said by jig:our area is used-to-be-TWC.
the change was definitely recent - i was able to watch cable sports channels using the RPi with the SiliconDust View add-on in December.
Then it's definitely a mistake that they fixed.
said by jig:the DRM tag appears to be different from what you're describing, at least how it has been implemented out here.
No. The DRM tag is just a sign that the channel is not copy-freely (it will be set to copy-once or copy-never). Copy-freely does not mean it is clear/unencrypted. It means that your Prime can decrypt it (using the CableCard) and output it without DRM protections. If it is copy-once or copy-never it can not be outputted from the tuner without DRM protection. So the Prime has to output it with Microsoft PlayReady DRM applied (for Windows Media Center) or DTCP-IP applied (this is what your Samsung TV supports, as well as the HDHomeRun Green app, and PlayStation 3s).
said by jig:I only got the cable card and the HDHR Prime a few months ago, and was generally just playing with it to set myself up for success with the wife and to remove the STBs. 100%, I could watch ESPN, HBO, and similar using HDHR Prime and Libreelec (Kodi) on an RPi using the HDHR add-on, as late as December.
Again, then it was definitely a mistake in the configuration. Trust me, that sort of thing has happened (where they incorrectly set channels to copy-freely), and TWC isn't always so quick to fix it because the number of CableCard users is very low, so they might not notice for a long long time.
said by jig:From what I can tell, this is related to the copyonce and copyfreely tags, not the encryption chain, and I don't think HDCP is required for copyonce, so I don't think the hardware limitations of the RPi are a deal breaker.
Yes it's related to those settings as I stated above. But you are incorrect that the encryption chain does not matter. Content that is copy-once must be protected by DRM at all times (well, except via the analog loophole, so it can output to composite or component with no DRM because they are not digital). That means from the tuner to being outputted to HDMI it must be protected. So for HDMI, it must have HDCP enabled.
said by jig:Still, based on your comments, I have to wonder if Charter would be more approachable.
The problem with Charter is that they don't really have a unified approach to their CCI Flags (what sets the copy-freely, copy-once, or copy-never). So some markets have a similar setup to TWC's, others have a similar setup to Comcast's (where only Premiums are copy-once). So it could go either way with this merger.
