Encryption

[ChaosMageX]

Sad news. It seems that KRIV & KTXH in Houston have just now switched on Encryption.

Judging by my recordings for the day, this happened literally today, at some point between 1:30 - 2:00 PM CST. It's so recent that not even Rabbit Ears has updated yet to reflect this, at least at the time of this post, but it probably soon will:

https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=atsc3

Both of these stations are owned by Fox, and if some of the other recent posts in this thread are any indication, I suspect that all Fox owned stations will soon be switching on Encryption if they haven't already, very likely as a requirement for broadcasting the upcoming Stupor Bowel. However, I suspect that it will unfortunately remain in place long after that spectacle is over with.

Again, I'm looking at the other comments, and I should count myself lucky that I still have access to as many channels as I do, but I feel like it's only a matter of time before they all give me the proverbial middle finger by switching on Encryption.

And even with my successful recordings, I feel like I've been thrown back into the early 2000s with my struggle to find an Audio Codec for Dolby AC-4 so I can even hear their "higher quality" sound. It's now 2025 and you'd think it'd be just a simple matter of updating K-Lite Codec Megapack, but nope! It probably isn't relevant, but given how I'm feeling right now with this latest news, I just felt like bringing it up.

Basically, at this point, ATSC 3.0 is just a joke. I laugh out loud every time I hear "NextGen TV" being advertised, and literally shout back at the TV Screen "Good luck being able to watch it!"

EDIT: The glorious irony of this situation is that, back when I had started using SD HDHR Tuners almost a decade ago now, I had always been prepared for my cable provider, Xfinity Comcast, to someday flip the encryption switch on the majority of my cable channels that I get through my trusty HDHR CC-3. Back then, not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined Antenna TV beating them to the punch on the Encryption front! At this point, I shouldn't underestimate the extent of cancerous greed that permeates every facet of the Late Stage Capitalism Dystopia that 99% of us are forced to inhabit. They used to joke about capitalists charging us for the very air we breathe if they could, but now it won't surprise me in the least when it starts happening for real on privately built & owned space stations. Or, at very least, they'll most certainly offer a "premium air" option along with the keys to the space mini-fridge where all the good astronaut food is. I'll stop my rant here before it gets any further off topic, but I think you get my point. This ridiculousness is just the tip of the iceberg for what seems to be coming later down the line, if it isn't already here in other parts of this "great society" that we live in.

[JanDSiegrist]

Greetings everyone
I've posted this elsewhere and I'll post it again here.
Is SD working on a solution to view / record ATSC3 Protected channels? Is there a cost? Is there an ETA?
Some other companies are marketing products that do this now.
If SD is not going to provide a solution beyond what is offered now they should let everyone know that.
If there is ever one thing in the world we could do without it would be GREED.
Jan

[NedS]

Greetings everyone
I've posted this elsewhere and I'll post it again here.
Is SD working on a solution to view / record ATSC3 Protected channels? Is there a cost? Is there an ETA?
Some other companies are marketing products that do this now.
If SD is not going to provide a solution beyond what is offered now they should let everyone know that.
If there is ever one thing in the world we could do without it would be GREED.
Jan

This is basically answered in the very first post of THIS thread.

Also, no, there are no other network TV tuners that can handle ATSC 3.0 DRM. There are only direct HDMI-connected TV boxes that can handle ATSC 3.0 DRM, and those cannot make that content available over the network. It's a different product category, with different rules.

[beefjerky]

At this point, I shouldn't underestimate the extent of cancerous greed that permeates every facet of the Late Stage Capitalism Dystopia that 99% of us are forced to inhabit. They used to joke about capitalists charging us for the very air we breathe if they could, but now it won't surprised me in the least when it starts happening for real

Sadly, a certain satire film is turning into a documentary...

Welcome to Costco, I love you.

[JanDSiegrist]

@ NedS
You are sadly mistaken there are at least two other network products that decrypt DRM - I'm not mentioning them here as I don't want to cause any issues but they ARE out there. You may want to check reviews by the Antenna Man.
There are roughly 3 kinds of DRM going round - 1) need a special key to decipher, 2) one time only subscription / login, and 3) constant connection via internet. Sadly the 3rd option seems to be gaining ground.
The current devices apparently handle all 3 types of DRM.
So my main question still stands is SD working on a solution to this dilemma or is the current product as it stands all there is?
Respectfully
Jan

[Cabal]

@ NedS
You are sadly mistaken there are at least two other network products that decrypt DRM - I'm not mentioning them here as I don't want to cause any issues but they ARE out there. You may want to check reviews by the Antenna Man.

I am very familiar with the competition out there. Those are not network tuners/gateway devices, which is what Ned is referencing. One device has recently gained the ability to share unencrypted, recorded content (not live TV, nor any type of DRM) across the network. Certainly a nice addition for them, but that particular feature is old hat around here and doesn't require any blessing from the A3SA.

[nickk]

Jan - we are rescheduling our meeting with A3SA. Nothing is possible without A3SA (and Google) approving.

[NedS]

@ NedS
You are sadly mistaken there are at least two other network products that decrypt DRM - I'm not mentioning them here as I don't want to cause any issues but they ARE out there. You may want to check reviews by the Antenna Man.
There are roughly 3 kinds of DRM going round - 1) need a special key to decipher, 2) one time only subscription / login, and 3) constant connection via internet. Sadly the 3rd option seems to be gaining ground.
The current devices apparently handle all 3 types of DRM.
So my main question still stands is SD working on a solution to this dilemma or is the current product as it stands all there is?
Respectfully
Jan

As of today, there is nothing decoding ATSC 3.0 DRM and making it available to network-connected viewers/clients for home users. The products you are seeing can only decode DRM to the HDMI-connected display, or are other companies making promises about the future. The only thing that comes close is our own ATSC 3.0 products, which can send DRM to special third party software that is only available to broadcasters, for maintenance and troubleshooting purposes (not applicable to home users).

Antenna Man himself has talked about this in his videos.

A3SA makes the rules about what kind of DRM is allowed for what types of products. We do not have the option of selecting this ourselves. It is not up to us. It is up to A3SA. Period.

Our current plans are still the same as before, we are doing everything we can to support DRM content over ATSC 3.0 with existing hardware (the hardware really isn't the issue, as it will happily relay the encrypted content, but you need a client that can decrypt that data), and trying to support that on as many platforms as possible, but A3SA is the gatekeeper for this. We cannot move forward without their certificates and authorization, etc.

[danieljlevine]

Ah, now you might be able to talk sense to Google and get them to convince A3SA that what you want to do is sufficient to protect DRM encrypted media. I don’t believe A3SA has the technical people to make such decisions on their own. So Google probably advises them on the technical stuff regarding Widevine, if not more.

[Cabal]

Jan - we are rescheduling our meeting with A3SA. Nothing is possible without A3SA (and Google) approving.

Is there anything more you can say about Google's part in the process? To the outside observer, Widevine (by Google) seems like a software solution that was chosen for DRM and not much else.

[spencer777]

So what's the endgame? Tv stations will disable DRM for people that pay?

[MikeBear]

So what's the endgame? Tv stations will disable DRM for people that pay?

Nope. The providers will NEVER give up DRM with ATSC 3.0, UNLESS the government FORCES them to do so. Don't be confused, That's the whole reason of them switching to 3.0.

[gore]

Right now I could put up an antenna that is connected via coax to a splitter then sends the antenna signal to every TV in my house and watch when/where I want. This of course does not apply to my laptop, computer, iPad, or phone since they cannot connect to a coaxial cable. At what point in time will it become illegal to sell those splitters, or will I have to buy a special splitter that contains decryption software that then goes on to those TV's in the clear? Or would the TV station ownership groups ever allow a signal to be sent anywhere in the clear, via coax, within a home? I doubt that that would ever be allowed.

[iTurbo6]

Right now I could put up an antenna that is connected via coax to a splitter then sends the antenna signal to every TV in my house and watch when/where I want. This of course does not apply to my laptop, computer, iPad, or phone since they cannot connect to a coaxial cable. At what point in time will it become illegal to sell those splitters, or will I have to buy a special splitter that contains decryption software that then goes on to those TV's in the clear? Or would the TV station ownership groups ever allow a signal to be sent anywhere in the clear, via coax, within a home? I doubt that that would ever be allowed.

I have a new build and no coax going to every room. Just 1 coax drop outside that goes to my rack - i use it for my backup cable internet. instead i have an ethernet in a box outside.

my antenna is the televes evoca mounted on my fence and then i have a short coax going into that box where i keep my hdhomerun. its weatherproof so hopefully it holds up in the south florida summers. my only way to get antenna tv is over ethernet. even if i had an atsc 3.0 box or tv, there is no way i can get antenna working without some kind of box to convert the antenna coax to ethernet.

[iTurbo6]

just checked my signals and the nextgen channels are 100 signal and 100 quality. the 1.0 channels are 100 signal and anywhere from 50-75 quality. so annoying.

[removed by moderator - not appropriate for this forum]