Freeview PVR copy restrictions

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:51:16 +0100, "BJH"
wrote:

I remember not long after I got my Panasonic DVD recorder I set it to
record
the local YTV Calendar program as there was a particular news report I was
interested in and wanted to review.

I set the timer on my Sony TV to record the FV channel and it dutifully
started 5 mins before the event. The moment the report started a message
flashed up on screen from the Pana regarding copy protection and the
recording stopped.

I was particularly teed off as I should have used the Pana's timer which
would have been on the Analogue channel.

At the time I put it down to a glitch in the transmission. It's never
happened again.

The only time I ever see a copy protection message on my Panasonic
HDD/DVD recorder is when trying to copy old VHS tapes. Some of them
have something called "Macrovision", which I understand works by means
of some non-standard signal in field blanking. Maybe the broadcasters
had mistimed something through a synchroniser, and this gave rise to a
spurious signal which your DEV recorder misinterpreted?

Rod.

To record macrovision copy protected VHS tapes all you require is a
"macrovision stripper/stabilizer device", approx 20 quid, Maplins etc.
Also every single retailer in Tottenham Court road when selling a
DVD recorder will suggest that the purchaser may like to also consider
a "stabilizer"......

On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:47:12 +0100, "ded"
wrote:

The only time I ever see a copy protection message on my Panasonic
HDD/DVD recorder is when trying to copy old VHS tapes. Some of them
have something called "Macrovision", which I understand works by means
of some non-standard signal in field blanking. Maybe the broadcasters
had mistimed something through a synchroniser, and this gave rise to a
spurious signal which your DEV recorder misinterpreted?

Rod.

To record macrovision copy protected VHS tapes all you require is a
"macrovision stripper/stabilizer device", approx 20 quid, Maplins etc.
Also every single retailer in Tottenham Court road when selling a
DVD recorder will suggest that the purchaser may like to also consider
a "stabilizer"......

Got one. Not to make pirate copies to sell of course, just to copy
material already owned onto a more convenient modern medium.

My understanding is that these "protection" systems effectively create
an out-of-spec non-standard video signal, so it is perfectly
legitimate to sell a box for the purpose of restoring it to correct
broadcast specification.

Rod.

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:47:12 +0100, "ded"
wrote:

The only time I ever see a copy protection message on my Panasonic
HDD/DVD recorder is when trying to copy old VHS tapes. Some of them
have something called "Macrovision", which I understand works by means
of some non-standard signal in field blanking. Maybe the broadcasters
had mistimed something through a synchroniser, and this gave rise to a
spurious signal which your DEV recorder misinterpreted?

Rod.

To record macrovision copy protected VHS tapes all you require is a
"macrovision stripper/stabilizer device", approx 20 quid, Maplins etc.
Also every single retailer in Tottenham Court road when selling a
DVD recorder will suggest that the purchaser may like to also consider
a "stabilizer"......

Got one. Not to make pirate copies to sell of course, just to copy
material already owned onto a more convenient modern medium.

My understanding is that these "protection" systems effectively create
an out-of-spec non-standard video signal, so it is perfectly
legitimate to sell a box for the purpose of restoring it to correct
broadcast specification.

Rod.

I've got one too!
In the States it was legally tested and is now established that an owner
of a commercially released copy protected VHS recording could make a
copy "for personal back-up purposes", and such devices are marketed
as devices for personal back-up of protected recordings, but here in UK
the law is still rigid and copyright does not allow for "personal back-up",
so they are in the stores as "stabilizers" etc.
As if 20th century fox are going to come banging on our doors. And I
don't know of anyone who has an IDE burner on their PC who dosen't
have DVD Shrink installed, and now with Blu-ray and HD-DVD encryption
cracked, well I doubt we poor Brits backing up our VHS tapes is going
to worry them....

Jim Lesurf wrote:

In article , Simon Slavin
.uk wrote:
On 19/06/2007, Boltar wrote in message
.com:

I was talking about PVRs with Freeview built in with a friend of mine
recently who said that some of them have some sort of copy
restrictions built in based on some freeview broadcast flag. Which
apparently means some programs you can only store for a short time and
some you can't record at all.

Is he talking rubbish and got confused with proposed HDTV flags or
does he have a point?

There is no such system part of FreeView, and no such FreeView PVR at
the moment. Note the 'Free' in 'FreeView'.

IIUC that means you don't have to pay a subscription or fee to
watch/listen. i.e. a trade-name to distinguish it from the previous
commercial system which flopped.

I also am unaware of any CPRM system for 'FreeView'. However...

The handbooks for the current range of Panasonic DVD recorders say they are
CPRM enabled, and that they can detect copy-protected broadcasts. The book
also says that this means they will only allow a recording onto a single
DVD-RAM disc which cannot then be copied. This only with CPRM discs which
have an individual code allowing CSS encoding onto that specific disc.

The EZ27 only has a DTTV tuner, not an analogue one, although it does have
an RGB input scart.

What broadcasts did those writing the handbook have in mind?

Work in progress ...
http://www.dvb.org/technology/fact_s...Sheet.0507.pdf
opening paragraph says
"DVB-CPCM is a system for Content Protection and Copy Management of
commercial digital content delivered to consumer products. CPCM
manages content usage from acquisition into the CPCM system until
final consumption, or export from the CPCM system, in accordance with
the particular usage rules of that content. Possible sources for
commercial digital content include broadcast (e.g., cable, satellite,
and terrestrial), internet-based services, packaged media, and mobile
services, amongst others. CPCM is intended for use in protecting all
types of content - audio, video and associated applications and data.
CPCM provides specifications to facilitate interoperability of such
content by networked consumer devices for both home networking and
remote access. The first parts of the CPCM specification were
published in DVB Bluebook A094 in November 2005. This document
contains the CPCM Reference Model, Abbreviations, Definitions and
Terms, and the CPCM Usage State Information.The complete
specification, to be finalised mid-2007, will include Authorised
Domain Management, Security Toolbox, and the System Specification.
Supporting documents, Implementation and Compliance and Robustness
regime guidelines, will follow."

Had this response from EFF back in 2005
http://www.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_critique.php


--
Rgds
Paul Webster