TiVo copy protection bug irks users By Daniel Terdiman http://news.com.com/TiVo+copy+protection+bug+irks+users/2100-1041_3-5863529. html
Story last modified Tue Sep 13 17:12:00 PDT 2005 A bug in the latest version of TiVo's operating system has some users concerned that the service's content protection mechanisms--supposedly intended solely for pay-per-view and video-on-demand content--may someday be applied to broadcast television programming. According to PVRBlog, a blog about TiVo and other digital video recorder companies and technology, some TiVo customers recently found that a recorded episode of "The Simpsons" had been red-flagged for content protection. "When I selected the episode, I got a message to the effect that 'the copyright holder prohibited saving the episode past date mm/dd,'" the note on PVRblog from TiVo user Michael McKay said. The content protection McKay reported, a part of TiVo operating system version 7.2, comes from Macrovision and is intended to give content providers a way to ensure users do not maintain total control over programming. Generally, the technology can put limits on how long content can be saved, as well as whether it can be copied or otherwise manipulated. But Jim Denney, TiVo director of product marketing, told CNET News.com that the content protection experienced by McKay was a bug, and that in its current iteration, the Macrovision technology is intended only for pay-per-view, video-on-demand, DVD or VHS sources. Broadcast television programming is, "according to our implementation, shows that shouldn't be affected by this," Denney said. The DVR in cases like McKay's "was thinking it was being told it was protected when it actually wasn't." In other words, Denney said, situations like that reported on PVRblog are the result of errors, or "false positives," in the Macrovision system, and they're errors that TiVo is working to eradicate. For his part, PVRblog founder Matt Haughey acknowledged that the situation raised by McKay was a bug. But he's concerned that what's an error now may be a sign of things to come. "Even though it was a mistake that the content was marked, the entire system is the part I'm afraid of," Haughey said. "HBO and the NFL have been threatening to do this for over a year with their content. I bet they will soon, and that's OK. I can see where their argument is. My big worry (is) that this sort of worked as a proof of concept for TV networks, like this is how they could crush TiVo users someday." Denney denied that TiVo is in the process of rolling out the Macrovision system for broadcast TV content, but allowed that even if such a system were to be implemented for all content, consumers would have the power to fight back by deciding whether they want to continue subscribing to DVR services or what they want to watch. "For TiVo, it's not a shadow looming of some thing to come," he said. "But you have to keep an eye on where the industry is going. And I don't think this is specific to Tivo." Last fall, TiVo general counsel Matthew Zinn gave an interview to Wired magazine in which he was asked whether protecting "higher-value" content was a Trojan horse intended to soften consumers up for an inevitable day when all TV content was red-flagged for protection. "That would be a violent blow to consumer flexibility," Zinn told Wired. "You could end up in a situation where different products by different manufacturers would have different rules. I don't think we would go along with it." Haughey said that given Zinn's comments, he's concerned that the Macrovision software can, in any way, flag broadcast TV content. "TiVo says (it was a bug)," Haughey said. "But I'm saying the TiVo software should ignore flags unless content is pay-per-view or video-on-demand" altogether. Denney, like Zinn, said TiVo subscribers shouldn't worry. "It's not in anybody's interest for this (to happen)," Denney said. "Our objective is to have zero false positives. I don't think (this is) foreshadowing something big and ominous." You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. Visit www.infowarrior.org for list information or to unsubscribe. This message may be redistributed freely in its entirety. Any and all copyrights appearing in list messages are maintained by their respective owners.
