Worth buying now? Copy protection... (1 Viewer)

[ChrisMatson]

http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/TV/0...eut/index.html
This article from CNN states that digital content carried over cable will likely be copy protected in the near future. Sony and WB are leading the way in this movement to control the "airwaves." I know that digital programming carried over cable does not equal HDTV, but I think that this will only confuse consumers.
My question is this: is now a good time to purchase a HDTV? I am guessing that if one has access to satellite programing or OTA HDTV signals, the answer may be yes. For apartment renters limited to cable, the answer may be no.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

quote: My question is this: is now a good time to purchase a HDTV? I am guessing that if one has access to satellite programing or OTA HDTV signals, the answer may be yes. For apartment renters limited to cable, the answer may be no. [/quote]
If your cable has HD available (rapidly growing, especially for Time Warner), it's a great time! You rent the convertor box for about 3 bucks a month, so you have virtually no hardware risk. If the scheme changes later you just get a new box or new firmware from your cable company.
As far as in between the box and the set, I don't believe that existing sets will be shut down, only that hi-def component inputs will be eliminated from future sets. Many other share my sentiment. By punishing 90% of the early adopters out there, such a move would hurt HDTV adoptance and could even kill it, given the fragile state that the HDTV rollout is in today.
[Edited last by Michael St. Clair on July 17, 2001 at 11:54 AM]

 

[CRyan]

I suspect everything will work out. Mitsubishi (and I am sure other companies) are already in the process of developing firewire-component adapter boxes for backwards compatibility of the "new standard."
The only thing is that you will have to purchase that converter box along with an HD receiver at an extra cost. Us early adopters will have to have a separate component rack for just our HD components.

C. Ryan