Understanding the HDCP Master Key Leak: Via Freedom to Tinker.
On Monday, somebody posted online an array of numbers which purports to be the secret master key used by HDCP, a video encryption standard used in consumer electronics devices such as DVD players and TVs. I don't know if the key is genuine, but let's assume for the sake of discussion that it is. What does the leak imply for HDCP's security? And what does the leak mean for the industry, and for consumers?
HDCP is used to protect high-def digital video signals "on the wire," for example on the cable connecting your DVD player to your TV. HDCP is supposed to do two things: it encrypts the content so that it can't be captured off the wire, and it allows each endpoint to verify that the other endpoint is an HDCP-licensed device. From a security standpoint, the key step in HDCP is the initial handshake, which establishes a shared secret key that will be used to encrypt communications between the two devices, and at the same time allows each device to verify that the other one is licensed.
As usual when crypto is involved, the starting point for understanding the system's design is to think about the secret keys: how many there are, who knows them, and how they are used. HDCP has a single master key, which is supposed to be known only by the central HDCP authority. read more... »
Media coalition: Comcast merger to create power 'unknown' in U.S. history - The Hill's Hillicon Valley: Via .
A new group opposed to the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal says regulators need to consider whether the size of the proposed deal represents a threat to the public interest.
“It is important to recognize the sheer scope of the proposed acquisition,” the group wrote in a letter to Congress Thursday. “The merged entity will exert a degree of power unknown in our nation’s media history.”
Addressing House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), the Coalition for Competition in Media points to Comcast’s status as the country’s largest Internet service provider and cable company, and NBC’s ownership of “some of the most heavily-visited websites on the Internet," to make the argument that the merger could stifle competition in the media. read more... »
Glenn Beck's war on the FCC (and Satan worshippers): Via arstechnica.
Back in April, Beck railed against net neutrality, saying that "it's about eliminating traditional, constitutional points of view from the public arena. But that's not the way it's being billed. It is about stopping debate. But nobody will tell you that. It's about ending free speech. It is about Marxism."
Julius Genachowski, a former tech executive who worked with startups and media mogul Barry Diller, is pushing unfettered Marxism? The idea is risible, but Beck seems to believe that the FCC has been infiltrated by radical groups who will help to implement Obama's secret censorship agenda. Chief among these groups is Free Press, the nonprofit that pushed the FCC to censure Comcast for its P2P blocking. (Genachowski's press secretary previously worked for the group.)
Read Original Article:(Via arstechnica.)
FCC Lets Hollywood Turn Off Your Output Jacks: Via Threat Level.
Hollywood will soon have the power to remotely disable the analog outputs on your set-top box, under a decision by federal regulators on Friday intended to prevent home recording of new movie releases.
The move by the Federal Communications Commission grants cable and satellite providers the power to block consumers from viewing just-released movies in an analog format through a process known as Selectable Output Control. Hollywood requested SOC powers as a condition of allowing providers for the first time to release movies to their in-home customers while the film is in theaters.
The Motion Picture Association of America said its member studios would not authorize the early movie releases unless it won the ability to deploy Selectable Output Control. The reason: Analog video signals can easily be recorded, while digital video standards include a copy protection scheme that lets providers set a no-copy flag on the signal.
Digital rights group, Public Knowledge, said millions of older televisions, including 11 million HD sets, would be affected, a number the MPAA disputes. Owners of those devices would not have the luxury of being able to view the latest theater blockbuster at home through video on-demand services.
“The FCC is allowing the MPAA to control your television,” John Bergmayer, Public Knowledge staff attorney, said in a telephone interview. read more... »
Comcast Customers Urged To Opt-Out of Settlement: Via Slashdot.
funchords writes "As a settlement to the class-action lawsuits over Comcast's blocking of users' Internet traffic, Comcast stands to pay 'up to' $16.00 to every subscriber who makes a claim at their settlement website and declares, under penalty of perjury, that their online activity was for a lawful purpose consistent with applicable copyright and other laws. Robb Topolski, the veteran networking engineer who kicked off the case when he discovered the blocking back in 2007, says that the proposed settlement doesn't make sense, especially after the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled this month that the US Federal Communications Commission didn't have the authority to enforce its Net neutrality principles on Comcast. 'You paid about $50 a month for the service, and the amount that Comcast stands to return is up to about 50c per month for each month that it blocked traffic,' he wrote. 'If that tiny amount of money is compensation, then there is no penalty to Comcast for interfering with its customers, read more... »
Comcast Disables VCR Scheduling In New Guide: Via Slashdot.
An anonymous reader writes "Comcast has quietly launched a new on-screen guide for its cable boxes. What they're not advertising is that they've removed the ability to schedule VCR-compatible channel flipping any time more than a few hours in advance for people who don't buy the $20/month DVR service. What this means is that VCR owners are now forced to pay for Comcast's $20/month DVR service or else start their recordings manually. For us techies there might be a way around this, but ordinary VCR enthusiasts and owners of other recorders are left in the dust. Anyone know a good antitrust lawyer?" Raise your hand if you regularly use a VCR these days, too.
Read Original Article (Via Slashdot.)
FCC to "improve" CableCARD rules this month: Via Law & Disorder Section - Ars Technica.
The FCC's new National Broadband Plan made it clear that the agency has had it with CableCARD's failings and wants to try something else. Specifically, the FCC wants a new "gateway" device that would apply to all TV providers (cable, satellite, IPTV). Like a broadband modem, the gateway device would take its inputs from the different TV systems, but output a signal in a standard format that can be used by DVRs, TVs, and set-top boxes.
The changes start this month. The FCC has just announced plans for its April meeting, and they include these two juicy items:
Read Original Article:(Via Law & Disorder Section - Ars Technica.)
ABC goes dark for New York Cablevision subscribers: Via Washington Post Tech.
Just after the stroke of midnight Sunday, 3 million Cablevision viewers in the New York area lost their ABC channel because of an impasse by the cable operator and broadcaster to resolve a feud over transmission fees.
And unless an agreement is reached during the day between Cablevision and Walt Disney, the parent company of ABC, viewers won't see George Clooney or Sandra Bullock stroll the red carpet at The Oscars. And subscribers will miss out on some of television's most popular shows such as Lost and Good Morning America.
The negotiation breakdown was the latest in a series of similar standoffs between broadcasters and paid television providers. Time Warner Cable and New Corp.'s Fox eventually came to an agreement late last year after a long battle over fees. The Federal Communications Commission has largely stayed on the sidelines of such negotiations. But some lawmakers and consumer groups have urged greater involvement by the agency to prevent viewers from missing out.
"If negotiations break down to the point of intractability, the FCC should step in and faciliate fair arbitration," said Ben Scott, policy director of public interest group Free Press. read more... »
NBC Removes Conan O'Brien From the Web: Via Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD.
Remember the whole Conan O’Brien/Jay Leno imbroglio from last month? Perhaps NBC wishes you didn’t. The GE (GE) unit has removed every episode of the show’s seven-month run from its NBC.com site, as well as Hulu, the site NBC owns with News Corp.’s (NWS) Fox and Disney’s (DIS) ABC.
A little odd, given that a couple of days ago, the network was offering every single “Tonight Show” episode O’Brien had taped on NBC.com. But then again, everything about this story has been odd. NBC declined to comment.
NBC–at least, I’m assuming it’s NBC–has also been aggressive about taking down Conan episodes from Google’s (GOOG) YouTube.
Read Original Article:(Via Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD.)
Will your big-screen Super Bowl party violate copyright law?: Via Law & Disorder Section - Ars Technica.
An offhand comment the other day by a friend caught my attention—"Did you know that you can't watch the Super Bowl on a TV screen larger than 55 inches? Yeah, it's right there in the law."
With the Colts and Saints set to do battle in Super Bowl XLIV, this seemed worth looking into as a public service. Could it be that some of those giant flat panel TV sets now finding their way into US living rooms are actually violating copyright law?
Read Original Article:(Via Law & Disorder Section - Ars Technica.)