From USA Today:
USA Today
FCC lets TiVo users zap shows 'anywhere they go'
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
TiVo users will be able to zap recorded programs over the Internet to their offices or vacation homes under new rules for the emerging digital TV world that federal regulators approved Wednesday.
The Federal Communications Commission gave its blessing to 13 technologies that will enable digital programs to be copied for personal use, while preventing their mass distribution on the Internet.
But TiVo's technology offers the most leeway for its subscribers to copy shows. The Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) says that could pave the way for "indiscriminate" redistribution.
The FCC's action follows its decision last fall to require electronics products to include encryption technology, known as the "broadcast flag," to prevent digital shows from being blasted on the Internet.
Most of the technologies approved by the FCC Wednesday — including those developed by Microsoft, RealNetworks and Thomson — allow digital broadcasts to be copied and transferred to a PC or laptop only within the home.
TiVo's system would let subscribers register up to 10 devices that they could attach to PCs or other TiVo devices anywhere. The gadgets would unscramble encrypted shows.
The feature is an extension of the company's TiVoToGo service, to be introduced this fall.
"It's all about giving consumers the flexibility to enjoy their entertainment anywhere they go," says TiVo spokeswoman Kathryn Kelly. TiVo offers a digital video recorder that lets users easily record shows and pause live programs.
But the National Football League worries a TiVo user could give the unscrambling devices to friends or sell them to others who could then watch games transmitted via the Internet that might be blacked out in their markets.
Also, the MPAA says viewers who receive the digital recordings via the Web would be less likely to watch broadcasts with commercials on their local stations, cutting into advertising revenue.
"It's the indiscriminate distribution that concerns us," says MPAA counsel Fritz Attaway. "There's no effective controls on where and to whom you send this."
Kelly disagreed, saying, "We have the right technology and security in place to prevent that." She was not more specific but noted TiVo subscribers would pay monthly fees for each unscrambling device, making it less likely they would share it.
"We're moving to a world where people are connected in many different places, and they'll want to use television in many different ways," says Alan Davidson of the Center for Democracy and Technology.
USA Today
FCC lets TiVo users zap shows 'anywhere they go'
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
TiVo users will be able to zap recorded programs over the Internet to their offices or vacation homes under new rules for the emerging digital TV world that federal regulators approved Wednesday.
The Federal Communications Commission gave its blessing to 13 technologies that will enable digital programs to be copied for personal use, while preventing their mass distribution on the Internet.
But TiVo's technology offers the most leeway for its subscribers to copy shows. The Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) says that could pave the way for "indiscriminate" redistribution.
The FCC's action follows its decision last fall to require electronics products to include encryption technology, known as the "broadcast flag," to prevent digital shows from being blasted on the Internet.
Most of the technologies approved by the FCC Wednesday — including those developed by Microsoft, RealNetworks and Thomson — allow digital broadcasts to be copied and transferred to a PC or laptop only within the home.
TiVo's system would let subscribers register up to 10 devices that they could attach to PCs or other TiVo devices anywhere. The gadgets would unscramble encrypted shows.
The feature is an extension of the company's TiVoToGo service, to be introduced this fall.
"It's all about giving consumers the flexibility to enjoy their entertainment anywhere they go," says TiVo spokeswoman Kathryn Kelly. TiVo offers a digital video recorder that lets users easily record shows and pause live programs.
But the National Football League worries a TiVo user could give the unscrambling devices to friends or sell them to others who could then watch games transmitted via the Internet that might be blacked out in their markets.
Also, the MPAA says viewers who receive the digital recordings via the Web would be less likely to watch broadcasts with commercials on their local stations, cutting into advertising revenue.
"It's the indiscriminate distribution that concerns us," says MPAA counsel Fritz Attaway. "There's no effective controls on where and to whom you send this."
Kelly disagreed, saying, "We have the right technology and security in place to prevent that." She was not more specific but noted TiVo subscribers would pay monthly fees for each unscrambling device, making it less likely they would share it.
"We're moving to a world where people are connected in many different places, and they'll want to use television in many different ways," says Alan Davidson of the Center for Democracy and Technology.
