TVLinks Owner Deserved to be Arrested: " There I said it! I know lots of people won’t agree with me and think the owner of TV-Links.co.uk is some sort of martyr who is fighting our cause against the big copyright Mongols but that is bullshit.
What is TVLinks & What Happened?
For those of you that don’t know TV-Links.co.uk is a site that was full of links to pirated TV shows on sites like YouTube, MySpace Video, DailyMotion etc.
Millions of people flocked to TVLinks each month to watch these pirated shows and can you blame them? Content owners have put so many barriers between people and the videos they want to watch: DRM, high DVD prices, not putting shows online… the list goes on. read more... »
BBC NEWS | Technology | BBC online video service launches: "The BBC's flagship online TV service is being launched, offering viewers the chance to download their favourite programmes from the last seven days.
For director general Mark Thompson, the launch of iPlayer is as big a milestone as the arrival of colour TV.
But others have questioned how technically reliable it will be and whether it is late to a crowded market.
At launch, a fixed number of people will be able to sign up, with the numbers increasing throughout the year. read more... »
Digital television received in four out of five UK homes: Over 80% of households in the United Kingdom now receive digital television services. That is over twenty million homes. Most of the growth comes from Freeview. Nearly two million digital terrestrial television receivers were sold in the first quarter of the year, while cable and satellite added around 175,000 subscribers. read more... »
ITV launches online initiative with new broadband portal: "ITV, the main commercial television broadcaster in Britain, is due to roll out its new online service this week. The majority of its programmes will eventually be available as previews, live simulcast streams and for up to 30 days after transmission. ITV plc is reportedly investing £20 million in the..." read more... »
Effective Technological Measures: It Means What It Says, Says Finnish Court: "Effective Technological Measures: It Means What It Says, Says Finnish Court
It's the phrase that rules over both the DMCA and Europe's equivalent, the European Copyright Directive EUCD. Under both it's illegal to circumvent 'effective technological measures' used by rightsholders to restrict access to their works.
But what happens when the measures don't measure up? Part of the irony of the DMCA in the United States has been that generous court interpretations of 'effective' has led DRM designers to craft the flimsiest of programming tricks to control access. (Some have even gone so far as to suggest that the DMCA would extend to simple ciphers, such as ROT13). Those companies then hide behind the DMCA's provisions that eliminate public discussion of the measure's flaws. In the absence of criticism, rightsholders are gulled into believing that such snake-oil will save their works from commercial piracy, even though circumvention is often trivially simple. read more... »
BBC plans HDTV on as many platforms as possible: The BBC Trust is inviting feedback on plans by the corporation for a permanent free-to-view high-definition television channel. The BBC hopes to launch a permanent service on satellite, cable and where possible on terrestrial and broadband platforms. However, shortage of capacity on Freeview could disappoint consumers. read more... »
Stop the Broadcasting Treaty Flip-Flop!: "
EFF and others have worked hard to fix the proposed Broadcasting Treaty from
endangering innovators' and users' rights - and last year many countries,
including the United States, said they would support a better treaty. Now a
new WIPO draft once again endangers innovators' and users' rights. read more... »
informitv - French plan high-definition for digital terrestrial television: "French plan high-definition for digital terrestrial television
The French are planning to provide high-definition channels on digital terrestrial television from as early as 2008. They have concluded that it will be possible to fit three high-definition channels on a single multiplex which is currently unoccupied. It raises the question of how soon high-definition could be made available on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom. read more... »
Financial Times Tech Blog: "A broadcast flag for Europe?
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has blown the whistle on what it says is a sinister plot by Hollywood studios to take control of digital televison in Europe.
According to the EFF, new product standards being developed by the Digital Video Broadcasting project would limit customers' ability to record and store digitally broadcast films and television shows by introducing strict digital rights management into the next generation of IP TV devices. read more... »