I had heard rumours of this sort of thing but I tracked it down yesterday.
From the EFF site:
Responding to pressure from Hollywood, the FCC has adopted a rule requiring future digital television (DTV) tuners to include "content protection" (aka DRM) technologies. Starting next year, all makers of HDTV receivers must build their devices to watch for a broadcast "flag" embedded in programs by copyright holders. When it comes to digital recording, it'll be Hollywood's DRM way or the highway. Want to burn that recording digitally to a DVD to save hard drive space? Sorry, the DRM lock-box won't allow it. How about sending it over your home network to another TV? Not unless you rip out your existing network and replace it with DRMd routers. Kind of defeats the purpose of getting a high definition digital signal, doesn't it?
There are a very few devices out there that will allow you to receive HDTV signals (terrestrial or otherwise) in your computer. I have found this card and will probably buy it before the broadcast flag deadline ('cause I'm just a rebel at heart). It's about $170. Much cheaper than a conventional HDTV receiver.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work with cable/satellite signals. I get HD right now but because I don't have an HDTV-capable TV, I just get to watch in enhanced definition (a limbo between regular TV and HDTV). Basically, I get a progressive scan picture, which means that I cannot see lines on the screen as you can with regular TV broadcasts and my picture is letterboxed. It's about the resolution of DVD and so not bad. I've found a decent explanation here.
But I hanker for that HDTV standard. And I don't want to buy a new TV.
Posted by artandscience at February 22, 2005 08:04 PM