Just one errata - the comments I referenced from broadcasters came from the A3SA - not the ATSC. A3SA is the body in charge of the encryption/DRM component of the ATSC 3 standard.
The disaster that is ATSC 3 is just getting worse. I think that anyone who wants to encrypt signals should be shifted over to the internet and the over the air channel given to others. When I do watch TV, the things I watch are usually the Standard Definition stations. Watching an old movie in the middle of the night is a great way to get my mind off what is keeping me awake.
The more I hear and read about this the more I see an total disregard for the consumer. These stations need to stop this nonsense because nothing stops piracy.
In some ways all this nonsense make piracy more likely. If there is a show you want to watch and you can easily watch it legally, that is what you will do. If you have to jump through endless hoops to watch it then you may decide it is easier to get it from some pirate.
I stopped pirating a long LONG time ago when it was less convenient than paying a little for some things and getting an antenna for others. But lately I figured out Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr, Jellyfin and Jellyseerr so I could download things like Big Buck Bunny, Sintel, and Steamboat Willie on demand like my own little streaming service. It's more convenient than dealing with this recent nonsense.
Piracy can be fought if the pirates cannot view the stolen media. Pirates are also fought if they cannot store the data on hard drives. Monitors and hard drives could be forced to have a Signed digital standard. If so, then data entering both types of devices would need to be signed as well. A pirated signal would not be signed for that signed system as it only works for the original approved system it was signed for. So pirates cannot easily propagate stolen signals.
@@naekosl3059That works... as long as you're only making hardware for storing and viewing prerecorded content. The moment you want to MAKE something, that hardware becomes useless(to say nothing of using computer hardware for non-video purposes)
I thought you had a lot of new information in the video Lon. If Broadcasters abandon their OTA signals, then are they really broadcasting? Many rural areas rely on translators and have poor internet access. Seems like the big station owners are abandoning their duties as public license holders.
They never saw it as a duty. Do not make the mistake that these businesses operate as good citizens. They only did it for the concessions made for other bandwidth, less regulation, etc. It’s like asking insurance companies to support doctor patient choice.
I use a rabbit-ear antenna connected to my “dumb” tv to get critical information during weather emergencies from our 4 local news stations; none of which live stream. This is a dangerous change and contrary to the purpose of broadcast tv.
I'm shocked to hear about how casually abandoning 4K OTA TV is being discussed. The FCC has been bought out and doesn't little or nothing for the public anymore. The US is truly turning into a cesspool of greed.
That's the last straw, I'm going to stick to ATSC 1.0 channels until they all completely shut down. Glad I canceled my pre-order on one of the ATSC 3.0 tuners.
The expiration date, "phone home", and gateway issues are even more reasons for banning DRM on ATSC 3.0. I personally believe broadcasters want to block in-home DVRs and the gateway devices enabling them, so that customers will have to subscribe to cable, satellite, or paid streaming services that pay them retransmission fees to have DVR functionality.
You hit the nail on the head. When ATSC was mandated the transmitter power for over the air broadcasting was cut drastically to force people to subscribe to cable or satellite, now you can (for the most part) only pick up the station if you are within 4-5 miles of the tower.
Severe ATSC 3.0 DVR restrictions could Include No recording allowed, No DVR controls, No skipping TV Ads, Auto delete after time, only play on same device, No HDMI recording, etc. IMO.
@@LonSeidmanbut its not illegal to make backup copies of your DVDs, to ensure your purchased media content is safe from fire, wear and tear other damage etc. The OTA TV is supposed to be free and we should be able to DVR it and make backup copies for future viewing.Honestly the DMCA violates fair use laws and should be repealed
Lon made a comment about still being able to use his HD Home Run after a decade. Well, my two didn't make it but my Hauppauge WinTV stick that I bought when Circuit City was going out of business in 2009 for I think about $20 is still going strong and I don't have to pay for the schedule to automatically set recordings.
All OTA DRM encrypted ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN-TV tuner boxes are preprogrammed to stop working for DRM depending on which certification program (10, 15 or 30 years) they have. IMO. Why?
They are making it easier and easier to stop watching TV. I stopped watching network TV when Microsoft got rid of their Windows Media Center and channel guide. My 2 hdhomeruns sit unused, except for the Triple Crown races.
@Hierarchangel Likewise. The Triple Crown Races are the only time I tune in to live tv. Once they've been run (or we don't have a horse making a triple crown bid) the set goes off.
I'm about ready to do the same and just use streaming for my occasional TV watching. My dumb TV & DVR just died, so I figured I'd just use my computer to replace my TV. Only to do some research and find out that almost all the channels I'd want to watch are encrypted so either ATSC 1.0 or 3.0 will work for me.
Hell. I miss analog broadcasts. I live in the middle of Montgomery, AL., and I cannot pickup diddly squat from simple antennas connected to sets. I bought a "heavy duty" antenna to place in one of my attics, and it works when connected directly to a set. I tried to use it to push the signal across the existing coax, but even with different boosters, I never was able to make it work. I finally gave up on over-the-air TV. I never had this trouble with analog. Once again, the government making our lives "better". I signed your petition.
@@jjc4577 And that very same president paved the way to the death of social security AND removing the anti-trust laws that had prevented international corps from swallowing everything up!
BAD NEWS new "Secure DVR" ATSC 3.0 TV DRM rules say (severe TV recordings restrictions) go into effect after Simulcast testing is over and ATSC 1.0 TV is turned off = no more TV recordings.
This will further the use of services like Prowlarr, Sonarr and the like. I ditched cable a decade or more ago and started using my own home DVR with HD Homerun, Tablo and Plex and have never looked back. Now, Prowlarr and Sonarr make the OTA homebrew DVR solution look as old as cable tv was years ago. It's so much easier now.
Great video. :) Every new thing we learn about ATSC 3 is so Saturday Morning Cartoon Bad Guy over the top terrible that it's hard to believe it's a real thing and not some sort of weird parody by an industry group marketing department with too much free time.
At some point, will they require a retina scan and a credit check before I can watch the oldies stations to see "The Jeffersons" or "Family Ties" or "Home Improvement"? With as many lawyer and laxative commercials as they can get away with? Good grief.
I see it as getting rid of free over the air tv. Either OTA will eventually be phased out and cease to exist, or more than likely, with the signal encryption, we will be required to pay subscription fees in order to view OTA broadcast.
Lon, I just want to say your commitment to us consumers who just want to watch over-the-air TV without the signal breaking up on windy days is so commendable. Keep up your great work!! I come back here often for updates, even if they haven't been particularly promising on the DRM front.
We should always have a backup in case the internet fails, your router breaks, too much traffic, or the DoS (denial of service) attacks and other malware. OTA TV and radio works great for that; if you need an internet connection to watch OTA broadcasts, then they are not really OTA, hybrid maybe, but not OTA. I was very annoyed when I tested AT&T Uverse over a decade ago because I could record pretty much anything on the U-verse DVR and was stored locally on the hard disk. However, if I lost internet, I could not watch any of the 100s of shows I had recorded on my local DVR. I use Directv now (not for me but for other members in my house) and all of the DVRs and receivers work whether or not I have an internet connection.
DRM A3SA (ATSC 3.0 Security Authority) is not a government agency. A3SA is a private organization and is not the FCC. Call your USA Government and stop the A3SA enforcing DRM on ATSC 3.0.
Question for Lon. How can anyone contact TV Stations if they are having technical problems that the TV station doesn't know about? My issue is OTA ATSC 1.0 Channel 7 ABC Washington DC has no OTA channel TV guide information anymore. Thank you in advance.
I say the hell with next gen tv , just leave it the way it is . The current system works just fine for me with my tablo. Next gen would be great without DRM. Just sad
Apparently, commercial driven tv is no longer affordable. Greed has gone too far. Remember back when they were against Betamax. Nothing ever changes. 😡
The whole point of broadcast/Over-the-Air TV is to have a communications infrastructure that isn't dependent on in-ground wires like the Internet. Useful for emergency communications and presidential alerts, etc. Not a fan of any of this DRM/encryption gatekeeping at all. Maybe keep all the movies/TV shows on separate channels then instead of locking down the entire ATSC 3.0 channel 100% with encryption?
Hopefully it's a certificate that can be updated. Web servers and web browsers use certificates for encryption. I am assuming they will update in a similar manner. But, this means that an Internet connection would probably be necessary for this update.
If I win the powerball then I will use the winnings to defeat DRM and make solutions public. When the broadcasters sue me, Mr. BEAST is going to have an awesome video of me burning all leftover winnings.
This kind of stuff is whats scaring me away from going down the OTA rabbit hole. ATSC 1.0 is fine for now but It will get outdated, and they're making 3.0 such a pain in the woohaa to use easily. For now Im sticking to my live tv streaming service but I'll always keep my mind open to the OTA route and I'll implement it in a heartbeat if they stop this encryption nonsense
I’m going to laugh like crazy when the DRM gets cracked. Heck some hacker has probably already done it and is just keeping their mouth shut till everything is done then they spill the beans.
Has anybody hacked the DRM encryption used over HDMI cables? I have a friend who wants to record the stuff he watches but he can’t because it’s encrypted.
@@ethanlamoureux5306 not sure 100% how they do it but they must have. There are tons of HD tv rips on torrent servers. I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard it easy by using a HDMI spitter where one part of the split goes to the TV and the other to the HDMI recorder.
@@ethanlamoureux5306 Have they tried an HDMI-VGA adapter. The adapter appears to be the end tv. Then convert back to whatever can be recorded. It's going to limit the quality to the converters you want to pay for.
Interesting, if they use your internet connection to broadcast 4k content what impact will that have in markets where internet providers have initiated data caps such as Xfinity? Will those caps not be impacted? If there isn't an exception made 4k broadcasts could potentially send you over triggering few charges.
@@justanotherstanczyk Comcast owns the NBC television network. They also own a smattering of broadcast television stations in the US, most of them are (naturally) NBC affiliates. There used to be a strict cap on the number of what are called owned and operated stations owned by the networks themselves but those have greatly loosened over the years.
Cable TV lost me last year. I wanted Local news and content and they kept bundling MORE for MORE $$$ rather than offer ala carte allowing me my 4 3rd tier channels only). I stuck up an antenna for under $100 (inc distribution), less than the cable rate increases
In retrospect, we should have probably bit the bullet and mandated a complete replacement of ATSC 1.0 with a more open implementation of ATSC 3.0 at some relatively far off future date. This is because ATSC 1’s MPEG-2 encoding and 8VSB modulation is incredibly inefficient compared to more modern codecs like HeVC and AV1. You could fit like 4-5 HD streams using a modern codec compared to MPEG-2 using the same bandwidth. This would have released a huge amount of extremely valuable (and limited) radio spectrum for other uses.
Why would you want to get rid of even more spectrum, and hence bandwidth? TV could finally look decent if they used 100% of the available digital bandwidth with modern codecs at the same 1080 vertical pixels.
@@timramich There is more bandwidth allocated to terrestrial television than needed to broadcast a good HD image if we were to switch to use more modern encoding and modulation than what is employed by the ATSC 1.0 standard.
@@MaxPower-11 Cut the bandwidth and half and use a modern codec and it will still look like garbage. The current bandwidth is perfect. MPEG-2 is trash.
As I understand it, ATSC 1 can support newer, more efficient codecs, and a lot of current ATSC 1 hardware does as well. But since moving to the new codecs would leave out some of the oldest ATSC 1 hardware, no one wants to do it.
"Regulators", who would tell the media companies to cease with the encryption, could be compromised. Kinda like the FDA and drug manufacturer scenario. Well done Lon. Great video.
Thanks for this video, Lonny. Cool to year you again as I watched INTEGRATED Starship flight live with you! Man, that flight was exciting; they got a lot done with it, I think!
Silly question, if you have an internet connection to your tv, why do you need another device to connect an OTA device to get tv on? If you're connecting to the internet, you can just pull up local content over the internet. Are they just trying to eliminate OTA completely here, so low income homes that have no internet, only a tv and digital antenna, will no longer get local channels...c'mon FCC, don't go this route, protect what we've had for decades now, free OTA tv!!!
Well, that's not efficient use of a tuner, you should be able to do neighborhood organizing or video conferencing for 20 minutes on ATSC 3 here and there.
Why? ATSC was quickly obsolete because it carried with it ancient crap like interlacing. People who fetishized that crap are long retired. Stuff isn't even really shot in 4k for TV here yet, so it's actually ahead of its time in that regard.
One use for unwanted or unused OTA spectrum is give it back to the wireless mic users which they only have the 500 MHz portion and there is no white space left after the 600 MHz was taken away.
If they want the masses to switch over better start mailing out vouchers, I remember back in 2009 switching over to digital, I took my voucher walked into my local Radio Shack and pick up my trusty tuner been using her since. I will stay on ATSC 1 until the last channel shutter it door. 😝
FCC is not forcing any 1.0 TV Stations to move over to 3.0 TV. So some TV stations will be on 1.0 and others will be on DRM encrypted 3.0 TV. OTA ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN-TV is DEAD until DRM Encryption is gone. Stay on ATSC 1.0 until DRM is removed by law. OTA DRM ATSC 3.0 TV will fail because the FCC is not going to turn off ATSC 1.0 TV stations for many years if not enough people buy DRM 3.0 TVs and DRM 3.0 boxes. No one has solve the problem of no government money for free DRM 3.0 TV tuner boxes because 1.0 TV turners and recorders will not work after that TV Station switches to 3.0 TV broadcasts. IMO 2024.
There are many streaming platforms that are free to watch one of them being RUclips with 100s of millions of videos to watch, movies, News, Sports, Documentary's, etc
The fact that over the air broadcast can now have more draconian DRM restrictions then Cable Card does is sickening, didn't need the internet to work for my HD Home Prime to work...
Good heavens, this mess called ATSC 3.0 just needs to go away. No one that just wants to watch TV has ever said "Gee, ATSC 1.0 doesn't meet my needs." Despite all the players that we can point 'fingers of blame' at, the FCC should have never let this happen in the first place. Why in the world would I buy a TV that has DRM and I can't watch a OTA station? Isn't that the purpose of a TV in the first place? I give up even being interested.
Now I'm confused. I'm looking for a new TV and was thinking of going with a Sony A95L because it has the ATSC3.0 tuner while the LG G4 has a "normal" ATSC 1.0 tuner. They're both high end TV that support Dolby Vision (the reason I want to upgrade). We currently have cable, but there's an antenna in the attic that could be hooked up or I could get a powered antenna and just use that. Is "next-gen" 4k OTA TV just a pipe dream?
From what I see, ATSC 3.0 especially the idea is having boxes or TV sets requiring internet access.... then why do OTA? I don't watch much OTA, I'm old enough to see all the old shows. New shows don't interest me. I follow this stuff mainly of the technical interest (I compiled spreadsheet of local station freq and locations). ATSC 3.0 looks interesting particularly more robust where handheld TV sets can make a comeback. But as they say for effective television there are three things needed: Transmitter, receiver, and content. Remove any one of these three stool legs then it collapses. So far the content leaves much to be desired.
I wonder about Sony TV's with android built in, if they can open a drm signal? I can open DRM cable live stream via prime where my speakers in use are built in, but when I have a sound bar attached it will say it is drm encrypted and halt.
Thank you Lon for all you do, I happened on your channel and it has been as eye opening as when I fount the Antenna man! I've added my signature to both of your filings. I am close to cutting the cord here in DE. The info on comcast is GGGGGreeeeeaaattttt! (That's the only system we have here in the rural area other than satellite)
I can't imagine being in a tornado watch situation and not being able to get public broadcasts on it because DRM is having issues or my box expired. What a joke. It's not like I pay for cable or satellite services.
I lost a bunch of channels when the digital signal started. tried a few different tuners and tvs but still no signal I finally gave up and just stopped watching tv
"Customers are dropping the cable side of their subscriptions and keeping the internet." As people who subscribe to the internet _via_ the cable, they wouldn't be *able* to drop the cable side of it; their whole thing IS on cable; it's cable internet!
Content encryption is contrary to law and is or should be illegal! Copyright doesn’t give all rights to the copyright holder, some rights are retained by the public. Among those are the right to fair use copying and the eventual expiration of copyright and entry into the public domain. Encryption frustrates the rights of the public since even tho we have the right, it prevents us from exercising it. Companies that encrypt content to prevent copying ought to be denied copyright protection on that content.
I wonder if this URL for 4K broadcasts over broadband capability is a bridge for ATSC 3.0 while they still have to work in low power/bandwidth with ATSC 1.0. It could then potentially fade away. But it could also be emphasized. I’m not sure if I’d care at the moment, as long as I could view the DRM content. I prefer to get it over the airwaves, as I believe it could be a better quality version of the transmission. It also wouldn’t use by broadband connection for those 4K streams.
I was hoping that we would get something like the WinTV quad tuner for ATSC 3 that I could use in conjunction with Plex but those hopes are fading. Time to just scrap or completely boycott the standard at this point.
I have been using a Tablo Dual-lite DVR for years. But it can't record or playback anything better than 1080 resolution. Stations in my area are broadcasting OTA in 4K, and I want to switch out my Dual-Lite DVR for one that can work with 4K resolution. Is this possible? And what devices are available?
If I have to use an internet connection and cannot watch OTA that is truly just over the air, then I'm just done. I will not sign up for more tracking, the inability to get OTA news and info when some emergency event has neutered the cable internet, etc. If I've got power/backup power, a receiver, and an antenna, that should be sufficient. This is all going backwards in reliability by adding failure points, violating the reason they had licenses for the airwaves for the public good in the first place, and abrogating their responsibility to convey emergency info.
In the UK we already have broadcast channels delivered over the Internet like that. They appear in the broadcast channel guide, but when you tune to them they put up an info screen saying the channel is delivered over the Internet and you just press Ok to start. I guess it's good for getting your niche channel in the programme guide, but here at least it's mostly junk channels that few people watch.
@@domramsey Here in the States the cable companies put a quick stop to OTA broadcast channels. At most we have 4-5 and that is only in the larger cities. When the country went to ATSC the power output of the broadcast channels was reduced so you can only pick them up off air within a few miles of the tower, this was done to force people to subscribe to cable or satellite. Canada pretty much did the same thing.
I hope the astc 1.0 gets extended . 3.0 it seems to be cash grab in my opinion or they want it to fail on purpose. I was an astc 1.0 early adopter but no interested in being an early adopter of 3.0.
The worse thing is they are blocking any of the requirements for them to keep this user friendly and such makes me want to keep ATSC 1.0 a lot longer as there is equipment reasonably priced for me to use. I'm old and I might be deceased before all this is fixed! 🤨
So how long til the drm on atsc3 gets broken just like every other drm out there. I’m not breaking or encouraging anyone to break their encryption, just wondering how long it will take. Dvd took 3-5 years depending who you ask. Blu-ray less. Streamers less than a year for each iteration. I’d give it less than a year until vlc can view atsc3 drm or not.
So when a certificate expires can you refresh it. Also if they can revocation certificate anytime they want and prematurely expired the root cert... how are they addressing this?
I'm still using a Recast. I was so excited to "upgrade" years back now but this continued mess has kept me on the Recast. It's bonkers how bad they've fumbled this rollout. And every layer you add, like a DVR solution, just compounds things that much more because the foundation is poisoned. Thanks for your continued awareness campaigns. Somebody in power has to recognize the absurdity eventually.
I don't think alot of people really understand what the goal is, they are gonna make everybody pay for viewing their favourite (local) channels, no matter what. They have noticed people cutting the cord over the yrs and are now taking away this option. They also know OTA and legacy cable (RF based digital) is used for ripping content. That's why the entire market is moving to IP based services because it's always 2 way traffic. Don't fool yourself, they want more control. And those licenses, you might think they last from 10 up to 30 years, but they can be revoked at any time.!
I'm buying a new TV and only considering ATSC 3.0 tuner models - will current models work with encryption? and might it be a bad idea to buy last year's model w/3.0 tuner?
If they could make better use of the bandwidth, video bit rate wise, 1080p would look fine with a modern codec. Getting rid of compression artifacting is more visually appealing than increasing resolution.
@@GladeSwope It's a shame no one has figured out how to degrade a digital signal like an analog one would. An analog signal that gets weak just gets noise in it. It's still audible or visible. But a digital signal...miss enough bits to where error correction can't help, the whole thing just falls apart.
LonBALL: to fix this go into the code of the tuner and press c: dir/p. This should fix it. But to be serious why are we talking about 10-30 year cert drops. Most persons know their gadgets don’t go they long. People are gonna short your video and cut it off before half is done on this one at a higher rate based on the long cert drops.
Just one errata - the comments I referenced from broadcasters came from the A3SA - not the ATSC. A3SA is the body in charge of the encryption/DRM component of the ATSC 3 standard.
Is that shutdown for ATSC 1.0? Or for first draft 3.0? Will that affect dumb tvs?
Building in an death date into electronic devices should be illegal considering the environmental harm.
Also, if a someone can issue a certificate for 30 years, they can also issue a replacement one for a lot less longer (planned obsolescence).
And when the certificate gets stolen and used for evil schemes I bet they will.
Making things artificially go bad to sell you more things is an American passtime.
Lmbo!😂😂😂 A death date.
So how is that 1993 computer working out for you?
The disaster that is ATSC 3 is just getting worse. I think that anyone who wants to encrypt signals should be shifted over to the internet and the over the air channel given to others. When I do watch TV, the things I watch are usually the Standard Definition stations. Watching an old movie in the middle of the night is a great way to get my mind off what is keeping me awake.
We own the airwaves, Why don't WE take them back and revoke licenses to these companies?
Yes. They are all fighting to get a monopoly on the technology and channels for greed. Forget it.
The more I hear and read about this the more I see an total disregard for the consumer. These stations need to stop this nonsense because nothing stops piracy.
In some ways all this nonsense make piracy more likely. If there is a show you want to watch and you can easily watch it legally, that is what you will do. If you have to jump through endless hoops to watch it then you may decide it is easier to get it from some pirate.
I stopped pirating a long LONG time ago when it was less convenient than paying a little for some things and getting an antenna for others.
But lately I figured out Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr, Jellyfin and Jellyseerr so I could download things like Big Buck Bunny, Sintel, and Steamboat Willie on demand like my own little streaming service. It's more convenient than dealing with this recent nonsense.
Between this encryption nonsense and lousy programming, these broadcasters are only hastening their own demise.
Piracy can be fought if the pirates cannot view the stolen media. Pirates are also fought if they cannot store the data on hard drives. Monitors and hard drives could be forced to have a Signed digital standard. If so, then data entering both types of devices would need to be signed as well. A pirated signal would not be signed for that signed system as it only works for the original approved system it was signed for. So pirates cannot easily propagate stolen signals.
@@naekosl3059That works... as long as you're only making hardware for storing and viewing prerecorded content. The moment you want to MAKE something, that hardware becomes useless(to say nothing of using computer hardware for non-video purposes)
I thought you had a lot of new information in the video Lon. If Broadcasters abandon their OTA signals, then are they really broadcasting? Many rural areas rely on translators and have poor internet access. Seems like the big station owners are abandoning their duties as public license holders.
They never saw it as a duty. Do not make the mistake that these businesses operate as good citizens. They only did it for the concessions made for other bandwidth, less regulation, etc. It’s like asking insurance companies to support doctor patient choice.
TV stations should be told that all their signals broadcast over public airwaves must be unencrypted.
Congress can. But large companies don't like it.
I agree they need to so we don't have to pay for extra channels which is stupid
@@LarcR MAGA is the reason
Exactly. If they want to encrypt their signal, they can fight with mobile providers for spectrum at auction. It has no place on broadcast airwaves.
I use a rabbit-ear antenna connected to my “dumb” tv to get critical information during weather emergencies from our 4 local news stations; none of which live stream. This is a dangerous change and contrary to the purpose of broadcast tv.
I'm shocked to hear about how casually abandoning 4K OTA TV is being discussed. The FCC has been bought out and doesn't little or nothing for the public anymore. The US is truly turning into a cesspool of greed.
The US has been a cesspool of greed for ages, but it's reaching a breaking point.
Look at the current administration and then you’ll know why 🎉🎉🎉🎉
@@AudiophileTommy The FCC is mostly controlled by Republicans. So it is no surprise. Republicans don't care and are bought and sold.
@@AudiophileTommy I think you mean the previous administration, but hey..
@@4kmusicvideosperformances154 previous administration is anti regulation i.e. DRM and section 230. Current admin craves being controlled.
That's the last straw, I'm going to stick to ATSC 1.0 channels until they all completely shut down. Glad I canceled my pre-order on one of the ATSC 3.0 tuners.
Atthis point I'll bet the FCC keeps those running even longer.
The expiration date, "phone home", and gateway issues are even more reasons for banning DRM on ATSC 3.0. I personally believe broadcasters want to block in-home DVRs and the gateway devices enabling them, so that customers will have to subscribe to cable, satellite, or paid streaming services that pay them retransmission fees to have DVR functionality.
You hit the nail on the head. When ATSC was mandated the transmitter power for over the air broadcasting was cut drastically to force people to subscribe to cable or satellite, now you can (for the most part) only pick up the station if you are within 4-5 miles of the tower.
@@mharris5047 And only further if at a high enough elevation.
Severe ATSC 3.0 DVR restrictions could Include No recording allowed, No DVR controls, No skipping TV Ads, Auto delete after time, only play on same device, No HDMI recording, etc. IMO.
In 1984 the Supreme Court ruled that it was legal to record TV broadcasts on a VCR. ATSC 3.0 encryption goes against this ruling.
They did however the DMCA makes circumventing drm encryption illegal.
@@LonSeidmanbut its not illegal to make backup copies of your DVDs, to ensure your purchased media content is safe from fire, wear and tear other damage etc. The OTA TV is supposed to be free and we should be able to DVR it and make backup copies for future viewing.Honestly the DMCA violates fair use laws and should be repealed
@@merrillweinheimer4063 It is illegal to circumvent DRM under any circumstances per the DMCA - that includes home backups of DVDs.
10 years is way too short all that leads to is more stuff in our landfills very much like modern appliances.
Lon made a comment about still being able to use his HD Home Run after a decade. Well, my two didn't make it but my Hauppauge WinTV stick that I bought when Circuit City was going out of business in 2009 for I think about $20 is still going strong and I don't have to pay for the schedule to automatically set recordings.
All OTA DRM encrypted ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN-TV tuner boxes are preprogrammed to stop working for DRM depending on which certification program (10, 15 or 30 years) they have. IMO. Why?
They are making it easier and easier to stop watching TV. I stopped watching network TV when Microsoft got rid of their Windows Media Center and channel guide. My 2 hdhomeruns sit unused, except for the Triple Crown races.
@Hierarchangel
Likewise. The Triple Crown Races are the only time I tune in to live tv. Once they've been run (or we don't have a horse making a triple crown bid) the set goes off.
LOL
I'm about ready to do the same and just use streaming for my occasional TV watching. My dumb TV & DVR just died, so I figured I'd just use my computer to replace my TV. Only to do some research and find out that almost all the channels I'd want to watch are encrypted so either ATSC 1.0 or 3.0 will work for me.
Rip WMC. Nothing is remotely close to it now. Everything else istoys
Hell. I miss analog broadcasts. I live in the middle of Montgomery, AL., and I cannot pickup diddly squat from simple antennas connected to sets. I bought a "heavy duty" antenna to place in one of my attics, and it works when connected directly to a set. I tried to use it to push the signal across the existing coax, but even with different boosters, I never was able to make it work. I finally gave up on over-the-air TV. I never had this trouble with analog. Once again, the government making our lives "better". I signed your petition.
As Ronald Reagan said: the most frightening words in the english language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help"
@@jjc4577 And no truer words have been spoken! 😂
@@jjc4577 And that very same president paved the way to the death of social security AND removing the anti-trust laws that had prevented international corps from swallowing everything up!
I miss analog broadcasts as well
@@jjc4577yes those are so true
BAD NEWS new "Secure DVR" ATSC 3.0 TV DRM rules say (severe TV recordings restrictions) go into effect after Simulcast testing is over and ATSC 1.0 TV is turned off = no more TV recordings.
This will further the use of services like Prowlarr, Sonarr and the like. I ditched cable a decade or more ago and started using my own home DVR with HD Homerun, Tablo and Plex and have never looked back. Now, Prowlarr and Sonarr make the OTA homebrew DVR solution look as old as cable tv was years ago. It's so much easier now.
OTA ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN-TV is DEAD until DRM Encryption is gone. Stay on ATSC 1.0 until DRM is removed by law.
Not gonna happen.
Great video. :)
Every new thing we learn about ATSC 3 is so Saturday Morning Cartoon Bad Guy over the top terrible that it's hard to believe it's a real thing and not some sort of weird parody by an industry group marketing department with too much free time.
It is surprising how much new information keeps emerging about this standard and how none of it is good for consumers.
At some point, will they require a retina scan and a credit check before I can watch the oldies stations to see "The Jeffersons" or "Family Ties" or "Home Improvement"? With as many lawyer and laxative commercials as they can get away with? Good grief.
I see it as getting rid of free over the air tv. Either OTA will eventually be phased out and cease to exist, or more than likely, with the signal encryption, we will be required to pay subscription fees in order to view OTA broadcast.
using public airwaves to send encrypted traffic should be illegal
It is illegal for us amateur radio operators !
Antenna TV was supposed to be free to pick up signal. Shouldn't be any DRM. Money making gimmick.
Control gimmick*
As a retired Broadcast Eng, I see ATSC 3.0 going down the tubes. It's the money hungry idiots. Networks must be sleeping together.
Tell me you're TRYING to kill TV without telling me you're trying to kill TV.
Lon, I just want to say your commitment to us consumers who just want to watch over-the-air TV without the signal breaking up on windy days is so commendable. Keep up your great work!! I come back here often for updates, even if they haven't been particularly promising on the DRM front.
We should always have a backup in case the internet fails, your router breaks, too much traffic, or the DoS (denial of service) attacks and other malware. OTA TV and radio works great for that; if you need an internet connection to watch OTA broadcasts, then they are not really OTA, hybrid maybe, but not OTA.
I was very annoyed when I tested AT&T Uverse over a decade ago because I could record pretty much anything on the U-verse DVR and was stored locally on the hard disk. However, if I lost internet, I could not watch any of the 100s of shows I had recorded on my local DVR. I use Directv now (not for me but for other members in my house) and all of the DVRs and receivers work whether or not I have an internet connection.
DRM A3SA (ATSC 3.0 Security Authority) is not a government agency. A3SA is a private organization and is not the FCC. Call your USA Government and stop the A3SA enforcing DRM on ATSC 3.0.
Sounds like a money play. They want a license for each primary viewing device not a “gateway” device that enables many to 1 playback.
“Don’t worry, just buy another one! And another when that one is rendered useless!” ad infinitum.
I signed. Greed is so bad now. This needs to be stopped. Hope this helps.
Question for Lon. How can anyone contact TV Stations if they are having technical problems that the TV station doesn't know about? My issue is OTA ATSC 1.0 Channel 7 ABC Washington DC has no OTA channel TV guide information anymore. Thank you in advance.
Good grief the FCC better squash this DRM mess.
Yea, and fast, before Trump is reelected!
You think the media conglomerates that want DRM arent going to pay off dems?
So the broadcasters are getting away and we will have to pay for that piece of paper getting in 10 years or 30 years.
I say the hell with next gen tv , just leave it the way it is . The current system works just fine for me with my tablo. Next gen would be great without DRM. Just sad
Its too late, the train has left the Station. You folks were all happy about it before. I tried to warn people two-three years ago about this.
I'm just going to wait until this whole ATSC 3.0 mess gets straightened out. I've got an OTA antenna and use some free streaming apps, but that's it.
Apparently, commercial driven tv is no longer affordable. Greed has gone too far. Remember back when they were against Betamax. Nothing ever changes. 😡
The whole point of broadcast/Over-the-Air TV is to have a communications infrastructure that isn't dependent on in-ground wires like the Internet. Useful for emergency communications and presidential alerts, etc. Not a fan of any of this DRM/encryption gatekeeping at all. Maybe keep all the movies/TV shows on separate channels then instead of locking down the entire ATSC 3.0 channel 100% with encryption?
Yea! ATSC 3.0 will be the next AM Stereo! Dying on the vine.
They finally flipped DRM on in the Charlotte market. I just disabled the 3.0 channels from my guide.
I think a lot of people will do that. ATSC 3 is just not worth the bother. I will watch videos on the internet before I get an ATSC 3 tuner.
It appears to me that the broadcasters don't want us to watch their broadcasts.
Hopefully it's a certificate that can be updated. Web servers and web browsers use certificates for encryption. I am assuming they will update in a similar manner. But, this means that an Internet connection would probably be necessary for this update.
At the moment these are not updatable
If I win the powerball then I will use the winnings to defeat DRM and make solutions public. When the broadcasters sue me, Mr. BEAST is going to have an awesome video of me burning all leftover winnings.
ATSC 3 has a networking signal in it, so it would be easy to do, the benefits of this illegal DRM shit is 0 (zero).
This kind of stuff is whats scaring me away from going down the OTA rabbit hole. ATSC 1.0 is fine for now but It will get outdated, and they're making 3.0 such a pain in the woohaa to use easily. For now Im sticking to my live tv streaming service but I'll always keep my mind open to the OTA route and I'll implement it in a heartbeat if they stop this encryption nonsense
Atsc 1.0 was outdated the day it the digital transition happened. 1.0 uses tech from the mid 1990s
I’m going to laugh like crazy when the DRM gets cracked. Heck some hacker has probably already done it and is just keeping their mouth shut till everything is done then they spill the beans.
Has anybody hacked the DRM encryption used over HDMI cables? I have a friend who wants to record the stuff he watches but he can’t because it’s encrypted.
@@ethanlamoureux5306 not sure 100% how they do it but they must have. There are tons of HD tv rips on torrent servers. I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard it easy by using a HDMI spitter where one part of the split goes to the TV and the other to the HDMI recorder.
@@ethanlamoureux5306 Have they tried an HDMI-VGA adapter. The adapter appears to be the end tv. Then convert back to whatever can be recorded. It's going to limit the quality to the converters you want to pay for.
@@pgtmr2713 there are chinesium HDMI boards that act like they're a tv, then that decrypted signal can be recorded bit-perfect.
Interesting, if they use your internet connection to broadcast 4k content what impact will that have in markets where internet providers have initiated data caps such as Xfinity? Will those caps not be impacted? If there isn't an exception made 4k broadcasts could potentially send you over triggering few charges.
I'm sure that Comcast will keep or lower the caps. I wonder if Comcast has any investments in broadcast tv?
@@justanotherstanczyk Comcast owns the NBC television network. They also own a smattering of broadcast television stations in the US, most of them are (naturally) NBC affiliates. There used to be a strict cap on the number of what are called owned and operated stations owned by the networks themselves but those have greatly loosened over the years.
Cable TV lost me last year. I wanted Local news and content and they kept bundling MORE for MORE $$$ rather than offer ala carte allowing me my 4 3rd tier channels only). I stuck up an antenna for under $100 (inc distribution), less than the cable rate increases
Good choice
Broadcast in DRM should be a criminal act
Great segment, which is well articulated and highly informative. Thank you, and keep up the good work!
In retrospect, we should have probably bit the bullet and mandated a complete replacement of ATSC 1.0 with a more open implementation of ATSC 3.0 at some relatively far off future date. This is because ATSC 1’s MPEG-2 encoding and 8VSB modulation is incredibly inefficient compared to more modern codecs like HeVC and AV1. You could fit like 4-5 HD streams using a modern codec compared to MPEG-2 using the same bandwidth. This would have released a huge amount of extremely valuable (and limited) radio spectrum for other uses.
Why would you want to get rid of even more spectrum, and hence bandwidth? TV could finally look decent if they used 100% of the available digital bandwidth with modern codecs at the same 1080 vertical pixels.
@@timramich There is more bandwidth allocated to terrestrial television than needed to broadcast a good HD image if we were to switch to use more modern encoding and modulation than what is employed by the ATSC 1.0 standard.
@@MaxPower-11 Cut the bandwidth and half and use a modern codec and it will still look like garbage. The current bandwidth is perfect. MPEG-2 is trash.
@@timramich nonsense. The current bandwidth is 20mbps. That is waay overkill for a 1080 hd stream encoded with hevc or av1
As I understand it, ATSC 1 can support newer, more efficient codecs, and a lot of current ATSC 1 hardware does as well. But since moving to the new codecs would leave out some of the oldest ATSC 1 hardware, no one wants to do it.
I think ATSC 3.0 is dead. It's WAAAYYY more complicated than the regular TV viewer cares to deal with.
"Regulators", who would tell the media companies to cease with the encryption, could be compromised. Kinda like the FDA and drug manufacturer scenario.
Well done Lon. Great video.
Thanks for this video, Lonny. Cool to year you again as I watched INTEGRATED Starship flight live with you! Man, that flight was exciting; they got a lot done with it, I think!
Silly question, if you have an internet connection to your tv, why do you need another device to connect an OTA device to get tv on? If you're connecting to the internet, you can just pull up local content over the internet. Are they just trying to eliminate OTA completely here, so low income homes that have no internet, only a tv and digital antenna, will no longer get local channels...c'mon FCC, don't go this route, protect what we've had for decades now, free OTA tv!!!
I am in Canada and axed cable 4 years ago and watch OTA for 30 mins a day for local news.
Well, that's not efficient use of a tuner, you should be able to do neighborhood organizing or video conferencing for 20 minutes on ATSC 3 here and there.
there is no cable service in my area so over the air is the way here and internet from starlink i get my tv from Houston Texas at 57 miles away
If ATSC 3 is like ATSC 1, it'll be obsolete within the 30 year lifetime of the DRM certificates
Why? ATSC was quickly obsolete because it carried with it ancient crap like interlacing. People who fetishized that crap are long retired. Stuff isn't even really shot in 4k for TV here yet, so it's actually ahead of its time in that regard.
One use for unwanted or unused OTA spectrum is give it back to the wireless mic users which they only have the 500 MHz portion and there is no white space left after the 600 MHz was taken away.
Microphones make a lot of sense up at a few GHz.
If they want the masses to switch over better start mailing out vouchers, I remember back in 2009 switching over to digital, I took my voucher walked into my local Radio Shack and pick up my trusty tuner been using her since. I will stay on ATSC 1 until the last channel shutter it door. 😝
FCC is not forcing any 1.0 TV Stations to move over to 3.0 TV. So some TV stations will be on 1.0 and others will be on DRM encrypted 3.0 TV.
OTA ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN-TV is DEAD until DRM Encryption is gone. Stay on ATSC 1.0 until DRM is removed by law.
OTA DRM ATSC 3.0 TV will fail because the FCC is not going to turn off ATSC 1.0 TV stations for many years if not enough people buy DRM 3.0 TVs and DRM 3.0 boxes.
No one has solve the problem of no government money for free DRM 3.0 TV tuner boxes because 1.0 TV turners and recorders will not work after that TV Station switches to 3.0 TV broadcasts.
IMO 2024.
There are many streaming platforms that are free to watch one of them being RUclips with 100s of millions of videos to watch, movies, News, Sports, Documentary's, etc
The fact that over the air broadcast can now have more draconian DRM restrictions then Cable Card does is sickening, didn't need the internet to work for my HD Home Prime to work...
i cut the cord. and i refuse to watch over the air broadcasts. guess i’m. weird
Good heavens, this mess called ATSC 3.0 just needs to go away. No one that just wants to watch TV has ever said "Gee, ATSC 1.0 doesn't meet my needs." Despite all the players that we can point 'fingers of blame' at, the FCC should have never let this happen in the first place. Why in the world would I buy a TV that has DRM and I can't watch a OTA station? Isn't that the purpose of a TV in the first place? I give up even being interested.
Broadcasters are making themselves completely irrelevant. As was pointed out in another video, many younger folks aren't aware it even exists.
Now I'm confused. I'm looking for a new TV and was thinking of going with a Sony A95L because it has the ATSC3.0 tuner while the LG G4 has a "normal" ATSC 1.0 tuner. They're both high end TV that support Dolby Vision (the reason I want to upgrade). We currently have cable, but there's an antenna in the attic that could be hooked up or I could get a powered antenna and just use that. Is "next-gen" 4k OTA TV just a pipe dream?
I ended up getting the LG anyways on sale because it was like $600 cheaper than the Sony. It will be delivered tomorrow :)
These broadcasters are really working to push people into paying for their streaming apps or services that pay them to use their channels like DirecTV
From what I see, ATSC 3.0 especially the idea is having boxes or TV sets requiring internet access.... then why do OTA? I don't watch much OTA, I'm old enough to see all the old shows. New shows don't interest me. I follow this stuff mainly of the technical interest (I compiled spreadsheet of local station freq and locations). ATSC 3.0 looks interesting particularly more robust where handheld TV sets can make a comeback. But as they say for effective television there are three things needed: Transmitter, receiver, and content. Remove any one of these three stool legs then it collapses. So far the content leaves much to be desired.
I wonder about Sony TV's with android built in, if they can open a drm signal? I can open DRM cable live stream via prime where my speakers in use are built in, but when I have a sound bar attached it will say it is drm encrypted and halt.
Thank you Lon for all you do, I happened on your channel and it has been as eye opening as when I fount the Antenna man! I've added my signature to both of your filings. I am close to cutting the cord here in DE. The info on comcast is GGGGGreeeeeaaattttt! (That's the only system we have here in the rural area other than satellite)
I can't imagine being in a tornado watch situation and not being able to get public broadcasts on it because DRM is having issues or my box expired. What a joke. It's not like I pay for cable or satellite services.
I lost a bunch of channels when the digital signal started.
tried a few different tuners and tvs but still no signal
I finally gave up and just stopped watching tv
Can't wait to see you test GT media 3.0 usb receiver.
I did already! ruclips.net/video/9SY4lpU_po4/видео.html
"Customers are dropping the cable side of their subscriptions and keeping the internet."
As people who subscribe to the internet _via_ the cable, they wouldn't be *able* to drop the cable side of it; their whole thing IS on cable; it's cable internet!
Content encryption is contrary to law and is or should be illegal! Copyright doesn’t give all rights to the copyright holder, some rights are retained by the public. Among those are the right to fair use copying and the eventual expiration of copyright and entry into the public domain. Encryption frustrates the rights of the public since even tho we have the right, it prevents us from exercising it. Companies that encrypt content to prevent copying ought to be denied copyright protection on that content.
Can’t wait till someone pirates the DRM code and we can side load what’s needed to watch eventually
I wonder if this URL for 4K broadcasts over broadband capability is a bridge for ATSC 3.0 while they still have to work in low power/bandwidth with ATSC 1.0. It could then potentially fade away. But it could also be emphasized. I’m not sure if I’d care at the moment, as long as I could view the DRM content. I prefer to get it over the airwaves, as I believe it could be a better quality version of the transmission. It also wouldn’t use by broadband connection for those 4K streams.
I was hoping that we would get something like the WinTV quad tuner for ATSC 3 that I could use in conjunction with Plex but those hopes are fading. Time to just scrap or completely boycott the standard at this point.
What a disaster ATSC3.0 has become! :( Have had a HDHR Flex 4K since its launch, but getting discouraged by the day with the mess NextGen TV is in.
I have been using a Tablo Dual-lite DVR for years. But it can't record or playback anything better than 1080 resolution. Stations in my area are broadcasting OTA in 4K, and I want to switch out my Dual-Lite DVR for one that can work with 4K resolution. Is this possible? And what devices are available?
Thanks for fighting the good fight Lon 👏
Trying to file from the FCC form. The "I'm not a robot" box is in permanent loop. I can't do the filing.
If I have to use an internet connection and cannot watch OTA that is truly just over the air, then I'm just done. I will not sign up for more tracking, the inability to get OTA news and info when some emergency event has neutered the cable internet, etc. If I've got power/backup power, a receiver, and an antenna, that should be sufficient. This is all going backwards in reliability by adding failure points, violating the reason they had licenses for the airwaves for the public good in the first place, and abrogating their responsibility to convey emergency info.
In the UK we already have broadcast channels delivered over the Internet like that. They appear in the broadcast channel guide, but when you tune to them they put up an info screen saying the channel is delivered over the Internet and you just press Ok to start. I guess it's good for getting your niche channel in the programme guide, but here at least it's mostly junk channels that few people watch.
@DM-ei6oo There are about 140 over the air broadcast channels, of which 6 are BBC, although that varies slightly by region.
On what platform is this? I'm in the UK and have Sky Q, and have never encountered such a channel.
@@davepusey Digital terrestrial / Freeview. Quite a few of the channels in the 200+ range work like this.
@@domramsey Interesting. I haven't touched Freeview in about a decade. I don't think our set top boxes even had Ethernet or Wifi interfaces.
@@domramsey Here in the States the cable companies put a quick stop to OTA broadcast channels. At most we have 4-5 and that is only in the larger cities. When the country went to ATSC the power output of the broadcast channels was reduced so you can only pick them up off air within a few miles of the tower, this was done to force people to subscribe to cable or satellite. Canada pretty much did the same thing.
I hope the astc 1.0 gets extended . 3.0 it seems to be cash grab in my opinion or they want it to fail on purpose. I was an astc 1.0 early adopter but no interested in being an early adopter of 3.0.
I am likely a "never adopter" for ATSC 3. I just don't think it is worth the hassle
ATSC 10.1 will include encryption so that no TV can pick it up ever.
The worse thing is they are blocking any of the requirements for them to keep this user friendly and such makes me want to keep ATSC 1.0 a lot longer as there is equipment reasonably priced for me to use. I'm old and I might be deceased before all this is fixed! 🤨
Hi Lon, so if I have the HD Homerun and run it through Plex it still won’t work with my Apple TV 4K?
Plex does not support ATSC 3.0 but does work with 1.0.
So how long til the drm on atsc3 gets broken just like every other drm out there. I’m not breaking or encouraging anyone to break their encryption, just wondering how long it will take. Dvd took 3-5 years depending who you ask. Blu-ray less. Streamers less than a year for each iteration. I’d give it less than a year until vlc can view atsc3 drm or not.
So when a certificate expires can you refresh it. Also if they can revocation certificate anytime they want and prematurely expired the root cert... how are they addressing this?
should nt we be sueing the networks not FCC
it s up to networks not FCC right ??
I'm still using a Recast. I was so excited to "upgrade" years back now but this continued mess has kept me on the Recast. It's bonkers how bad they've fumbled this rollout. And every layer you add, like a DVR solution, just compounds things that much more because the foundation is poisoned. Thanks for your continued awareness campaigns. Somebody in power has to recognize the absurdity eventually.
I don't think alot of people really understand what the goal is, they are gonna make everybody pay for viewing their favourite (local) channels, no matter what. They have noticed people cutting the cord over the yrs and are now taking away this option. They also know OTA and legacy cable (RF based digital) is used for ripping content. That's why the entire market is moving to IP based services because it's always 2 way traffic. Don't fool yourself, they want more control. And those licenses, you might think they last from 10 up to 30 years, but they can be revoked at any time.!
I'm buying a new TV and only considering ATSC 3.0 tuner models - will current models work with encryption? and might it be a bad idea to buy last year's model w/3.0 tuner?
I'm in Conroe, TX, Consolidated Comm is dropping cable service and pushing streaming service. I wonder how many will turn to OTA?
The government botched this in every way. It should have happened the way HDTV transition worked. We have 4k and 8k tvs but no content.
If they could make better use of the bandwidth, video bit rate wise, 1080p would look fine with a modern codec. Getting rid of compression artifacting is more visually appealing than increasing resolution.
@@GladeSwope It's a shame no one has figured out how to degrade a digital signal like an analog one would. An analog signal that gets weak just gets noise in it. It's still audible or visible. But a digital signal...miss enough bits to where error correction can't help, the whole thing just falls apart.
@@GladeSwope Yeahhh, no.
Love your idea about local access tv.
Yes and also how about a local news channel. Each town can have one.
I have not watched over the air TV in almost 30 years. I have not had cable for 20 years. They can take all of this a shove it.
right on!
I’m in need of guidance with the 3.0. I have 1.0 and reception is good, but I want better picture quality.
LonBALL: to fix this go into the code of the tuner and press c: dir/p. This should fix it. But to be serious why are we talking about 10-30 year cert drops. Most persons know their gadgets don’t go they long. People are gonna short your video and cut it off before half is done on this one at a higher rate based on the long cert drops.