What makes this all so stupid is that in order to feed audio and video to your TV, all of the digital silliness must be bypassed and simple analog video and audio are sent to the TV. Thus, by bridging the TV A/V inputs you can record anything. Flag suppression software is rife on the net to let you record DVDs if you want to. As Dick said, the FCC is running amok and again bowing to industry, no matter how much sense it makes. -73- Steve, W2ML Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML ARRL Hudson Division Vice Director w2ml@arrl.org -----Original Message----- From: dick@pobox.com [mailto:dick@pobox.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 11:51 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [ARRL-ODV:9711] "Broadcast Flag" - Another Stupid FCC Order 11 NOV, 2003 - 1140 CST The FCC is running amok on other issues besides BPL. Only in this case, instead of allegedly fostering competition, it is doing exactly the opposite. If this edict is allowed to stand, televisions in the future will be severely restricted in what they will be able to receive without paying a fee. In fact, consumers may find it difficult to view home videos of family vacations, etc. on their digital TVs. If the courts fail to overrule the FCC on this issue, congress should again override the commission. The message appended below is courtesy of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). 73 - Dick, W9GIG ==================================================================== * FCC Adopts Hollywood Tech Mandate "Broadcast Flag" Stymies Innovation, Fair Use, and Competition Washington, DC - Claiming that it is an "anti-piracy mechanism," the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week issued an order mandating that consumer devices capable of receiving broadcast digital television (DTV) signals must implement content control technologies demanded by the entertainment industry. The "broadcast flag" mandate will go into effect by July 1, 2005. "The FCC today has taken a step that will shape the future of television," said EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred Von Lohmann. "Sadly, this represents a step in the wrong direction, a step that will undermine innovation, fair use, and competition." "The broadcast flag rule forces manufacturers to remove useful recording features from television products you can buy today," said EFF Staff Technologist Seth Schoen. "The FCC has decided that the way to get Americans to adopt digital TV is to make it cost more and do less." For this media release: <http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/HDTV/20031104_eff_pr.php> EFF's broadcast flag archive: <http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/HDTV/> FCC order: <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-273A1.pdf>