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elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72 to sonofsmog

Member

to sonofsmog

Re: [TIVO] Here comes the copy protection bit (letter)

The copy bit will do a few things:

1. WMC - When they implement copy bit, you will NOT be able to watch a W7MC share from a PC anymore for channels with that bit, nor from WMC to WMC. The only allowed method will be an extender (xbox) tied to a SPECIFIC WMC instance.
2. Shows you could watch on apps on the PC or tablet will no longer work unless Verizon issues a DRM'd version of the app, and we all know how sucky Verizon software is.
3. Cablecards will be enforced for pairing. You will not be able to swap CC around, and if you do you will need to reactivate them--otherwise channels w/ copy bit will not be viewable.

In general DRM sucks and it just makes viewing the content you paid for more difficult.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA

aaronwt

Premium Member

You will still be able to swap cable cards around. They will just need to be re-paired. And with the automated pairing process over the telephone, it is a very quick process.
DGGSLF
join:2007-04-14
Lynn, MA

DGGSLF

Member

So I got my letter today and the In Home Agent option did not work for my two CableCARD enabled TVs, so I tried the number in the letter. After entering the host ID for the first TV, it routed me to an agent.

After a half hour trying to pair the TVs to the S-Cards, he gave up and is sending me two new cards. He did say everthing looks fine in his back end system, so he's not sure what the problem is. His quality manger could not help either.

The cards I currently have are 4 or 5 years old and have worked fine after the initial two weeks it took them to get it right. The only channel that does not come through is the barker channel on 131, which I guess has the copy bit enabled. It seems like I'll be in a world of hurt after July 31st, if I'm still unsuccessful with pairing the TVs to the new card. I wonder what options Verizon will provide if nothing works?

Will provide an update tomorrow when the new cards arrive.

Jay_Are
J.R.
Premium Member
join:2004-04-10
Sicklerville, NJ

Jay_Are to elefante72

Premium Member

to elefante72
said by elefante72:

The copy bit will do a few things:

1. WMC - When they implement copy bit, you will NOT be able to watch a W7MC share from a PC anymore for channels with that bit, nor from WMC to WMC. The only allowed method will be an extender (xbox) tied to a SPECIFIC WMC instance.

Streaming to an Xbox extender is allowed but not streaming a recorded content from a WMC to another WMC? The changes won't affect me much since I don't subscribed to premium channels. But this current implementation doesn't make any sense to me.

Thinkdiff
MVM,
join:2001-08-07
Bronx, NY

Thinkdiff

MVM,

Just like elefante72 said, each WMC is a separate entity with its own encryption key. A WMC extender is a special device which allows you to connect to a particular WMC host. They use the same keys to decrypt the content. You cannot share copy-once content between different WMC hosts as each will have its own set of keys.

There are applications you can run on another computer (WMC or otherwise) to effectively turn it into a WMC Extender.
DGGSLF
join:2007-04-14
Lynn, MA

DGGSLF

Member

So here is my update:

Tech support sent me two S-Cards to replace the two I've had for 4 years+. The good news is that they both activated quite easily via the activation web page. The bad news is that I still cannot view the content of channel 131 on either TV.

I'm not having a good feeling about this but I guess I'll have to call back in to tech support to see if they can make these TVs pair with the replacement cards. The TVs are from 2004 and 2005 respectively, so fairly old for technology.

dosdoxies
Premium Member
join:2004-12-15
Wallingford, PA

dosdoxies

Premium Member

said by DGGSLF:

So here is my update:

Tech support sent me two S-Cards to replace the two I've had for 4 years+.

I didn't think Verizon had any S cards anymore.
knordrw
join:2007-09-07
Bethel Park, PA
Greenwave FiOS-G1100
Actiontec WCB3000N

knordrw to DGGSLF

Member

to DGGSLF
It's possible the TVs don't support Simulcrypt, which would be in use in your VHO, as it is a dual Motorola/Cisco area. Although in the past when I've seen something like that, no channels at all come in above 50 on a device that doesn't support Simulcrypt. I am assuming you are getting the pairing screen on ch 131, right?
DGGSLF
join:2007-04-14
Lynn, MA

DGGSLF to dosdoxies

Member

to dosdoxies
Yes. Looks like these are used or refurbished cards. The way they were packaged, you could tell they were not new.
DGGSLF

DGGSLF to knordrw

Member

to knordrw
Yes. Whenever I tune to channel 131, I get the screen that the letter indicates I should get, i.e. the screen with CableCARD ID, host ID and Data ID, along with the customer support number to call.

I believe NYC Dave mentioned something about that in a Simulcrypt thread about a year ago. I certainly dont want to pay for two more boxes, so I hope they can fix this.