The whole idea for me was to be able to watch my tivo on my other TV, I’m just gonna get a SlingBox.

The FCC has largely written the 5c matter off, since customers can get a TiVo and placeshift with that (soon in HD too), so the people using FireWire have been brushed under the rug. It didn’t help that the industry failed to embrace FireWire as a DVR-piggyback system either.

However, such applications like this are the kind of innovation that the FCC needs to hear about, as it is being stifled by the cable operators.

Now the screw job begins. DTCP (5c) encryption pretty much keeps me from having equal access to the functions all of you sighted people enjoy on your STBs. Now, if you can point me in the direction of an STB with text-to-speech and fully voiced interface, I’d be all for it and I would simply stop complaining. I’d also be running out the door to get this wonder device. But oh well, it doesn’t exist. Even worse, Comcast places the encryption on normal cable stations like Comedy Central. So what is my solution? Nothing, because even EyeTV from El Gatto doesn’t work with Voiceover, Apple’s spoken user interface. It doesn’t take a genius programer to make your app work properly either.

So, does anyone know if I have a case to ask Comcast to stop encrypting my content as a reasonable accommodation? Nowhere in any of these new standards do I see even the slightest attention being paid to accessibility. I call total BS, and would love answers.

I am just too spoiled by my dual integrated tuners and the ability to upgrade the unit myself. (I now have a 450 Hour DirecTV TiVo.)

Now I will have to put off this switch.
I just hate that rain fade though.

As it stands, someone else will get my money, and I’ll probably move each time I get a special offer (since all of these service companies reward new customers and punish existing ones) until someone does it decently, or until I can get the cost of a new PC with 2 ATI HD tuners for less than an Aston Martin, or AppleTV goes HD. You know you suck when a Microsoft product (MCE) trounces you…

Others have been decoding TiVo files by pulling them out of the hard drive for years. The eSATA ports on TiVo were enabled long after people had been doing that.

Thx for the replies. Yeah, I heard the ATI HD Tuner was only avail to select OEM’s but I saw Sonystyle.com selling it on it’s own and was hoping that the requirement had been lifted.

Just find it surprising that with all the hacks of recent years, even the iPhone, that there is no way to copy over your HD recorded content from the DVR.

Would I be able to remove the original drive out of the STB and stick it into an external enclosure and copy over the HD content onto my PC just like an ext drive ?? If so, what format would it transfer; .ts .mpg or some proprietary format. Let me guess…. the data itself on the drive is encrypted or it will self destruct 10 seconds after being removed ? What else is new !

Hey Aaron, as for whining…I only WISH I had 80-100 channels of HD like DTV. Comcast keeps running an ad saying they have more HD that DTV but Comcast is figuring in their OD library, NOT live channels. In Boston we have around 23-ish HD channels INCLUDING locals. I’d gladly give up my OD service for 100 channels of HD. Can’t believe that Comcast, and I’m sure every other cable company as well, has such limited HD programming. I may have to make the switch if Comcast doesn’t greatly expand it HD programming by February. Tired of waiting and waiting.

I’ve paid my $$ for my HD equipment so bring on the HD programming. Feel like I’ve been screwed as an early adopter of HD. Bought the set a few years back, HD service for about 18 months, but I only have 23 channels. Kinda seems as pointless as owning a hybrid car that only has refueling stations every 10 miles. Beginning to wonder if my PS3 Bluray purchase was premature.

Thx again for the feedback, look for’d to replies.

DJ