Rule would control digital TV copies (RIAA tech on your pc, tv, etc)

[joeunderdog]

The federal government is preparing for the first time to require that personal computers and other consumer electronics devices contain technology to help block Internet piracy of digital entertainment.

A RULE being considered by the Federal Communications Commission is one of a series of proposals pushed by the entertainment industry to help thwart copying and online trading of movies and television shows that increasingly are being broadcast in digital form with high-quality picture and sound.

snip

Unlike with recent FCC decisions on high-speed Internet access and media consolidation that have deeply split the five-member commission, none of the three Republicans and two Democrats has led a public campaign against the broadcast flag.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/980955.asp?0cv=CB20&cp1=1

[Colin Ex]

1. Man, this is going to make those people

who know their way around well enough to homebuild their machines fucking millionaires.

-C

[Waistdeep]

2. A perfect analogy

"Man, this is going to make those people who know their way around well enough to homebuild their machines fucking millionaires."

Kind of like people who know how to grow their own marijuana?

[DK666]

3. Oh man Im gonna be rich

and wanted........ ;(

[ret5hd]

5. I'm thinking that the "fix" for this will more likely be...

software rather than hardware.

I think it will give a boost to linux and other open-source software.

Practically any "glitch" in hardware can be fixed w/ software (remember that floating point bug in Intel chips a few yrs ago?) And since MS will "play the game", this will leave linux primed to take the field.

Maybe just wishful thinking.

[DK666]

6. I use LINUX

to encode now.

[ret5hd]

9. Exactly. And just as sure as someone figured out how to...

do that, someone will figure out how to bypass or undo whatever piece of circuitry is implanted in tomorrows computers. With software. With software that will take 15 secs. to download. With software that will take 15 secs. to download, 10 secs. to install, for a total of 35 secs. to completely thwart the thousands of dollars that were spent developing this riaa "fix".

Sooner or later they will get it in their head that once something is in the digital realm they have absolutely no control over it.

I am not stating this as someone who is a big fan of piracy (I have exactly zero pirated songs), I am stating this as a matter of FACT.

[LifeDuringWartime]

13. gotta love osx

i dont really see apple complying with something like this. but if they do, i can always get some flavor of linux for my macs... :tinfoilhat:

[w4rma]

14. There isn't anything that anyone can do, hardware or software.

You can only take steps to make it a pain in the butt for folks to pirate.

[Don_G]

4. What They'll Try To Do

Is build two sets of machines; one for recording and another for playback. It won't work and the only thing it will do is piss off another segment of the population against the FCC and RIAA.

[madrchsod]

7. please give us the laws

so we can protect our stupid assed-money losing business. we have no idea what is going on in the new technology and how to profit by it so please let us extort money from all these downloading,copying bastards.

[Alpharetta]

8. Another setback for U.S. digital electronics industry

I'll get my computers AND my medicine from Canada

[Don_G]

17. What About Japan?

They're always on the cutting edge of technology and if the RIAA is afraid I'll spend my money elsewhere, so be it!!

Link: http://www.japan-direct.com/index.asp

[Ratty]

10. I worry that they'll get greedy

I hate all this anti-piracy, digital rights crap, but to be honest it actually doesn't affect me. I buy all my software, I don't download music, I rent or buy DVDs and never bother to record them (I have DeCSS but have actually only used it twice. The decrypted DVD files just took up too much space on my PC so I eventually deleted them and never bothered to do it again). I am against software piracy and warez and I understand that something must be done about that. Piracy is a HUGE problem folks and it's only getting worse.

I worry that they'll get greedy though and do things that WILL affect me. Like disabling the ability to skip commercials. Or only allowing sanitized US versions of movies to be played. Or pushing out smaller media companies while the big companies dominate the market. Or requiring identification to play media, making you "register" to use them so they can record your profile for targetted spam and advertising. Or probably worst of all, disabling your ability to record TV shows and movies that are FREE on broadcast TV or cable.

These people are greedy and the dollar signs in their eyes are blinding them to piracy. That's small potatoes to them now but I bet that's all their lobbyists will harp on to get their legislation passed by their bought and paid-for lackeys in Congress.

[AndyTiedye]

12. Piracy isn't the Real Issue

The real issue with the big record companies is control.

They used to be able to choose what we listen to, and they can't
anymore. Radio stations and record companies don't have the
power they used to.

Most new artists don't even deal with them anymore, but promote themselves with free downloads and sell CDs over the net.

This is especially evident in all the genres of electronic dance music.
Raves are the entertainment industry's worst nightmare, so they lobby against them, badmouth them, and refuse to promote the music.
Most is released either informally on CDR or by tiny record companies
that struggle to survive.

[donco6]

11. I would think Dell would fight this

If they implement, I would hang on to my old computer for MUCH longer. Lower new computer sales, more stagnating tech economy, etc. etc.

[Dogmudgeon]

15. Michael Dell = Friend of Bush

He's in their pocket.

--bkl

[Gman]

16. Michael Dell is also sucked up to Bill Gates

they have a mutual admiration society together.

I think if they agree to this they'll eventually put theirselves out of business, or, as someone noted, push everyone to Linux.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

18. Question: Why is it the Government's business to protect an industry

that can't produce a product that can't be copied by a twelve-year-old with a modem?

On edit: If this comes to pass, I'm gonna need to hire help in building custom computers.