[ExtractStream] Re: Directivo, TivoNET, and ExtractStream

[tivo_extract@p...]

> > 
> > I believe (from what I've gathered) that DirecTV broadcasts in MPEG-
> 2, with macrovision encoding. But from what I've read, the 
> macrovision encoding is stripped, and then the MPEG-2 is saved 
> directly to the drive.
> > 
> > Not sure what the ExtractStream software is meant to handle, but I 
> thought the SA TiVOs used MPEG-2 as well.
> > 
> > --Eric
> 
> It's very likely that the DirectTivo streams could be extracted in a 
> similar fashion to SA. However, you will not catch me writing code 
> for this - and I would say that anyone who releases such code is a 
> fool waiting for a lawsuit.
> 
> As it stands, the ExtractStream/mplex combination will not work with 
> the DirectTivo. There are several issues that will make it fail. 
> Please discover for yourself what these issues are, I have no desire 
> to assist in that effort.

By the following, I'm not meaning to start a flame war:

It seems to me that there _should_ not be much more legal problems with extracting the DirecTiVO data as opposed to the SA data. DirecTV does not own the content, they only own the method in which it is delivered. Under copyright law, I should be able to do anything I want with the stream, in good faith. I of course would not be selling the data to anyone, I would be using it for my own personal viewing.

In addition to this, if my belief that the DirecTiVO box itself removes the macrovision encoding, anyone using an extrator to get the stream off the box would not be liable for unencrypting the data - DirecTV did it themselves.

On top of all of this, there *IS* a dump to VCR option in the system itself... what is so different between me putting the data on another computer and watching it, as opposed to putting it on a VHS tape and watching it (with the exception of the loss of quality).

As I understand it, I paid for the stream. if I didn't, what exactly is the monthly fee for? =)

Maybe in the future companies will become less afraid of competition, and will move towards advancing technology, and finding ways to harvest the profits from the new technology. But I doubt it.

.. ahhh to dream of a firewire port in my DirecTiVO.

Looks like it's time to learn C.

--Eric