http://news.com.com/Court+questions+FCCs+broadcast+flag+rules/2100-1030_3-5585533.html?tag=nefd.top

which would be a step in the right direction by the courts to add some sanity to the federal regulatory committies and making sure they dont overstep thier bounds.

The EFF has some good info about it at:

http://www.eff.org/IP/Video/HDTV/

If the content industry can intimidate the FCC, why can’t people who are on our side of things push back?

We CAN push back! And we ARE! That’s why the so-called entertainment biz is seemingly chronically in a tizzy. Computer technology has fast-created a plethora of previously unimaginable opportunities for “the rest of us”. This new reality tends to tick off a few lazy uncreative monopolists.

Drip by drip, the so-called media industry is losing its mystique, and ultimately, its power. Indie student films often look as good as – if not better – than a lot of what we see on TV, and the situation is similar with music and radio. Bloggers and niche news sites oftentimes have more credibility and currency than journalists.

Of course, independent anime producers like us are creating hi-def productions, independently, with software and desktops.

http://sosohot.com/Shadowbane_Melano_Filmworks.wmv

and I certainly don’t think the Cartoon Network puts us to shame. =)

The only thing the MPAA’s/RIAA’s/etc. have is mass resources and the very false appearance of invincibility. If they don’t adapt to the new landscape, they’ll eventually become shells of their glorious unbridled mythical past. They can’t fight the entire world on their own terms. Nobody can.

Admittedly, this process will take a generation or two, but it’s coming. No doubt about it.

Weekly I do the following.

On my PC I backup my registry. I then install Replay Music which allows me to record 25 music tracks before purchase/registration. I use MusicMatch (paid service) and add 25 songs to my playlist. And then I record the streaming song tracks.

Then, I uninstall replay music, re-apply my registry and repeat the next weekend when I have time.

I use the recorded MP3′s for my MP3 player as well as serve up the jukebox as a streaming server for my home network so I can enjoy my music from other systems in my house.

Lastly, I have a wireless video system, so Tivo’d Desparate Housewives can be viewed from the family room instead of my bedroom. Because the 8:00 Sportscenter’s on there.

Correct me if i’m wrong but, aren’t cable channels multi/broadcast? which would mean the 3Gbps is spread between however many households under the same distribution system, which would likely be thousands, so only bandwidth change is likely to be negligable?

Now, pedant mode on, can you quote figures in Gbps (not GB or gigabytes). I’m sure you’re well aware of the difference between bits and bytes (I certainly feel high on my soapbox preaching to a tech billionaire about it)

Your analysis is a bit wonky too. I have this feeling that the government might, uh, take back the digital frequency from the stations if they stop using it. After all, it was one of the reasons they got such a discount on them.

Your cable modem point is a bit off too. The majority of the analog channels aren’t broadcast channels. This is something that the cable people could do now. They just don’t.

As a shareholder/taxpayer in our government, I’m also tired as hell of them holding up this digital transition. As you so elloquently put it, they’re sitting on billions of OUR dollars.

Mark didn’t say that the analog channels were broadcast channels – simply that most cable companies carry 80 analog channels. As you say, cable companies COULD reclaim the analog bandwidth now, but that would require switching every single customer to a digital cable box, including those that don’t use any box at all right now. These total over 60% of all cable households – aorund 60MM total.

Cable companies are counting on people paying incremental amounts for digital to make up for the tens of billions of dollars the industry has spent in the last few years to upgrade to digital. They’re unlikely to give it away simply to reclaim the spectrum, especially since so many of their customers simply aren’t interested in switching over.