You know it’s inevitable… all content across all media will be locked down. ReplayTV is next up as their parent company is licensing encryption technology from Certicom. As Tivo To Go files are encrypted, so too shall ReplayTV’s. The race is on – will the DRM arrive before ReplayTV is sold off like Rio? I’m holding out hope the SlingBox folks will buy up and integrate ReplayTV. Without DRM.
CBC says: A growing need to protect digital content like music and films from pirates and hackers has created a major new opportunity for Certicom to sell encryption technology to electronics manufacturers, the firm’s CEO says. A recent contract with the Japanese firm that makes consumer electronics under the Denon, Marantz, McIntosh and ReplayTV brands is just the first of what will likely be a major new market for Certicom, Ian McKinnon told shareholders at the annual meeting Thursday.
ReplayTV already has Macrovision, and they signed the same licneses as TiVo – a year *before* TiVo. As part of their defense against the lawsuits they touted how they obeyed Macrovision to prevent SendShow/IVS on shows with it, for example.
It wouldn’t really be new to RTV.
As for Slingbox buying them and making a DRM-free unit – unlikely. Basically every commercial recording device sold in the US has Macrovision. I know it is legally required for VCRs under the DMCA, and contractually required for DVD (by the DVD Forum) – it isn’t clear if the VCR requirement covers DVRs, but I believe so.
I guess I should have been more clear. I was referring to video extraction – ReplayTV has never had encrypted content and it’s been a simple matter to remove video from or place video on those devices. I’ll update the post to reflect that. :)