[mgulick]

For anyone using an HDHomeRun or any other OTA capture card, this effectively kills the ability to watch and record content using Plex/Jellyfin/Emby/etc.

Only "certified" devices are allowed access to the encryption keys. Only closed, fully locked down black box recording systems will ever be "certified". Don't have a Windows machine with a fully verified HDCP chain? Sorry, you can no longer watch OTA TV.

[LeoPanthera]

It’s funny how this is actually worse than cable. I still have and use the old HDHomeRun Prime (no longer made), which has a cablecard inserted into it (which your cable company is legally required to provide, or at least it used to be?) and it emits unencrypted video on every channel, except for I believe “premium” channels which is basically only HBO.

[ScottEvtuch]

My local cable company gets around this by strategically pricing everyone towards using their new cable boxes which are essentially digital TV over DOCSIS internet. The prices for the IP TV plans (which they still call "cable") are less than $100 per month, but I was quoted over $300 per month for a traditional cable plan that could use a CableCard.

[zucked]

I thought I read somewhere that the provision that required cablecard specifically access is no longer in effect. They still must provide access, but what that is seems murkier than ever: https://www.nexttv.com/news/fcc-abandons-cablecard-navigatio...

[mgulick]

Up until 2 years ago, I used to use an HDHomeRun Prime with a cablecard for just basic cable (only a dozen or so channels) because I had terrible antenna reception in my apartment (I was only about 2 or 3 miles from the transmitter, but with a hill in-between). It cost me something like $60/month for just the basic cable (from RCN). Fortunately I've now moved and have great OTA reception on ATSC 1.0 so I was able to ditch the expensive cable service.

I really think the basic broadcast channels should be free to watch on whatever medium you choose. These should be free on clear QAM cable without needing a cable card.

[krackers]

When I looked into this, it seemed the "premium" channel restriction (formally called "Copy Control Information") was something that was done client-side in software, because Windows Media Center was one of the only software able to play copy-once content. Have people tried cracking the drm scheme used?

[afavour]

Unfortunately not always the case in NYC at least. Verizon (FIOS) had basically every channel unencrypted. When I had to switch to Spectrum I discovered they encrypt basically every channel save for ones available over OTA.

[xur17]

> Only "certified" devices are allowed access to the encryption keys. Only closed, fully locked down black box recording systems will ever be "certified".

I really really hope this doesn't go through, but if it does, I can't wait for the day when these keys are inevitably leaked.

[londons_explore]

These modern systems tend to have a seperate key for every consumer. Ie. every single device ever produced has a seperate key.

If any device is cracked/leaked, they find out which one is cracked and send out new keys for every other device except the one that was cracked.

Through clever use of key hierarchies, you only need to send out a small number of new keys over the air to make sure every legit user gets a new one, but your leaked key doesn't get replaced so anyone using that gets locked out.

There is no master key to leak - if you leak one key, you only lock out one device. All other keys are ephemeral.

[mgulick]

This has already happened unfortunately. In my area (Boston) nearly all of the ATSC 3.0 channels were encrypted the day they went on the air (CBS, ABC, NBC). As a result, they are unwatchable. We need to petition the FCC to force broadcasters to remove the encryption.

[FloatArtifact]

The problem with cable card companies is spectrum is now sun setting all cable cards due to the FCC no longer mandating their existence for consumers.

[Gordonjcp]

> Sorry, you can no longer watch OTA TV.

And nothing of value was lost.

[noizejoy]

>> Sorry, you can no longer watch OTA TV. > And nothing of value was lost.

Except radio spectrum was lost

[kwk1]

During severe weather, when the internet goes out, I can receive video updates on the weather situation with OTA TV. Even if cell service is available, it may be spotty or overloaded, and getting this info over a broadcast instead of through a network is simply using the right tool for the job.