't like that, and they are slowly going to take that control back. The Free PVRs, much like Free Software itself, is a way for you to keep that control.
Re:That's why I use MythTV (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, believe me when I tell you -- the content providers will start going after the homebrew PVR market next. Whether it will be getting to the TV-in card manufacturers or to Congress -- they will do everything in their power to make sure that *they* control their content regardless of fair-use.
So, in five years, when you claim Tivo will be worthless I expect the home-brew PVR software to be acceptable for a good many people to use but I also expect that there will be built-in hardware limitations that will only be circumvented by those with the ability to create their own hardware solutions that are flag free.
Scary, I know -- welcome to Corporate America.
Re:That's why I use MythTV (Score:3, Informative)
The GNURadio homepage [gnu.org] shows samples of HDTV images received and decoded successfully. If we give up because we suspect opposition, we'll surely lose our rights. If we fight technologically and politically through organized action we may secure our rights.
Re:That's why I use MythTV (Score:4, Informative)
All right, I wasn't too lazy. MythTV does support multiple tuners.
I don't get it (Score:5, Interesting)
Throughout it all, my ReplayTV experience has gone un-touched, I still have commercial skipping and the like. The way Replay skirts the issue is that they change model numbers and can then change the feature set. My 4500 has commercial skip where the 5500 does not. How Tivo is legally able to change it on all models is beyond me.
Re:I don't get it - Now That's Marketing! (Score:2)
Funny that they remove a popular feature - one of the most popular features of a DVR - and increase the model number at the same time.
There's nothing to get (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't know a single one in real life, as opposed to message boards, who give a flip about transfering shows to their PCs. Most don't even bother with PPV movies, which is what the expiration flag is intended for. It's just not that important. If they really, desperately want a season of a show, they buy the box set for $60 rather than spend who knows how long formatting and burning their own DVDs.
That's the thing people who push the "roll your own" solutions forget: the TIME involved. They place no value on their time. I have the skill level to do a MythTV. Heck, I have the skill to WRITE a DVR solution, but I read accounts of installs, and I'd have to be on a steady diet of boilermakers and cheap crack to waste my time like that for something as trical as television.
And if a network activates the flag to prevent recording of their show? Fuck 'em. Who cares? No Tivo owners will watch. The network is just hurting themselves.
Even with the broadcast flag, TiVo getting better (Score:2)
There are some good reasons to upgrade to the new TiVo software even if it does not let you record content with the broadcast flag. The biggest reason for me is that now you can do the complete setup process without a telephone line. The entire setup from system reset can be done with wireless internet.
I just bought a new TiVo and was upset that it shipped with the last software rather than the most recent. I had to take it to a neighbors house to have it use the phone line since I only have a cell pho
Re:Even with the broadcast flag, TiVo getting bett (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Even with the broadcast flag, TiVo getting bett (Score:2)
Re:Even with the broadcast flag, TiVo getting bett (Score:2)
Got rid of my TiVo, using BTV (Score:4, Interesting)
The TiVo rep argued with me that they had "resolved" the problems with shows getting deleted. I understand that it wasn't intentionally turned on, but the fact is the device now supports and allows broadcasts to muck around with this kind of thing. They offered to knock the monthly down 1/2, but I'm not interested any more.
I don't like the direction the company is heading in, so I've switched. I'm not going back, unless there's a radically change in their direction - and even then I'm no likely to. I like having control over my DVR - dual headed, 1TB storage, DVD burner, can ADD shows to the machine (and get them off), and I can extend and expand that machine as I see fit.
Long live BTV!
-Greg
Re:Got rid of my TiVo, using BTV (Score:3, Insightful)
If you'd already paid for a lifetime subscription, then you're cancelling of it now would not have had the same impact on them.
offered to knock the monthly down 1/2
So, threaten to leave and get your subscriptions at 1/2 price. Hummm
Convert SA Tivo's to MythTV (Score:3, Interesting)
Sadly DirectTivo's probably are out of the picture for this.
If you buy something because of promised features (Score:4, Interesting)
I think this would be more of a question for people who paid for a lifetime subscription, but it also throws into the question the value of any future lifetime subscriptions, because if their contract allows them to start adding restrictions after the fact, is it really of much value?
Perhaps a similar question could have been first pursued back when the company started venturing into adding advertising into the skip features, etc., as well.
Re:If you buy something because of promised featur (Score:2)
Re:If you buy something because of promised featur (Score:3, Insightful)
On the other hand, I have a lifetime subscription for my Tivo. My understanding of the arrangement is that I paid a flat fee for a certain type of servi
Might this spur IP TV and true On-Demand? (Score:2, Interesting)
Most people I know who have one swear by their TiVos. I'm probably the rare Slashdotter that doesn't have one yet, but my reasons are very simple: I hate TV and the vast majority of the content available. I have a few shows that routinely take up my time, and they're on at shitty hours (damn you, [adult swim]!), but I can't justify buying a TiVo just to watch 3 or 4 shows in the middle of the afternoon rather than 1:00 AM.
I'm wondering if most people don't feel the same way, considering the response to t
Re:Might this spur IP TV and true On-Demand? (Score:4, Insightful)
We've gone through this process with Tivo users before. The TivoToGo release took too long so there were claims of canceling their service and going to MythTV. Mac users still can't download shows from their tivo and watch them on their mac without going through a PC first, as far as I know. And through it all, the people who bitched and moaned are most likely still using Tivo.
I own a Tivo. I use a mac. I hate DRM. I constantly think about how I should build a MythTV box, which shouldn't be too hard for me since I have a lot of linux experience. But I get home from work, plop on the couch, and tun on my TV to see if any good shows are waiting for me on the Tivo. There needs to be a serious and obvious interruption to my Tivo service to get me off my lazy ass so that I switch to something else.
But as far as IPTV and the such, I think podcasts might do a lot to get people moving in that direction. If you don't believe me, download iTunes (or figure out how to use some other podcast software) and subscribe to Diggnation, Systm, Rocketboom, Dawn and Drew show, and This Week in Tech. People are really starting to make some cool stuff that is totally independent and free of DRM nastiness. The content is surprisingly good. The only real problems are wading through the thousands of crappy podcasts so that you can find the rare good one, and the bandwidth needs of podcasters who get popular. But podcasts have really shown people that anyone can make a show, and some of them might even be good. So now there should be a lot of creative thinkers figuring out how to make it easier to find shows and for shows to handle the bandwidth needs. Of course there will also be a lot of creative thinkers figuring out how they can DRM podcasts in hopes of making money.... sigh.
Your Own Software (Score:2)
I Hope This Madness Will End Soon (Score:5, Insightful)
I remember when I got my first real computer, an Apple
At that point almost no programs had copy protection. It had gone out of style because it cost more to keep ahead of the crackers than to just put it out and make what you could on honest customers. I remember in the material I read by Apple crackers, they pointed out that any disk the computer could run, copy protected or not, HAD to be able to be read by the boot loader, so at least the first sector had to be easily readable. From there on, a good cracker could figure it out one way or the other, as long as he took the time.
We know that any form of DRM is breakable, not just through brute force, but by reverse engineering. Yes, there's the DMCA, but tha is not going to stop cracking programs from being easily found, just as pirated software was easy to find in the days of Apple
This is just a new market. Software publishers have gotten used to knowing there are unauthorized copies of their work, in perfect digital form, being traded among the public. This same idea scares the life out of RIAA and MPAA, but eventually they'll realize that it costs more, in the long run, to keep everything protected than to just release it as is and make what you can from the millions of honest customers. They've already started to change their positions on this. When Napster came out, there was no way they wanted ANY online distribution. ITunes changed that. The studio making the Harry Potter movies announced in a press release that large batches of Harry Potter III were released without any copy protection to see how it went, since protection was so expensive to incorporate and license.
It'll take a long while, especially with Microsoft doing the Harold Hill routine (from "The Music Man") where they say, "Hey, all these people will still your stuff. You've got trouble, right here in River City," and, at the same time saying, "But I'll tell you how to fight that trouble. Just pay us tons of money and we'll make sure you don't lose tons of money. We'll protect it all!" Eventually, though, the added expense and work needed for protection and the paranoia of the MPAA and RIAA will start fading and we'll see something much more reasonable, just like we did in the evolution of software marketing.
Add to that the growth of FOSS and people with guts, like the gov. in Mass., who are beginning to see the value in open formats and software that doesn't cost a ton of money, and eventually, after all the fears are shown groundless, we'll see the entire data and content market become commodity markets, just like the expensive long distance and cell phone markets have become.
Re:I Hope This Madness Will End Soon (Score:2)
Not quite. You can't easily break a hardware protection scheme unless you are willing to spend millions of dollars on hacking the hardware. If you use strong encryption that is well-implemented and uses hardware, it will not be possible to crack. Nobody has yet cracked DirecTV encryption, for instance. The new initiatives like TCPA should make DRM extremely secure.
Re:I Hope This Madness Will End Soon-Etiquette (Score:2)
Then you should have posted your comments under that post. That is proper Slashdot Etiquette.
two points (Score:2)
the difference between software duplication/use is that software requires SUPPORT- (which is the premise behind FOSS- support is where the corporate profit comes from) video and audio tracks do not-
if I copy microsoft office, I get no support.
I bought my damn copy, and I've needed to use support.
if I copy a movie, I don't need support- it's not a great parallel..
Flag my programs and I'll stop watching (Score:2)
*casters, I'll stop watching your shows if you flag them so I can't record them.
Re:Flag my programs and I'll stop watching (Score:2)
Frightened Consumer: But does this mean I won't be able to record bad soft porn on the Playboy Channel?
Evil TIVO Guy: There's nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
Frightened Consumer: The whole reason I pay you guys a subscription is so that I can record stuff off the TV. Now I see this thing flashing on my screen. I'm frightened.
Evil TIVO Guy: Merely a technical glitch. There's nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
Frightened Consumer:
Filter that BF (Score:2)
Step 1 is knowing where in the signal the BF is.
Re:Filter that BF (Score:3, Informative)
The good news (Score:2)
Since I picked up the Tivo for her, she's fallen in love with it (always the first step). Now, if they get annoying, I have an excuse for more hardware in my house.
Bad comparison (Score:2)
Then I would actually go to the movie theatre instead of waiting for the DVD. The inability to watch a movie in peace and quiet is the primary factor in dissuading me from going to the local multiplex. Still waiting for the management of said multiplexes to wake up to this fact.
The ban on cellphone jammers in the U.S. needs to be lifted ASAP.
Back to old school.... (Score:2)
Who Would Win If...? (Score:2)
Who would have won?
Misspelling (Score:5, Funny)
They misspelled "dupe".
Content owners laughing all the way to the bank (Score:3)
Wouldn't that be a great day for the content owners.
Nobody skipping ads any more, nobody storing broadcast shows into digital format ready to be whisked away to other devices at the user's whim, etc. Heavens, the users might actually be persuaded to license the right to record a show in some not too distant future! Let's do it!
DIY (Score:3, Insightful)
The answer is (Score:3, Insightful)
These techniques will not lead to more sales. I would bet money on that.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:A cell phone jammer? What a great idea! (Score:2)
I think it is best to just let them be at 20-50% aware rather than make them dip dow
Re:Why "fear" (Score:5, Informative)
Silly, silly, lad
What do you think the EULA on 99% of the software says:
a) We promise our software will not damage your system or data in a way.
b) We in no way accept responsibility for damage done to your system or data. Install and use at your own risk.
The user agreements are to protect the company's interests, not the user's. The user agreements are to cover their butts, so if something happens they can say "But you accepted the service agreement that says it's alright." Heck, they probably do more to tie the hands of the users instead of the company.
I gaurantee you somewhere in Tivo's agreement (probably somewhere prominent) they say that they reserve the right to modify their services and update their software whenever and however they feel necessary. Almost all service-based products allow for this.
Re:Why "fear" (Score:3, Interesting)