Ask Slashdot: Dealing With Flagged Channels For XBMC PVR? 328
AlphaWolf_HK writes "I own an HDHomeRun Prime tuner, and unfortunately I live in an area where the cable provider (Cox) blanket flags all channels to be copy restricted. I'm tired of using Windows Media Center due to bugs and other problems, but since the channels are flagged it is the only option. Satellite is of course not an option at all (no cablecard or similar standard.) I've already begun moving most of my content watching to XBMC in the form of using sickbeard and couchpotato, both of which do an amazing job even with torrents now that Usenet has been getting hit pretty hard. To match this, I've already dropped my cable tier to the lowest possible for some basic digital channels that people in my household still watch and aren't available over torrents. But ideally I'd like to cut the cord completely as the service is otherwise useless. Are there any options for obtaining this content without physically moving to Comcast territory where they don't do this? Or perhaps any workarounds for the CCI flag? Ideally, anything that allows XBMC with digital content and no transcoding."
Don't try it, it's illegal (Score:4, Interesting)
Write to your congress critter, whine online, nothing will happen. Cancel the service, you can live without cable-TV.
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Cancel the service, you can live without cable-TV.
Agreed.
If you're using sickbeard and/or couchpotato to download TV shows from Usenet, what do you need Cox for?
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For the shows he can't pirate.
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Submitter here:
Actually not using usenet. Used to, and it was good, but not anymore.
The first and second rules about usenet do not apply, and I want to emphasize that strongly. I knew this would come up, but my summary was becoming too long as it is. Everybody and their mother's dog knows about torrents though.
Re:Don't try it, it's illegal (Score:4, Informative)
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you're not looking hard enough. i see 720p releases of sports all the time.
Re:Don't try it, it's illegal (Score:5, Insightful)
I believe the OP is looking for answers, not a lecture.
Re:Don't try it, it's illegal (Score:5, Insightful)
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I canceled cable tv about a year ago. No history on the history channel, and reality tv on TLC/Discover etc. Honey boo boo was the last straw. I looked at our viewing habits closely and realized we really didn't watch that much any more that couldn't be replaced with DVD rental and Netflix/Amazon streaming. I honestly haven't missed it and get more than enough entertainment from those other sources. We watch less TV, but what we do watch is far more focused on what we want to see rather than whats on a
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I, personally, would rather spend my time doing something useful than watch television. In fact, I don't even own one.
I'm not an elitist. It's just that I'd much rather sculpt or write in my journal or read Proust than sit there passively staring at some phosphorescent screen. If I need a fix of passive audio-visual stimulation, I'll go to catch a Bergman or Truffaut film down at the university. I certainly wouldn't waste my time watching the so-called Learning Channel or, God forbid, any of the mind sewage
Re:Don't try it, it's illegal (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not an elitist.
Yes you are. Telling people with a certain hobby that your hobbies are superior to theirs is the very definition of elitist.
Why not spend that time living your own life, instead of telling other people how to live theirs?
Re:Don't try it, it's illegal (Score:4, Funny)
I'm not an elitist.
Yes you are. Telling people with a certain hobby that your hobbies are superior to theirs is the very definition of elitist.
Why not spend that time living your own life, instead of telling other people how to live theirs?
Because his real hobby is telling people how much better he is than others.
My hobby is pointing out hypocrites. Of which I am one.
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everyone has their preferences, but I think the mistake is using a TV to watch TV. Use TV as a gigantic monitor with which to broadcast what you download. Why else should anyone even want a TV? To spend 30 minutes watching a 20 minute show? Since when does that even make sense?
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Compare these two things.
Hulu/Netflx Subscription with buying / renting DVD/BLURAY of things you would like to watch not available on TV
VS
Cable TV (or SAT) package that has "most" of the stuff you want to watch and still supplementing with DVD/BLURAY purchases/rentals.
The $100/mo cable plan looks really expensive just to get a few shows on Premier night and the few live events you're interested in.
Re:Don't try it, it's illegal (Score:4, Insightful)
> No music or video is worth jailtime.
When has that ever happened?
People get SUED for that sort of thing. The Gestapo doesn't come breaking down your door over music or video. They value it about as much as you do.
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This. Right here. Is the answer. I don't know why it is that some people HAVE to watch TV at all let alone a particular show. If we all ignore them they will go away and we'll be better off for it.
... but we have to protect their business model! How will we know that this year's model of the Gluttonous Seats 9 Suburban Assault Vehicle has automatic rain-sensing windshield wipers if we don't watch Some Stupid People on TV and view the advertisements?
Obviously the answer is to tape everyone's eyeballs open and put a TV-glasses on them so that people will be properly indoctrinated^W educated on these issues.
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He also asked for: " Or perhaps any workarounds for the CCI flag?"
Yes. Get a box with component cable outputs. DRM flags only carry over digital media such as HDMI. Component is an analog connector, and will output a picture every bit as high quality as HDMI... in fact it doesn't have an effective resolution limit so it'll be "forward compatible" for higher resolutions down the road. (This is why Big Media has been lobbying Congress to outlaw component and other analog media outputs)
Yup. Once you have that high-quality analog output you can capture it using an HD-PVR and feed it back into your system. It is the only solution which will legally enable you to accommodate those flags.
Go OTA (Score:5, Informative)
What about using an antenna? I cut cable about 7 years ago - everything comes in on Mythbuntu via an HDHR hooked up to a small roof-mounted antenna. We get about 30 channels OTA with no excess compression and no copy protection. Everything else comes in over the net (Netflix and "other").
You don't say what metro area you are in or whether you are living in an antenna-friendly building but you've already got 90% of the gear you need. Lots of info on the web about how to make the jump. You may have already investigated OTA, but if not you definitely should.
Re:Go OTA (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Go OTA (Score:5, Informative)
Don't buy some expensive antenna, you can build a good one yourself, see http://www.tvantennaplans.com/ [tvantennaplans.com] I also used two android apps, TV Antenna Helper (to figure out where the transmit towers are) and Hdhomerun Signal Meter (to make sure I had the direction of my antenna perfect).
Hulu, NetFlix, and Amazon Prime for the rest of my content.
+1000 Go OTA (Score:4, Informative)
Been over-the-air for years.
We get pristine 1080i network-supplied digital picture for free, no broadcast flag, a fair number of local channels, and Netflix, Amazon and Sony Playstation Store supply the rest over the internet.
Haven't really done much with Hulu, but it's another opportunity for you to stream fresh content.
I use MythTV and a HD Homerun tuner, running on Debian on a QNAP TS-119 (which draws something like 6 watts spun up). For TV frontends, I use the PS3, or a recent Mac Mini.Very reliable.
Took a fair amount of setup, but all works great. My just-turned-five kid has been working the remote himself for about 18 months, getting lots of great commercial-free kids programming from PBS.
Been forever since I've paid for cable TV.
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I'm doing just that for locals, but all my cable channels are just SD right now.
I'm on FIOS, and I'd like to move to HD, but honestly trying to get the non-OTA channels in HD just sounds like a real PITA. They charge more for the tuners, and then I'd need an HDCP-remover and hardware that can encode in realtime (likely at poor quality levels for the bitrate - but maybe it is decent). The family will live with SD, so I probably will just get HD content from other sources if I want it.
I don't mind paying fo
Problem: The Cable TV Sports Monopoly (Score:2)
I too use OTA only, no cable. The problem is, I am a baseball and football fan. In the last 6-8 years or so Major League Baseball has sold something like 95% of the rights to local coverage of baseball to cable TV. Even the first round of the MLB playoffs are only on Cable. NFL Monday and Thursday night games are only on cable as well. The online Major League Baseball streaming is only for those games they haven't sold the rights for already (so you can't watch the local team). The online only NFL streaming
Re:Problem: The Cable TV Sports Monopoly (Score:4, Insightful)
Then again, I stopped letting TV rot my brain long ago! After all, every hour spent watching TV is an hour not spent playing video games...
Re:Go OTA (Score:5, Informative)
Get a Dreambox, install one of the 'special' firmwares and you can watch and record whatever, whenever. Google for more info.
You might be surprised at the # of local channels (Score:2, Insightful)
Due to subchannels each station can broadcast multiple shows at the same time. Because of that there's 100+ OTA channels here in Houston. Sure I don't watch them all (as I don't speak Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese or Farsi) but I didn't watch all the channels available on DirecTV either.
I cut the cord a couple months ago and for shows I can't get over the air I just buy them streaming via Amazon, iTunes, etc. or on blu-ray compilations. I've saved $162 in the past 2 months over what I had been paying Dir
HD PVR (Score:5, Informative)
Use an HD PVR with the component outputs of your cable box - no cable card so you have to pay the monthly cable box rental fee. This will allow you to record anything that the cable box can see.
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html
I haven't used XBMC but this works very well with MythTV and Verizon FIOS.
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I second the Hauppauge HD PVR as pretty awesome as a PVR.
I also own a Hauppauge and use it to capture off my DirecTV DVR, but there are issues that need to be addressed.
If you use optical digital audio input, then it better be 100% perfect with no glitches. If not, there will also be video glitches. Analog audio does not have this problem, but can only support 2 channels.
The Hauppauge is not a "set it and forget it" device, at least not with the software that is included. The hardware needs to be power-cycled at least once a week because it stops responding.
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If it's an IOS tablet run Plex server and the Plex client. Smooth as glass via wireless on my setup. Not sure if they have an Android client or not but it takes care of getting through my firewall and finding my IP when I'm on the road - love it!
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I have used PCHDTV, Hauppauge PVR-350, HD-PVR, and now InfiniTV. I have had TimeWarner, WOW, Cox, and now Comcast.
With Cox, it was analog (yes, I've been using MythTV since 2003). No problems, obviously. Other than the stability of MythTV on Gentoo.
With WOW, it was analog (PVR-350). I was also able to use firewire to the cablebox and capture the HD stream. I actually contributed some code to MythTV when getting this to work. Then WOW cut that loophole off. It was great: only the cost of a firewire ca
Netflix! (Score:2)
It's totally awesome and completely changed my TV watching habits. Also bonus points for UK citizens, you don't need a TV license :D
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A licence to watch TV? Seriously?
Yes, you pay a relatively small fee to watch broadcast TV, and it funds high quality advert-free TV, advert free radio, vast amounts of advert-free web content...
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What if you don't like or agree with the BBC's state produced content and don't feel like supporting them?
What if you don't like your government's schools/police/hospitals/whatever and don't feel like supporting them through your taxes? I'm sure your government allows you to opt out of funding all of these services...
Do you still have to pay if you don't watch BBC and just use your TV as a PC monitor or for sat/cable?
You are required to pay the TV licence fee if you watch or record any programmes (through whatever means) at the same time as they are being transmitted by traditional broadcast TV channels (i.e. DVB-S, DVB-T, DVB-C). If you don't do this then you don't have to pay. So yes, you can use your TV a
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they used to need licenses to listen to radio as well. not certain if that still applies or got folded into the television license.
The radio licence was abolished 40 years ago.
These days, the BBC (and certain content on commercial channels) is funded entirely by the TV licence. This is going to have to change at some point though since more and more people (myself included) are getting their TV entirely from iPlayer, which doesn't require a licence. It seems a bit unfair for only the broadcast TV watchers to subsidise all of these services (TV, radio, iPlayer, the BBC website, lots of content on non-BBC TV and radio channels, etc.).
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It's a license, or fee, to own a TV.
You have to pay it whether or not you actually watch TV.
Incorrect. You have to pay the TV licence fee if you watch or record TV programs (via any means) at the same time as they are being broadcast on standard over-the-air channels. If you don't do this then you don't need a TV licence, even if you have a TV (conversely, if you watch live content on iplayer and you don't have a TV you still need to pay for a TV licence).
Personally I think it's an extremely good idea, although the way it is collected leaves a lot to be desired.
Basic services are often free over the air (Score:3)
Get a pair of digital rabbit ears - you should be able to pick up many local channels (which is what it sounds like you want). Depending on where you live, a TV antenna either out doors, or in your attic might solve the problem. Then you can pretty much cut the cable completely - and still be legal.
Alternatively, look for other (smaller) providers. I have family that lives in an area where there is one big cable company, and 2 or three much smaller companies that offer very similar & competitive products.
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> Get a pair of digital rabbit ears
Enh.... rabbit ears are not "digital" or "analog". The "digital" on the package is marketing for the uninformed. Like "color" used to be.
Also, those set top antennas that are shaped like a dish? They're not really satellite antennas. Sorry.
One Christmas I bought the wife a large farmhouse-style antenna, put it on a tall mast (suitably protected against lightning) and DARED the homeowner's association to try to make me take it down. It's been five years; no takers s
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Digital Television broadcasts on a different set of frequencies and requires a different style of antenna for optimum reception. Wavelengths are shorter so instead of a big huge V to catch the longer wavelength analog TV signals, you can use an array of smaller V-sections. Your old set of rabbit ears will still work, just like sticking a wire and some aluminum foil into the antenna jack would work (not optimized, but sti
Re:Basic services are often free over the air (Score:4, Informative)
Incorrect. Both UHF and VHF are still used by digital broadcasters and the same old antennas are still used (rabbit ears for VHF and bowties for UHF).
The USA decided that digital broadcasting was so efficient that they could auction off UHF channels 59 through 69 in 2008.
Please do some googling before making such erroneous comments.
Geeze (Score:5, Funny)
First world problems...
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thats right because the second and third worlders would just pirate it without worry about mpaa riaa thugs.
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There's always a first time for everything. I take it you don't like being reminded how petty your problems are?
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Maybe your standards are too high.
What tuner are you using? (Score:2)
See subject... I'm fairly certain hdhomerun + MythTV has no issues with unencrypted channels. I've been using that combo for year.
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It's all a roll of the dice. It depends on what cable company you have. You may be lucky and all of the channels you watch are recordable, or everything may be locked down. Local branches of the same national franchise may even operate differently.
My local landline monopoly (Time Warner) is of the "encrypt it all" variety. Needless to say, I will never be their customer.
Use the analog hole, Luke! (Score:2)
It worked for TiVi et al for a decade before digital cable became common.
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I've been considering doing exactly this, but would like to avoid it if possible. Reasons I want to avoid it include no encoding and if I buy an analog tuner it won't be useful for that much longer as the analog cable spectrum is about to be removed.
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...if I buy an analog tuner it won't be useful for that much longer as the analog cable spectrum is about to be removed.
Aw,sure it will! Just swap the leads, and voilà! Instant analog transmitter!
Budget? (Score:3)
Budget is something that you should consider as well. You can get what you want, if you have the coin.
For instance, before I cut the "cable", my setup was as follows:
* Sattelite, outputting to component video and optical spdif
* A Hauppage HD-PVR, which takes component video in, and optical spdif in, and records/encodes the video to H.264
* MythTV (though you can choose other options)
* An IR blaster, pointed at the sattelite receiver.
* A $50 recent nVIDIA or ATI graphics card that supports VDPAU (ie. GPU-accelerated H.264 decode).
What happened is MythTV would signal the IR blaster to change the channel on the satellite, and then record the video.
The HD-PVR made excellent quality video, at an acceptable size. There are limitations to the HD-PVR's video (the video it encodes, while H.264, is in a format that requires a single, fast core to decode - something about multi-core decode not working at all...).
The HD-PVR even comes with its own IR blaster; I just never took the time to figure out how to use it, as I already had an exceptionally nice IR blaster. The HD-PVR is also a bit finicky, occasionally crashing and requiring a hard power cycle - I even had a network-commanded power relay that would cycle the power to the HD-PVR @ 3:00 AM daily (when even Satellite stopped broadcasting)
In the end, it was not bullet-proof (as occasionally the channel didn't change quite right, for example), but it worked 99% of the time. Full 1080 video with AC3 surround sound.
I've since discontinued my Satellite service, and record on-air ATSC broadcasts - and switched to steaming services. I don't really miss Sattelite, and save about $100/month in subscription fees...
I'm considering hooking a MythTV recording box up at my brother's house (who has cable), and pay him double the "extra TV" charge per month, and then just swap out external hard drives occasionally...
Definitely buy an antenna (Score:2)
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QVC recently showed up OTA here in Houston, on channels 10.4 and 34.3. Not sure why they're broadcasting on 2 channels, perhaps they're low-power stations that cover different parts of the city (though I get them both where I live). Quality's pretty bad though, they're sending it letterboxed on a 4:3 480i signal so when you watch it on an HDTV you get black bars on ALL FOUR SIDES of the picture.
Here's the The Houston DTV blog entry [wordpress.com] about it and other recent channel changes.
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Shows on Usenet hard to find? what? (Score:2)
If you can't find 90% of your TV shows on Usenet, you are either stupid, or doing it wrong. Some shows, NCIS, NCIS LA, Supernatural and a couple others get tagged right away, UFC stuff gets tagged within 5 hours usually. so I torrent those files usually.
But the rest? I have no problem finding at all. Oh, wait, The Carries Diaries never show up, but I think it's sort of a kid/teenagers show. Actress is hot though.
Granted, there might be a time soon when it's getting hard to get TV shows off Usenet, b
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You should try reading the summary a bit there hoss. It's somewhat difficult to torrent live broadcasts.
this worked for us... (Score:5, Informative)
a) Cancel cable service. Retain or sign up for broadband.
b) Erect old fashion antenna. (We get 13 digital channels off the antenna, although many of them are crap.
c) Buy roku box. ($99 Amazon), less than the cost of 1 month of cable.
d) Subscribe to Netflix streaming, and/or Hulu +, Amazon streaming (Any combination still a tiny fraction of the cost of cable/satellite)
e) Whatever you can't get via above, torrent, or maybe read a book, go walk the dog, try to remember what your kids look like.
f) When all else fails, remember, It's Only TV. It's quite a ways down on Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
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Except I'm not using usenet.
Cheese I guess when they say people don't read TFS, they're right.
Get a life? (Score:2)
As title. Get a life, then no need to watch the box.
Stop wanting so much. (Score:2)
You keep wanting something that they do not want to give you. Until you realize this, you have taken the losing position. Move your dollars to service providers that provide content on your terms.
Use the analog hole with something like a HD-PVR (Score:2)
Hauppauge's HD-PVR takes component input. It's an expensive and inelegant solution, but it's the one you're looking for.
Are you listening, Big Media? (Score:2)
But ideally I'd like to cut the cord completely as the service is otherwise useless.
when did this change? (Score:3)
Six strikes stopping anyone? (Score:2)
So is six strikes actually stopping anyone, or are people continuing to torrent?
Go OTA (Score:2)
Workaround Via The Analog Hole (Score:3)
To get around a similar situation with Comcast, I use an Hauppuage HD-PVR with my MythTV setup. It's basically a $160 USB device that takes the analog component output from your cable box, along with digital audio, and spits out an h264 file stream. It works, but there are some downsides: It's prone to needing bi-monthly to monthly power cycling due to hangs, there is a slight bit of quality loss since you're converting digital to analog back to digital (though the audio is untouched,) and you have to use an irblaster or firewire channel changer to control your cable box.
All that being said, the quality loss is negligible (even on my 59" plasma) and I love the fact that I never again have to worry about my cable company mucking about with their channel encryption flags, frequencies, etc. If your cable box can view it, then you can record it. Period. Because of that, I put up with the HD-PVR's quirks while happily watching all the HD channels I have access to.
Blanket copy restricted is not allowed (Score:4, Informative)
If you truly mean *all* channels, even rebroadcasts of OTA channels, are protected, then this is against the FCC's rules, and you should file a FCC complaint.
Also, if *other channels* don't want themselves to be protected and they are being protected, you can help get them unprotected (I have seen people talk on tivocommunity.com of having this work on their cable systems).
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Rule #2: Don't talk about CCI bit.
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Uhhh...torrents are going to die because of me?
Wow I didn't realize there was such an easy point of failure, looks like me and slashdot managed to do what the RIAA and MPAA never could do.
Re:Rule #1 (Score:5, Funny)
Thanks for that post. What would we do without you? [theonion.com]
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That's funny, but this naturally and frequently arises in casual conversations because most people do watch TV and many TV watchers insist on making this a prime topic of discussion.
"Remember the episode of ______________ where _________ , __________?"
Is it more polite to say "No, I don't own/watch TV" or to say "No, and please don't tell me about it because I don't know the characters and don't want to listen while you explain the entire premise and context of the show before getting to the point you're t
Re:Rule #1 (Score:5, Interesting)
hat's funny, but this naturally and frequently arises in casual conversations because most people do watch TV and many TV watchers insist on making this a prime topic of discussion.
Except that's not what happened here. Nobody was talking to him. Nobody asked him anything. Indeed, he could have simply clicked the back button in his browser and read the next slashdot story.
But instead, he had to take the time out to tell someone who had never approached him personally that he didn't have cable.
I've never watched an episode of "Seinfeld" but people have mentioned it to me innumerable times.
Understood. But if you hear two people "having a conversation at the watercooler" about Seinfeld do you sidle up, get their attention, look down your nose and say "I don't watch that show."? Because THAT is what people find annoying.
IMO, the reason people get annoyed when you tell them that you don't own or watch TV is that on some level, they also realize that it's wasting their time and polluting their brain.
For my part, I don't watch reality TV, and refuse to watch it out of principle. If someone engages me in conversation about a reality show I can either deflect it as something I didn't watch, or I can do the whole "I don't watch garbage like that routine." depending on whether I want to simply politely change the subject or whether I want to make the point that I think its stupid and that watching it is stupid. With my mother in law, for example, I tend to be the diplomat; "Oh, no, I haven't seen that." with others I'll take the shot.
In my experience few people are offended unless I take the effort to at least imply that I think the show they are talking about is not worth my time, or anyone else's.
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Exactly, and this is where sickbeard and couchpotato come in. They make the torrent process transparent. Just add your content and it shows up later.
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All my kids have ever known is "grey market" streaming and Netflix/Amazon. They are almost 15.
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Well.
I will assume you are NOT an idiot, and understand that I am that guy.
Not sure where you interpolate "child abuse" - that must be your own inner-demon speaking. Children were not even mentioned, in any context.
Re:Rule #1 (Score:4, Informative)
You must not watch sports...which is fine. But your whole strategy blows up for half the population that sees the primary purpose of a TV being for sports.
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I'm sure that, every time you go on vacation, it's exactly what you'd wanted to experience.
I'm sure that, every time you go to the store, you're able to buy exactly what you wanted to buy.
I'm sure that, every time you go to a movie or a play, it's exactly what you'd hoped it would be.
And I'm sure that, every time you go to sleep, your dreams are totally awesome because of the hard psychoactive drugs you're on.
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Low expectations are the death of the free market.
They're the death of liberty in general.
You must be one really sad little sheep.
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I don't think you have to be on drugs to know that there is no reason to watch TV on a network as opposed to IPTV or downloading the shows. If it's broadcast on public TV who even gives a shit if someone has a problem with daring to get it in the format of your choosing without commercials?
it's 2013, not 1990, gost.
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You know what? You're right! I should stop watching Top Gear and start driving million-dollar super cars myself! I don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier!
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Well you are half right.
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Can someone moderate this idiot as off topic flamebait?
If you personally dislike TV, that's your business. Other people like TV. We like shows like "How they make that".
You are like an idiot that hears how the 1997 NY city phone book was the most popular book ever published, reads it, then complains that all books are stupid.
Stop telling other people what to enjoy, and live your own life.
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What else would I do with the hour and a half when I'm done thinking but not yet tired enough to go to sleep? Before the industrial revolution, all that time was filled with chores. But labor saving technology has given me more free time than I have mental energy to be productive with. TV fills this spot nicely.
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A book? Some exercise?
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There are a *lot* of popular genre titles that don't require or provoke conscious thought, yet are pleasurable or even "addictive." Or at least, most people are competent/literate enough in their native language to not find most popular books mentally taxing; are you implying that doesn't apply to you?
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Well it's not just me that watches TV.
I myself have already stopped watching cable entirely several months ago. Other people in my house still watch e.g. CNN and Fox news, things that can't be torrented, but they noticed the means in which I get all of my content (via XBMC) and always ask if they can watch my shows. So, over time I have put XBMC setups in all five rooms streaming off of my NAS, but there's still that one nagging problem. The editor has done just what the name implies and removed a lot of im
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Hey now. "The Prisoner" isn't garbage.
Re:Help me steal crap (Score:5, Insightful)
Wrong.
The entire post is can be summurized as:
I was paying for it and they won't let me fucking watch it on my equipment so now I just steal it since apparently pirates can do a better job of getting me what I want to watch FOR FREE than Comcast can manage to pull of while consume copious amounts of my money for the disservice.
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hell windows 7 came preloaded on my computer
You're doing it wrong. If you install your manufacturer's OEM version, you don't need a key at all.
Re:Help me steal crap (Score:5, Insightful)
> There are legitimate gripes about access, copy protection, and copyright issues... but this doesn't come close to any of them.
Sure it does and you're a big fat jackass.
This is about some guy wanting to use the service he's paid for in the way he wants to use it. The service provider will let him use Windows but this guy doesn't want to do that because he finds that it sucks. He can't use alternatives and is stuck using one monopoly product to deal with another.
This whole "we need to encrypt everything" is nonsense. As soon as you paid for it, you should be able to use it however you like.
The path between the cable box and the TV should be all in the clear.
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So, in other words, he's been driven to piracy due to a denial of his liberty to choose what equipment he gets to use?
Yea, okay, I can get with that...
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All he wants to do is use his property to communicate with others and to do math. Why is that not a legitimate desire?
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I probably spend more on content than your monthly salary, and still have plenty left over.
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Windows media center is *ok* overall, but it has many blatant issues. For starters, every now and then when you bring the computer out of standby, it complains about not having a protected media path (something about "certain video drivers are missing" I'd have to look it up.) It also just out of nowhere will say there are no available tuners, even though nobody is using any tuners at all except that instance of WMC (microsoft is aware of this bug, but won't release a patch.) WMC will also complain about lo