Intel graphics driver not so open source after all

[Robert Redelmeier]

: Because of what they did to you (or didn't for your money
: what's expected of them) IMHO you shouldn't have any
: limitations or reservations of moral nature regarding the
: "3rd party cable descrambler". To put it simply, they
: screwed you - go screw them. As for the descrambler,
: it should be relatively easy to mailorder - there were
: tons of offers in my mailbox before I applied spam filters.

Right-on brother, right-on!!

I understand the frustration, but in many places this is
"theft of service" or similar fraud. If not criminal, it
almost certainly is breech of contract.

What upsets are restrictions on "right to listen". Laws making
it illegal to receive and/or decode transmissions. If someone is
bombarding my house or assaulting my body with their stinking photons,
I should have a right to do whatever I wish (within fair-use) with
the radiation. If they really don't want me to listen, they can use
strong crypto. I don't think their sloth should override my rights.

: As for me, I couldn't care less. I don't have cable, nor
: satellite. My kids watch only pre-screened DVDs, so we can
: be sure they don't see any inappropriate stuff, especially
: "politically correct" brainwashing or kiddie-oriented ads.
: Also I noticed that movies appear on eDonkey waaay sooner
: than in DVD stores or on cable ;-)

I agree with *every single* word in this last paragraph.
Man, you must be psychic!! ;-)

Agreed, but with similar cautions against violating
legitimate copyright. Content costs. Personally, I buy lots
of DVDs. They're very reasonably priced, unlike CD music.
Pre-screening is necessary to avoid exposing kids to
subversive materials like Disney "princess" movies. No joke.

-- Robert

 

[George Macdonald]

I understand the frustration, but in many places this is
"theft of service" or similar fraud. If not criminal, it
almost certainly is breech of contract.

I wasn't aware that there was anyplace where it is *not* theft... and it's
certainly dishonest.

As for the descrambler, AFAIK, the decoding control for encrypted digital
systems is managed at the head-end, so can be tracked... and even changing
non-encrypted digital channels is done at the head-end. The "system" is
actually a bit of a joke and goes down or glitches (loss of sound or severe
pixelation/freezing) about once a week - I've even seen a msg appear after
a thunderstorm: "system rebooting". This is about 15mins after the
storm passes us, so about the time it gets to the cable office facility.

What upsets are restrictions on "right to listen". Laws making
it illegal to receive and/or decode transmissions. If someone is
bombarding my house or assaulting my body with their stinking photons,
I should have a right to do whatever I wish (within fair-use) with
the radiation. If they really don't want me to listen, they can use
strong crypto. I don't think their sloth should override my rights.



Agreed, but with similar cautions against violating
legitimate copyright. Content costs. Personally, I buy lots
of DVDs. They're very reasonably priced, unlike CD music.
Pre-screening is necessary to avoid exposing kids to
subversive materials like Disney "princess" movies. No joke.

Even if it isn't subversive, it's at least mind-numbing.

 

[George Macdonald]

AFAIK, the cables companies are almost totally deregulated in the
US, and aren't compelled to do anything, especially not about STB.
Cablecos would whine that removes their ability to innovate.

And this explains the "mess" in the receiver industry with the lack of
"decode-tuners" for digital/HDTV! Without at least a national standard,
there's no single target. For cable customers, if they can't use it why
pay for it?

Precisely. Part of the lock-in. But not the essential part.
They _do_ provide the signals. Decoding them is a detail. They
have local monopolies, and work hard to make them unregulateable
by differentiating service.

I think it's more than a "detail" with the cable systems being installed
now - as I remarked elsewhere the channel changing for digital is managed
at the head-end, so is a bi-di communication between the STB and cable
company's "office".

My impression is that all the content providers are still

haggling over what & how to provide with the goal of converting
such a watershed change into max $$... and min "service".

Yes, the stakes are fairly high, so special interests are out in full
force buying legislators, trying to override the public interest.
Few seem to recognize the public will not relinquish broadcast without
strong compelling alternatives. They fail the reality-check that
however much they pay, Congress knows they will lose reelection if
they take away something that people watch 3+hrs [avg] a day.

Where I live, broadcast is irrelevant even for NTSC.

Why do I get the feeling I'm being prepared to bend over?

Because it's true? Cable has segmented the viewing market
into have/have-not and priced accordingly. Cablecos do further
segmentation [=revenue extraction] with "premium" channels.

I refuse to play this game.

Yeah I understand but there are a few things I really want to see - maybe
I'll have to look at hacking a few trees down and getting a "dish:".

 

[Robert Redelmeier]

I think it's more than a "detail" with the cable systems being
installed now - as I remarked elsewhere the channel changing for
digital is managed at the head-end, so is a bi-di communication
between the STB and cable company's "office".

I call STBs a "detail" because with this mess, they're so custom
that they get priced into th purchase decision. Cableco's know this
and often provide free boxen. Or wrent them for additional prophit,
but that still comes out of their monopoly optimum.

Where I live, broadcast is irrelevant even for NTSC.

Yes, and that applies to large areas, but a minority (30%) of people.

Yeah I understand but there are a few things I really want
to see - maybe I'll have to look at hacking a few trees
down and getting a "dish:".

Fairly simple: it needs to see geosync orbit. That's roughly the
E-W arc taken by the sun on equinox days. E-W arc elevating
to 90-LAT in the south. A bit of elevation helps a lot.

-- Robert

 

[Robert Redelmeier]

I wasn't aware that there was anyplace where it is *not*
theft... and it's certainly dishonest.

SDtate law is a funny thing. I wouldn't vouch for it,
especially not for something like illicit decoders.

As for the descrambler, AFAIK, the decoding control for
encrypted digital systems is managed at the head-end, so can
be tracked... and even changing non-encrypted digital channels
is done at the head-end.

There are many different systems. This would be among the
most sophisticated.

Even if it isn't subversive, it's at least mind-numbing.

That's how subversion is done. Thinking is the antidote
for subversion.

-- Robert

 

[nobody]

Yeah I understand but there are a few things I really want to see - maybe
I'll have to look at hacking a few trees down and getting a "dish:".

It's not only about the trees. The gym I attend has the dish. No
trees nearby to get in the way of signal. When it rains, at least one
out of 3 channels they display is lost, sometimes all of them.
Sometimes just heavy clouds block the reception. With all the
deficiencies of cable, at least it's not weather dependant. If you
are not in AZ, beware.

"Hack a printer - save the trees!" ;-)

NNN

 

[George Macdonald]

It's not only about the trees. The gym I attend has the dish. No
trees nearby to get in the way of signal. When it rains, at least one
out of 3 channels they display is lost, sometimes all of them.
Sometimes just heavy clouds block the reception. With all the
deficiencies of cable, at least it's not weather dependant. If you
are not in AZ, beware.

Ah so a dish is that bad - 3' of snow is really gonna knock it out then.:-(
When it rains here, chances are some bozo with bald tires is gonna take
down a pole anyway.

 

[Del Cecchi]

It's not only about the trees. The gym I attend has the dish. No
trees nearby to get in the way of signal. When it rains, at least one
out of 3 channels they display is lost, sometimes all of them.
Sometimes just heavy clouds block the reception. With all the
deficiencies of cable, at least it's not weather dependant. If you
are not in AZ, beware.

"Hack a printer - save the trees!" ;-)

NNN

That's funny, I know a bunch of people with dishes, and they don't have
those kind of problems.

 

[krw]

The area in-between the vertical bars will degrade more then the edges,
with as result that you also see those bars on a widescreen picture.
Even LCD has some 'burn in', but it seems to go away after some time,
or after displaying white for some time, depends on the monitor manufacturer.

So the entire display is degrading perceptibly (except where it's
black, of course)? I think that's enough reason to avoid the
technology completely.

Why don't they move the 4:3 image around on the 16:9 screen so at
least it isn't a sharp transition? Hmm, maybe that would be
admitting that burn-in is a problem.

 

[krw]

(e-mail address removed) says...
What bothers me about this whole HDTV thing is the content delivery:
I hate those bloody great STBs, the content deliverers are dragging their
feet on channel cards and the industry is still trying to sell us HDTVs
& recorders without channel card slots... standardisation? ... not
from where I'm looking! The whole thing is a mess with the consumer
in the middle... getting bilked.

Agreed on the mess, but I'm searching more for causes. HDTV
uptake in the US has been dismal to the FCC's and others chagrin.
Mostly due to the scarcity of decode-tuners ("HDTV Ready").

I think it' s mostly because people don't see a need for HD.
It's mostly a yawner.

Certainly possible, although afficionados ("golden eyes"?) will tell
you otherwise.

Sure, audiophools tell you that you need MonsterCable and gold RCA
connectors too.

I have been very pleasantly surprised at how good
NTSC can look even at only 525 lines. The key is feeding it
proper signal -- SVideo or RGBcomp from a DVD player.

Sure. I've never used RGBComp, though my receiver has the switching
at least some inputs, but SVideo makes a big difference. At some
point though, the difference isn't worth the extra expense. Then
there's the content problem.

Why weren't these soldered in? Are the decode components that
expensive? Or is there some outsided [submarine patent] royalty?

Keep up margins; disguise the true price?

Maybe, but I thought of another possibility: apparently HDTV off-the-air
doesn't work, even in urban areas. Xmit power is too low, so antenna
requirements are significant.

Dunno, it seems to be alright in the Boston area. At least the TVs
in the BestBuy down there looked goo with the OTA signal.

Cable monopolies love this (did they
influence the FCC?) because it makes them the conduit of HDTV and they
don't face competition from broadcast. Setmakers have a big customer
service/returns problem if they include tuners that most consumers
cannot make work with simple indoor antennae. So they leave them off.

Oh, *Indoor* antenna. We can't get anything with any sort of
indoor antenna anyway. Actually, I think OTA is almost dead for
reasons other than HD. People really don't want a huge, expensive,
ugly outdoor antenna but do want a clear picture and a gazillion
channels. ...and have the money to pay for it.

It is satellite here where I live.
There are always political fights going on what the cable should carry,
OTA only a few stations.. I have a satellite dish with a motor that I can
turn, there are already a _lot_ of HDTV 'tests' going on.
Well, 'tests' BBC sends HD experimental over satellite, the French, the
Germans, all receivable for free (except some German channels that need a
card).

3m C-band dish? These have all but gone the way of the dodo on
this side of the pond. AIUI, most of the satellite content has
been encrypted for years. In their place the 1m fixed dish,
subscription dishes have spring from houses like mushrooms.

But what it comes down to: If I want to watch CNN I can get it on satellite,
if I want Russia Today I can get it on satellite, if I want China CCTV4:
satellite, on my PC I only have to select it (PCI card) it steers the dish
automatically, the French.. any country almost including relayed South
American stations.
No political manoeuvring can black out my CNN

Unfortunately. ;-)

And believe me they try here.
One neighbour has cable, pays a lot each month, has fewer channels and less
choice....
Yes a dish is big, but it is behind the house against the wall, not such a
big deal.
Very bad weather (like thunderstorms) can interrupt the signal, but that is
the only negative point I can think of.
But cable stations relaying some of these programs have big dishes themselves
that can also experience a loss of signal.

At least here they have 10m dishes; 10dB more gain and more
accurately aimed. They rarely if ever get drop-out.

 

[krw]

I wouldn't doubt it. Considerable effort is made to ensure
sales displays are as good as possible.

Even though some apparently have them set to stretch 4:3 into
letterbox? ;-)

Ah, but you're in the sticks. I'm a a major metro, and 6ft of
screened coax gives me a perfect NTSC picture on some channels,
some ghosting on others, and light snow on further stations.
Rabbit ears behind the set are more than adequate.

Sticks? I resemble that remark! It is the number 100 market. ;-)

Actually, I think OTA is almost dead for reasons other
than HD. People really don't want a huge, expensive,
ugly outdoor antenna but do want a clear picture and a
gazillion channels. ...and have the money to pay for it.

... which brings us back to the [dismal] content problem.
IMHO None of the content is worth paying for! The cable-only
channels are better, but not worth the full cost vs OTA.
The most I'd do is an attic antenna with power amplifier to
get rid of passive splitters.

People want the gazillion channels and _do_ pay for them because
there might be one worth watching.

 

[krw]

Do you really think that's an honest analogy?

"golden eyes" ~= "audiophools", yes.

HDTV's picture is
clearly, undisputably, significantly better than NTSC's. Particularly
on large displays, which really id HDTV's raison d'être.

Yawn. For other than movies, who cares?

Whether it's worst the cost to watch prime-time crap in HDTV is
another matter, of course...
Exactly.


DVD's are only properly-served on a widescreen display, in which case
you're usually talking about a HDTV-compatible display.

Except 4:3 DVDs. ;-)

$50 at Radio Shack. Works for me.

If your signal is down in the mud, no amplifier is going to get it
back.

 

[krw]

That's funny, I know a bunch of people with dishes, and they don't have
those kind of problems.

Many don't know how to set up their dishes and just slap them up.
If it works, good enough. They're not aiming them optimally, thus
getting fringe reception. Any noise (a cloud come wandering by)
and they lose the signal and blame the technology. The transmit
power and dish size were set such that there should be no dropout
for any but the largest T-storms.

 

[nobody]

Many don't know how to set up their dishes and just slap them up.
If it works, good enough. They're not aiming them optimally, thus
getting fringe reception. Any noise (a cloud come wandering by)
and they lose the signal and blame the technology. The transmit
power and dish size were set such that there should be no dropout
for any but the largest T-storms.

Yep, probably they went with the cheapest of the vendors for dish
installation - that's pretty much Bally's style. Even a light drizzle
is enough to cause pixelation or even complete loss of signal. An if
there's a downpoor - all 3 TVs (there are clusters of 3 TVs all around
the floor - or should I say ceiling?) display that "searching"
messagebox.

NNN

 

[Jan Panteltje]

So the entire display is degrading perceptibly (except where it's
black, of course)? I think that's enough reason to avoid the
technology completely.

I am not sure, that other person gave a link that was very informative.
It seems to depend on the driving electronics, and so on what manufacturer?
For what I understand of LCD, setting 'white' will align all these molecules
in one direction (with one polariation) for each of the 3 colors, because
some got stuck? It is partly a chemical process IIRC.
Well somebody could explain this better here?

Why don't they move the 4:3 image around on the 16:9 screen so at
least it isn't a sharp transition? Hmm, maybe that would be
admitting that burn-in is a problem.

That is actually a _very_ good idea, in my younger days when I worked in
broadcasting we used camera tubes that had an 'orbiter' and did just that.
In the Netherlands there was one newsreader person with white hair, so
to avoid him burning in permanently
Fifties and early sixties
Perhaps if you do it slowly left - right on a TV set, nobody complains

 

[Jan Panteltje]

3m C-band dish? These have all but gone the way of the dodo on
this side of the pond.

No, 80 cm!!!
The sats such as Astra can even be received with 60 cm...

AIUI, most of the satellite content has
been encrypted for years. In their place the 1m fixed dish,
subscription dishes have spring from houses like mushrooms.

There are plans to encrypt for Astra satellite, but over 200 free to
air stations exists, plus hundreds of radio channels.
Most is payed for by advertising.
But even some of the subscription ones show advertising....

Unfortunately. ;-)

Well, I dunno, if I am not sure if the news is 'genuine', then I look at the
news from Russia, China, Germany, and France...
Best is sometimes to watch these war reports with sound off.
Sometimes the opposite of what is said you see happen
Make you own opinion.

At least here they have 10m dishes; 10dB more gain and more
accurately aimed. They rarely if ever get drop-out.

Yes, 10m, that would be a problem.
Many immigrants here have 80 cm on the balcony to watch Turksat!

 

[krw]

I am not sure, that other person gave a link that was very informative.
It seems to depend on the driving electronics, and so on what manufacturer?
For what I understand of LCD, setting 'white' will align all these molecules
in one direction (with one polariation) for each of the 3 colors, because
some got stuck? It is partly a chemical process IIRC.
Well somebody could explain this better here?

That's pretty much how I understand the problem. It seems some
panels are worse than others.

That is actually a _very_ good idea, in my younger days when I worked in
broadcasting we used camera tubes that had an 'orbiter' and did just that.
In the Netherlands there was one newsreader person with white hair, so
to avoid him burning in permanently
Fifties and early sixties
Perhaps if you do it slowly left - right on a TV set, nobody complains

Even do it once on power up. Maybe with a gaussian probability
toward the center, just enough so there weren't any sharp lines.
The screen would look strange on the extreme right or left. ;-)

 

[krw]

No, 80 cm!!!
The sats such as Astra can even be received with 60 cm...

Didn't know there were movable small dishes. My bet is that
they're all encrypted/subscription satellites here. It may be
worth a look into though.

Well, I dunno, if I am not sure if the news is 'genuine', then I look at the
news from Russia, China, Germany, and France...
Best is sometimes to watch these war reports with sound off.
Sometimes the opposite of what is said you see happen
Make you own opinion.

Sure, but now that they're photoshoping the pictures...

Yes, 10m, that would be a problem.

Could use it as the house's roof. ;-)

 

[chrisv]

That is actually a _very_ good idea,

Well, there are simpler solutions. On my Toshiba 16:9 CRT
rear-projector, they put grey bars on the sides instead of black.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Well, there are simpler solutions. On my Toshiba 16:9 CRT
rear-projector, they put grey bars on the sides instead of black.

But what if you do not like grey bars, but only want mars bars?