Can I record broadcast digital TV programs to my PVR (personal video recorders) such as TiVo?
MPAA answer: Yes, in dedicated PVRs with no digital outputs, such as TiVo. However, digital TV tuner cards in Personal Computers using PVR software will need to insure that any recordings of flagged TV programs on to the PCs hard drive are securely protected to prevent unauthorized redistribution to the Internet. EFF comment: This restriction (which is not part of current-generation digital TV tuner cards) creates significant “collateral damage” to home recording rights and innovation. For example, it effectively means that digital TV content can only be viewed with “approved” software, instead of the literally hundreds of video recording, editing, and playing applications available today. It also means that open source software will not be able to record or play back “marked” digital TV broadcasts. Hollywood studios have long tried to prevent open source software from playing DVD movies, and now they are trying to apply the same restrictions to open source software for watching TV. In
