Microsoft Confirms That Windows Media Centers Use The Broadcast Flag
from the reasons-not-to-buy dept
While NBC Universal still won't say if it set the flags on certain shows recently that would prevent them from being recorded, Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Media Centers do abide by the "broadcast flag." You may recall that the broadcast flag was widely debated for a few years, as the entertainment industry tried to legally force consumer electronics makers to include technology that wouldn't allow certain content to be recorded (at the content producers' discretion). Eventually, the courts wouldn't let the FCC mandate the broadcast flag, and Congress hasn't been willing to put it into any serious legislation. However, apparently Microsoft decided to implement it anyway. Nice of them to implement a "feature" that customers don't want. Update: It took them a week, but folks at NBC Universal are finally claiming that it was an accident that they set the broadcast flag triggers on shows last week. It's not clear why it took them a week to get back to News.com's Greg Sandoval on this.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: broadcast flag, media center
Companies: microsoft, nbc universal
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Buy a mac
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Recording...
All one must do is learn how...
Which is why most people get screwed by Windows Media Slayer, er, I mean, Player.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Try the new ubuntu, the experience has improved a lot.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Give SageTV a try...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
Rajio, would you like to provide proof for your asinine statement?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Screw 'em.
I went 5 years w/o a TV before, I'm sure I won't miss it.
Their loss.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
uhh Rajio what are you talking about?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mac = Freedom to Copy - Please!
FWIW, the common thread going around a free years back was that all devices built had to honor the broadcast flag for when if it ever became enabled. I remember a little mini-rush to get ATSC Capture/Tuner cards that were made before the magic cross over date. Sounds to me like Microsoft was just following the law and that NBC "illegally" activated the flag.
Freedom
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Microsoft Confirms That Windows Media Centers Use The Broadcast Flag
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Mac = Freedom to Copy - Please!
You can capture OTA to mac and mythtv, sage, mytivo and many other great platforms (and I can't think of a one that supports the broadcast flag in software) but right now consumers are pretty much SOL when it comes to cable or satellite to their own PC's, unless you use the vista cable certified box and tuners. The DRM there makes this flagging look like stroll through the rose bushes.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
MS=DRM
The reason no action was taken by congress regarding the broadcast flag, was that M$ had already agreed to put it into it's OS.
We have gone from as a nation:
LIVE FREE OR DIE
TO
SHACKLED UNTO DEATH
Insurrection NOW!!!!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Not clear?
Actually it is pretty clear that they had to get any response signed off by multiple levels of lawyers and managers before admitting to something that they knew they were going to get roasted for...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
but vista is to mac for me, or should I say that it is to user friendly that it becomes not use friendly. because I want to get in the guts of the machine and make Customized for Me. But the Mac end I can't take; the fact that everything Mac you don't own you are just rent it from Apple. Can you even change the font or background on a mac because I know to can't on the iPod; with the brightest screen ever even on low. But that is why I hacked mine.
And a mac will leave every program running all the time (which slows it down a lot, but that's why a mac is 3 times the computer and price; as the same thing on the xp end), and make like 5 copies of the same file (don't for get in miss lables most of my music Beatles, Beatles, Beatles, The Beatles, The Beatles, or no name at all) ahh! Ahh! Fucking Itunes Crap! And the only reason people don't hack mac's is because people that use mac's have no idea how to use a computer.
Mac dose come up with cool ideas but they are always locked up or weird; like the slim laptop that over heat and shuts off a core. Or some headphone can plug in the the side port. Cool isn't it. Way To Go Mac! And I love the fact that Apple in the begin was Anti-Corporate but now locks every thing. Which is vary corporate!
To end, I have asks is their support for different codecs that FLAC. And why Do Mac user leave their computer on all the time, like for weeks even months without turn using it.
So, I love the people that talk about going green and they own a mac. Plus you can upgrade a mac computer in the future. So, you have to drop another 2,000 dollars in 8 years ; instead of 100 to 600 in few upgrade a long the way. Waste money and destroy the environment at the same time. Don't forget about all the coal being burn for power)
Sorry for the raint (and Sp errors).
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Freedom is an Idiot
It built it's 'empire' on providing hardware and software that just works, and they established their market share on merit, not lock in. Guess what? You can buy an iPod and use iTunes and never ever once do you ever have to buy a song from iTunes, which means you will never ever be exposed to their DRM. If that's lock in, bring it on. If using industry standard filesystems like AAC and MP3 is lock in, you simply don't know what 'lock in' means.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
or torrent. -- Transmission
And can you use Photoshop CS3. -- Not yet, if memory serves me.
And what security programs -- Why? There's antivirus software such as ClamAV that detects Windows viruses. There's several firewalls to choose from.
video player -- Take your pic. I prefer VLC.
music player are their for ubuntu -- Amarok, Banshee, XMMS. Amarok is my choice. It's better than anything you'll find on ANY other platform IMO.
Because Mac user have no security at all -- ...what?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Screw 'em.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Any Content must be at the discretion of content owner
Let me give you an analogy:
US Tax Payers pay a lot of tax and pay high costs for Prescription also because part of the money enables the research of innovative new medicines. Once the research is done, how about copying the formula and manufacturing in China and users now pay only 10 cents for the same medicine which costed $10 for US consumers.
How many of you think this is injustice.....?? If you think it is indeed injustice, you belong to my camp.
The same thing is for broadcast flag. What kind of justice is it to copy the content freely ( in the name of freedom to copy ), when Hollywood workers works day and night to innovate stories and build creative content for you ?? Hollywood is an example..how about patenting of new ideas ?? You percieve a new idea, somebody in japan builds a new engine ?? How about this ..?? You like this ..haa..
Let me explain my dear friends here with a question and answer :
Will I be able to trade high-definition episodes of Sex and City with other people?
No. That's exactly what the broadcast flag aims to stop
Remember ...you may be able to make and
trade lower-resolution recordings if you keep the same equipment ( tivo box ).
That's the surprising loophole in the broadcast-flag scheme: Copyright holders seem willing to put up with bootlegs on the Net, as long as they aren't bit-for-bit high-definition copies.
The flag isn't so much a roadblock as a speed bump.
This kind of content protection only comes into play when you’re playing protected content. You'll still be able to record and play shows as usual.
Steve Jobs where are you sitting now..Please take my name from techdirt.com folks..can you allow me to copy all pixar movies bit by bit so that i can go to London and setup a new 'my pixar' shop to sell all pixar movies. You got to come to the table and implement full content protection some day in Mac...I know you will eventually ...i will blog again for your sake.
You cannot have it both ways...hm....hmmm...hm.......
I was just having fun... In fact I like steve forbes..Nothing against Steve Forbes OR Steve Balmer.
I stronly believe it is the owner's discretion..Owner of creative content needs to be paid at all times. No questions please !!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re:
It's just because Windows is as secure as a sieve, that you need said software.
The rest of the post doesn't really make much sense to me.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No subject
It wasn't an accident despite any claim to the contrary. It was a test, and the test failed quickly. Given all the news of NBC lately, it's the more logical option of what really happened.
Fight back. Fast forward TV commercials. Quit buying music. Quit buying DVDs. Quit going to the movies. Read a book.
Until you fight back, expect many, many, many more ways for the industry to bend you over while stripping you of your hard earned cash.
Otherwise, shut the hell up and enjoy your DRM entertainment.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
As for leaving every program running, and five copies... You are computer illiterate boy. To stop the program from running you just have to click on the blue apple symbol and go quit. And the five copies? You're getting signals from MARS. I mean itunes works pretty well if you use it right.
No clue how to use computers? Could YOU repair a computer that had it's desktop folder renamed? Can you do more then 'double click to open'? Only one thing pisses me off about macs, and that's that they come with a single button mouse, which is, frankly, stupid. But if you plug in a double button mouse, or a double button and wheel, it supports left and right click, and wheelscroll.
There's mac security software, and actually macs only cost about $200 more then the windows equivalent... before you factor in productivity software. Including Microsoft Office Works Suite in the price of a windows machine greatly narrows the price gap.
Nice incoherent rant about Mac being corporate? I'm not certain what you're trying to imply, but whatever.
Mac users leave their computers on because they don't get buggy with time on like windows machines do. It's easier to just let it go to sleep then to turn it off, and the log in noise is... irritating.
Coal burn? Jackass, we mostly burn OIL. And Macs are upgradable, it's just that the parts are non-generic. You can STILL buy the parts and install them in the chasis.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
That is to say Troll, using a closer to original pronunciation of the word. Can't people tell that this is a troll?
Don't feed the troll people
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Beta Test
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Not a new issue
I remember reading an article about it way back in 2004, I wasn't able to find the exact article but I did find a review of the Media Center Extender in 2004 that mentions the broadcast flag as a limitation.
Here's an excerpt:
----------------------
One other odd limitation for the short term is that the first generation Extender devices won't be able to display live or recorded TV shows that are protected by the new broadcast flag copyright protection technology. As of this writing, only HBO and Cinemax are using this technology, but other stations are likely to join them soon.
----------------------
The Full article can be found at the following link:
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/mce.asp
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re:
He's probably just using "Mike speak". That's where a broad, unlimited statement is calimed to be true if there is any case where it's true (as opposed to having to be true for all cases). In this case, Rajio didn't say ALL Macs, he just said A Mac. Now, he didn't say which one, so as long as there is any Mac anywhere that won't let you record TV for whatever reason, according to the rules of "Mike speak" the statement is true.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in thread ]
They have to, the third-party software support sucks. ;)
[ link to this | view in thread ]