You Can Take The Company Out Of The DRM Business, But You Can't Take The DRM Business Out Of The Company

from the but-of-course dept

Tue, Nov 13th 2012 7:30am — Mike Masnick

Rovi is the company that used to be called Macrovision. It got its start as the annoying DRM for VCRs and expanded into all kinds of DRM over the years. In 2008, it bought GemStar-TV Guide and was then in the TV Guide producing business as well. While it eventually sold off the DRM/software parts of its business, apparently it just can't help doing what DRM companies know how to do best: breaking other technology. As reported on Slashdot, Rovi has announced that it's shutting off its TV Guide OnScreen service between now and April 13 of the next year. Apparently a number of devices, including two key Sony DVRs, will no longer work once the service is shut off. Not surprisingly, this is upsetting many owners of those devices:

When other companies decide to stop supporting something, they don't make older systems useless. Worse, Sony never came out with another DVR in the U.S. market. Why do we have to rent them? How do we get Sony or Rovi to provide at least a software patch to set the clock so the DVR can at least retain 1980s VCR functionality? Sony admits there is no fix. A thread on AVS forums has a bunch of information on TV Guide OnScreen. The TV stations who broadcast the data have been ordered by Rovi to disconnect the data inserters and ship them back.

Quite a legacy MacROVIsion has, huh?

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Filed Under: drm, dvrs, tv guide
Companies: rovi, sony

25 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2012 @ 7:47am

"Rovi has announced that it's shutting off its TV Guide OnScreen service between now and April 13 of the next year"

That's a badly worded sentence. When I read it I thought you met you were temporarily turning it off from now UNTIL April 13th, then turning it back on, which made even less sense. It wasn't until I clicked on the link and read the original story that I got what you met by this.
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Tony, 13 Nov 2012 @ 7:48am

Macrovision isn't *technically* DRM...
Just a slight correction: the original Macrovision technology isn't technically DRM, as it was an analog technology, not digital.

That said, it was clearly in the spirit of modern day DRM, and thus unacceptable.
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out_of_the_blue, 13 Nov 2012 @ 7:53am

Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
Other times you'd be happy dinosaurs are dying, wrongly call the dead-enders "Luddites", and tell the suckers who bought those gadgets to move on.

You could at least set this in a "framework" of how high-tech gadgets requiring external data connections are inherently flawed. But no, Little Picture Mike just ends on a lame rhetorical question.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2012 @ 7:58am

Re: Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
Your incoherence is staggering.
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BentFranklin (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 7:58am

The cloud is a lie. Never put critical systems in place that require external data connections.

But this is not really a DRM issue, just an issue that involves a DRM encrusted dinosaur.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:03am

Re: Re: Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
Not to mention reading comprehension.
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Shadow Dragon (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:05am

Re: Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
Do you have a life out_of_order? Why don't you look at some porn.
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PaulT (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:15am

Re: Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
So, you don't understand anything that was actually written in the article, nor the viewpoints presented in this or any other article? Quelle surprise.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:16am

it only happens because it is allowed or encouraged to happen. if governments and certain politicians were to worry more about the fuck ups they cause by (not)legislating concerning the really important things that affect the really important section of society, ie, the public that they are supposed to represent, that they have been voted into office to represent, there would be far fewer fuck ups to begin with!!
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DannyB (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:17am

Re: Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
> You could at least set this in a "framework" of how
> high-tech gadgets requiring external data connections
> are inherently flawed.

You mean like Blu-Ray?
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:18am

Once again we are reminded that if your device or software needs to ask someone permission to work, you will be fucked when (not if) that someone decides to stop working.
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silverscarcat (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:18am

Re: Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
out_of_the_blue
Hasn't got a clue
out_of_the_blue
looks like a fool
out_of_the_blue
spouts off to you
out_of_the_blue
is nothing but a tool

Do I need to keep going?

You wonder why your comments are always buried.
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DannyB (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:19am

Is we learning yet?
Rovi TV Guide

Zune music licensing servers

Plays For Sure music licensing servers
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Zakida Paul (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:29am

DRM - Feeding piracy for many years. The legacy industries will never learn that annoying restrictions on what we do with our LEGALLY PURCHASED CONTENT is a horrible business model.
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MrWilson, 13 Nov 2012 @ 8:33am

Re:
This is like the sci-fi movies where you see emergency systems that use virtual interfaces in order to pull alarms or take necessary actions because the designers apparently never imagined that an emergency might involve not having power to your emergency systems.
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John Fenderson (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 9:22am

Re:
Yes. It's amazing how hard it is to either get people to understand or get people to believe the risk involved. If you have functionality that is dependent on a single provider, you are taking a big, big risk. We have a lot of history to judge this by, and the history is clear: sooner or later, you will get bitten.
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gorehound (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 9:41am

DRM The Digital Moronic Retardo.
The stuff you do not find in this here home.

Industry............Take your DRM and shove it up your Anus !
I do all I can to avoid anything that is DRM including any kind of Hardware you might need to purchase.

My Gear will always work.My 1500 plus piece Library is mine and owned by me.

My Music is all physical and owned by me.
So are the films of MAFIAA I buy all physical and all bought Used.
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David Woodhead (profile), 13 Nov 2012 @ 10:10am

TiVo did this in the UK
No, it's not really a DRM thing. However ...

For those of us in the UK who were early adopters of TiVo, this is nothing new. The Series 1 TiVo programme guide got withdrawn in June 2011, turning our perfectly working boxes into expensive paperweights. Fortunately a group of enthusiasts who so loved their TiVos got together and created an alternative EPG.

So, for those of you in the US where I believe TiVo has a much bigger market: beware. They could do it to you.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Nov 2012 @ 10:19am

Re: Macrovision isn't *technically* DRM...
We'll call it Analog Rights/Restrictions Management then. Problem solved.
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Mr. Applegate, 13 Nov 2012 @ 11:25am

Re: Re: Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
This IS out_of_the_blue's porn.

Sad, but true.
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Mr. Applegate, 13 Nov 2012 @ 11:32am

You know what they say!
Hey out_of_the_blue,

You know what they say: "If you can't dazzle them with diamonds, baffle them with bullshit!"

Well you take BS to a new level. Now let's see if you can dazzle us, just once.
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Mr. Applegate, 13 Nov 2012 @ 12:12pm

Business opertunity
Well there is a business opportunity to be had here.

Someone could build a small transmitter that could be used to inject the needed data into the box, it would not be particularly challenging to do this on a technical level.

Of course there are three major problems that come to light, at least if done in a 'for profit' way.

1. RIVO will claim that the new device violates their IP and will sue you out of existence. Despite the fact that they 'turned off the service'.

2. What ever source was used to scrape the data from would also claim infringement and sue you out of existence.

3. Unless the device sits in between the antenna and DVR to prevent 'transmitting over the air' it would likely require an FCC license.

Oh wait there is the big fat government in the way to make sure that we have to fill the landfills with more electronics sooner, otherwise they can't keep the consumer economy going. (If you can call it going, it certainly isn't growing.)

IP laws are so outdated that they actually impede innovation. Of course big business and government both know this already, which is why they fight so hard to keep it in place, and increase it's footprint.
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Niall (profile), 14 Nov 2012 @ 4:09am

Re: Re: Suddenly you're for preserving old tech?
You mean like Televisions and Radios?
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Ninja (profile), 14 Nov 2012 @ 5:32am

Lawsuit. I might understand it could be legal to break a software or something but hardware? Please, insert a big, spiky lawsuit in Sony's and Rovi's arses dear American friends. Thanks.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Nov 2012 @ 12:10pm

SONY STINKS!
ROVI STINKS!
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