With just five months left until the broadcast flag, EFF is staging a build-in: Build your own high-definition video recorder that lawfully ignores the broadcast flag.
We're using MythTV, a remarkably full-featured platform that can manage not only live and recorded television, but also music, movies, photos, weather, even VoIP phone calls. Because it's all Free Software, if you don't see a feature you want, you can code it yourself or find a friend who will.
While the broadcast flag mandate threatens to make TV back into a one-way, watch-only medium, open PVRs like MythTV give control back to us. Cut the commercials and watch only the show; or cut out the game and watch only the commercials, as some I know do for the Super Bowl. Re-mix television to make a point. Build your own Google video.
Watch for photos from throughout the day, and let me know the unexpected ways you use your PVR.
Posted by Wendy at January 29, 2005 08:49 AM | TrackBackHey Wendy,
Maybe I'm missing it, but I can't find any specs on what antenna you suggest. As a renter, even with an accomodating landlord, I might not be able to roof-mount. Although, I am upstairs with attic-access. But if there's an indoor one that's good enough, which one is it? (I realize that everyone's mileage may vary based on location.)
Posted by: Brian C on January 29, 2005 03:39 PMAround EFF, we've been using the stock (indoor) antennas that came with a few of our Windows HD cards, and a $20 model from Radio Shack. Here in San Francisco, with good sightlines to Sutro Tower, those work about as well as our rooftop antenna, even through the few extra walls. You can see a few of the antennas on the tables in this photo.
CEA's antennaweb gives more antenna and broadcast-range information.
Posted by: Wendy on January 31, 2005 11:31 AMExcerpt: PCPro: US judges agree FCC has no rights pursue HDTV broadcast flag regs. Meanwhile the Electronic Frontier Foundation has released a step-by-step guide, the "HD PVR Cookbook," that teaches people how to build a high-definition digital television (HDTV...
Weblog: Free2Innovate.net
Tracked: February 24, 2005 05:09 AM
