Monday, July 21, 2008

No more DRM on non-restricted CableCard Content?

 

 

 

The latest OCUR specification by CableLabs (Read this June 20th update here but be warned it is very technical) has removed the requirement to DRM all CableCard tuner recordings regardless of whether the content is marked as copy restricted or not.  The way I understand it, this would mean you could copy, move or modify those recordings from the CableCard on channels that aren’t marked “copy protected” – the ones marked “copy protected” would continue to be restricted from copying, moving or modifying.

It's unclear what this means to current CableCard users though as thus far this change in rules hasn't trickled down to the existing users of CableCard tuners.  Ben Drawbaugh of Engadget reports that a firmware update for the tuners & Vista Media Center TV Pack may be required.