Directivo, TivoNET, and ExtractStream

[fuggus@y...]

--- In ExtractStream@y..., tivo_extract@p... wrote:
> > > 
> > > 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

our lawmaking bodies have deemed there to be a fundamental difference 
between analog and digital data, and have applied different rules to 
each.

vcr's ok for archiving.(analog)
tivo's not.(digital)

standalone loophole:
all video fed into the standalone tivo is analog.
(digitized by converters in the tivo)
covered by analog rules.

directivo?
the mpeg2 stream never get's converted to analog form.
digital - straight to disk.
covered by digital rules.

that seems to be the argument.
now i'll quit befor i throw opions in here.....
:)

(i'm taking great liberties and making generalizations here for 
simplicity's sake, forgive me...)