[LINK] DRM and DVB Standards

[Richard Chirgwin]

Linkers,

A little way back, I remarked that I believe one of the aims of digital 
TV is to provide a trojan by which DRM can be brought into the home.

It seems the EFF agrees:
http://www.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_briefing_paper.php
>
> But that may soon change. Principally ^1 
> <http://www.eff.org/IP/DVB/dvb_briefing_paper.php#1> at the studios' 
> behest, DVB has been working since 2003 on an elaborate television DRM 
> scheme called Content Protection and Copy Management (CPCM). Its 
> unparalleled restrictions include:
>
>     * *Enforcing severe home recording and copying limitations.* CPCM
>       will allow content providers to apply copy restriction labels to
>       broadcast streams. For example, a program could be marked as
>       "Copy Never." In turn, your DVRs and others devices receiving
>       the signal will have to obey and forbid copying even for home
>       use. A content provider could opt to allow recording but still
>       enforce a multitude of restrictions on copying to other devices.
>     * *Imposing controls on where you watch a program.* Even if you
>       are given permission to move a program to your laptop or other
>       portable devices, "geography controls" may kick in and stop
>       playback once you leave home or a particular locale. These
>       restrictions may be enforced using tamper-proof GPS receivers
>       built in to your devices. CPCM can also be used to block sending
>       video to yourself over your own home network or the Internet,
>       among other things.
>     * *Dictating how you get to share shows with your own family.*
>       CPCM can be used to examine, for instance, the frequency with
>       which devices are connected to a personal network and determine
>       whether your sharing is within an "Authorized Domain" Absurdly,
>       DVB spent significant time arguing over what happens to a
>       digital video in case of a divorce!
>     * *Breaking compatibility with your devices.* You may have already
>       invested in new high definition displays and receivers that rely
>       on component analog connections or unrestricted digital outputs,
>       but CPCM will allow the studios to arbitrarily block these
>       connections. In other words, individual copyright holders can
>       turn your gadgets into oversized paperweights. CPCM- restricted
>       media will also be able to carry blacklists and revoke
>       compatibility with particular devices that don't enforce
>       Hollywood's restrictions sufficiently.
>
So; the consumer is merely a participant in a cargo cult. Dress up the 
technology as an "upgrade" and any sucker will buy anything, with a 
conga line of ... reviewers ... to say "it's wonderful, you get better 
pictures, the sound is crystal clear!" and so on.

Some 'digital dividend'.

RC