Encryption

[MikeBear]

In Las Vegas ABC Channel 13.1 has now encrypted. No other stations have as far as I can see. Just happened last night as yesterday I was watching it. Please get decryption work as soon as possible. I will also be sending a complaint to them.

File a complaint here:

Code: Select all

 https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=33794 

Not sure if hot links are allowed here, so I'm coding it.

[ChesterCat]

Thanks I appreciate it.

[howardc1243]

THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE FCC

Media Contact:
Paloma Perez
paloma.perez@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

FCC CHAIRWOMAN ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF ‘FUTURE OF TV’ PUBLIC-PRIVATE INITIATIVE FOCUSED ON TRANSITION TO NEXTGEN TV
FCC & National Association of Broadcasters to Collaborate on Completing the Transition to ATSC 3.0
--
LAS VEGAS, April 17, 2023—FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel today announced a new public-private initiative led by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to guide the next steps of NextGen TV. “The Future of TV” initiative will work to identify a roadmap to orderly transition ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0-based services as smoothly as possible for consumers.

An advanced broadcasting technology, the ATSC 3.0 standard can bring Ultra-High Definition (4K)-quality images, two-way interactivity, greater accessibility options, and multi-screen applications to televisions via over-the-air broadcast signals working in tandem with broadband. This technology helps ensure local TV stations serve their communities with the highest quality video.

“Today, we are announcing a public-private initiative, led by the National Association of Broadcasters, to help us work through outstanding challenges faced by industry and consumers” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel in her speech today at the NAB Show. “This Future of Television initiative will gather industry, government, and public interest stakeholders to establish a roadmap for a transition to ATSC 3.0 that serves the public interest. A successful transition will provide for an orderly shift from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0 and will allow broadcasters to innovate while protecting consumers, especially those most vulnerable.”

The Future of TV initiative is a public-private partnership led by NAB and working closely with the FCC, consumer groups, and others. Working groups are expected to focus on addressing backwards compatibility and its impact on consumers; the final conditions needed to complete the national transition to ATSC 3.0; and consideration of the post-transition regulatory landscape.

The FCC adopted rules in 2017 to support a voluntary, market-by-market rollout of ATSC 3.0, which first became available in 2020 in Las Vegas. Today, NextGen TV is available to households in about 60% of U.S. markets. But for consumers to access NextGen TV signals requires new, ATSC 3.0-compatible televisions or reception devices which pose important cost and accessibility challenges. The FCC is committed to working with industry and non-profit partners to ensure any transition is smooth.

THE FCC IS TAKING CONMENTS ON THIS MATTER, WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR CONMENT REFER TO PROCEEDING DOCKET NO. # 16-142

HOPEFULLY THIS WILL PUT THIS ENCRYPTION THING TO BED, FOR GOOD.

howardc143

[JDazell]

How does this statement put anything to bed!? Neither the word "encryption" nor the phrase "encrypted broadcast", appear anywhere in this document.

[jxxaxxy]

Yeah that was a lot of fluff for nothing. The only thing it basically said is that they are looking at the volunteer part and probably creating a deadline. But it was left totally open ended on what that might be.

[WindowWasher]

I submitted a complaint to the FCC at the end of May on ATSC 3.0 TV channels and encryption. My ticket was recently updated and I found this paragraph from the FCC to be particularly interesting:

Regarding 3.0 encryption:
In 2017, the Commission issued an order related to ATSC 3.0 that recognized “free Next Gen signals may be encrypted,” but stated that “programming that is encrypted must not require special equipment supplied and programmed by the broadcaster to decode.”

[diplexer]

Got the same generic reply from FCC. They are no help or don't care that they made a mistake on encryption. As long as the broadcasters don't require proprietary equipment from them they can encrypt free OTA signals according to their reply.

[zippy]

This is an over 5 year old international standard. Much of the technical aspects were supplied by korean manufacturers. It's not like the FCC just woke up from suspended animation and discovered it contained an encryption option.

[dlpoole]

Not everyone's drinking the NAB's Kool-Aid. See https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/109070323006003/1

[Derek_HTPC]

The 7ms round trip time check is between the player app and the HDHomeRun tuner hardware.

So, when playing a recording, does that tuner have to be:

• The original tuner that the recording was made from (you lose your recordings if you have a tuner hardware failure)

• Any tuner in the same account that is within 7ms RTT (tolerates replacement of failed hardware)

Although I hope for the account-based tuner RTT check, I expect that A3SA has to tie back to the original tuner. NickK, can you confirm which of these (or something else) will be the case?

[nickk]

The 7ms round trip time check is between the player app and the HDHomeRun tuner hardware.

So, when playing a recording, does that tuner have to be:

• The original tuner that the recording was made from (you lose your recordings if you have a tuner hardware failure)

• Any tuner in the same account that is within 7ms RTT (tolerates replacement of failed hardware)

Although I hope for the account-based tuner RTT check, I expect that A3SA has to tie back to the original tuner. NickK, can you confirm which of these (or something else) will be the case?

Original tuner.

[pkscout]

The 7ms round trip time check is between the player app and the HDHomeRun tuner hardware.

So, when playing a recording, does that tuner have to be:

• The original tuner that the recording was made from (you lose your recordings if you have a tuner hardware failure)

• Any tuner in the same account that is within 7ms RTT (tolerates replacement of failed hardware)

Although I hope for the account-based tuner RTT check, I expect that A3SA has to tie back to the original tuner. NickK, can you confirm which of these (or something else) will be the case?

Original tuner.

God, this just keeps getting worse. So if I make a recording and then my Flex dies, all my recordings die with it in some kind of suicide pact. What an absolutely horrid way to have to do things. It's been a great run since I owned one of the first TiVos, but recording TV OTA is truly dead at this point. I guess I'll keep going until they turn off the last ATSC1 signal and then just stop recording OTA and not watch any "free" TV after that.

And please, nobody reply with "they aren't required to enable encryption." It's becoming clear that there will be few, if any, stations that don't enable encryption, and in areas like mine where all the major stations are owned by the network, it's even more true.

[gtb]

God, this just keeps getting worse. So if I make a recording and then my Flex dies, all my recordings die with it in some kind of suicide pact. What an absolutely horrid way to have to do things. It's been a great run since I owned one of the first TiVos, but recording TV OTA is truly dead at this point.

To be slightly fair (not that that is the goal), if your provider STB (or your own TiVo) died you often lost your recordings too (and in many cases, what died was the hard drive, and for many people who plug in a single drive to their flex they have a fair chance of also losing their recordings at some point too, as hard drives still fail). "Cloud" DVR's are popular with some for exactly that reason (and very unpopular with some others for other reasons).

These days I find no OTA as being "must see", but I can typically watch something the next day on the networks streaming site if I do want to see the recent episode and my DVR did not manage to record or is unable to play it back for any of dozens of reasons.

[Lost Dog]

So if I make a recording and then my Flex dies, all my recordings die with it in some kind of suicide pact.

That statement is pure gold... Fantastic way to put it.

[gtb]

Original tuner.

I do not know if it is possible with your devices, but with some other manufacturers I could send the device back to the vendor and have the device authorizations transferred/cloned for what was a quite an expensive fee if I absolutely positively needed that service. So the question might be if that was technically possible (SMT rework to transfer the chip with the keys if that is not the failing component?), and if so, whether that service might be offered, and if so, the handwaving expected fee.