Interesting. I'm on Comcast and have their DVR, and my recording of qualifying this morning didn't work, but I heard from others where it did work. all the NASCAR programming from today is recording fine, the show that was on after F1 qualifying recorded fine. F1 practice yesterday recorded just fine. I would think it's an isolated incident for me if not for this, but I still think it's something that will be resolved quickly.

I'm not so sure it will be resolved quickly. Apparently the capability for cable companies or networks to block or otherwise manage the recording and viewing of "their" content has been around for some time. Now with the country's TV broadcasts are digital only probably over the air networks will be able to do the same. I'm only interested in this issue because SPEED has apparently recently began blocking their broadcasts from being recorded by DVD recorders. I can't watch most of the content I'm interested in real time so I've been recording F1 programing in particular and watching within a day or two of recording. After I watch the practices or races or whatever I throw the DVD in the trash!

I only have cable so I can watch SPEED. If I can't watch what I want I'll give up cable, what's the point, ya' know?

It seems to me that SPEED along with other networks, cable companies, content creators have used technology to shape our TV viewing experience toward their interests not ours. It used to be enough for viewers to have to watch commercials from which networks profited, fair enough. Then with home VCRs and DVD recorders/DVRs viewers could forgo watching commercials. It's my understand that TiVo originally could block or automatically skip through commercials. The afore mentioned business interests must control their content to maximize their income, again fair enough.

I realize that TV has never been free. Viewers are accustomed to watching commercials as payment for their viewership even without realizing it. Now it's not enough to suffer through commercials on cable as well as broadcast TV . Now that rights holders can manage YOUR viewership to maxamize their income they will. It is probable that weather you use a DVD or DVR you will be bound by the fine print of all those Terms of Service agreements that no one reads but everyone clicks through so that they can get to the good stuff. I do it and you do it.

The TOS will say (if they don't already) that the rights holders have the right to delete or block content from being played on your DVR or anywhere else. I think this is such an invasion of privacy that I'll give up cable and maybe TV all together.

Isn't there a way to use technology to our benefit, legally?

I am having the same problem recording from a Direct TV HD DVR I have been recording F1 since the 1980's..

My DVR gave the message that the content is copy protected. After talking to Direct TV this morning and investigating the matter here is what I have learned.

There was a software update from Direct TV on 6/19 in my case. This update added among other things a copy protection software change that prevents copying of TV content to DVR and VCRs.

According to some internet searches the digital transition is allowing all content providers to do this. For some this has happened before now. For me and some others it has just happened. I am pissed and I plan to find a way around it. I can't even capture a broadcast live on dvd. Basically all I ever copy is the F1 practice, qualifying and the race to watch later. If anyone finds a solution I would love to hear it. In the mean time I am working on it.

this has been a much better show since kenny wallace isnt there...kenny is really hard to listen to.

see you at the races.....
GO18!!

OldF1fan,

I'm with you, brother. Let's find a way around this stupid update. I really like the motorcycle racing but have been recording the F1 content to watch later. Now I can't record either so in some cases I can't watch either....ever! I can record Ice Road Truckers all day long on the History Channel, but nothing on SPEED! Well, except the commercials, they do record.

David

I was just going to time-shift the GP2 race, but forgot I can't without doing my new workaround which allows me to record SPEED again. I have Time Warner, and I use their Scientific Atlanta 3250 HD box, which is now putting out the copy-protect signal. I also have a second SA non-HD box from TW. I bought a 50ft S-Video cable and did an experiment. I connected (via S-Video) the non-HD box to my DVD recorder and I was able to record with no problem at all. The two signals/imaging are exactly the same as TW is not actually outputting HD for SPEED, just the same standard definition signal to both, but the HD box signal reacts to and outputs the copy-protection while the non-HD box doesn't. So one solution would be to chuck the HD box and retrograde to a non-HD box, or get a second non-HD box just to record speed (stupid at seven bucks a month). I've decided the easiest/cheapest solution is to run my 50ft S-Video cable to the non-HD box just for F1 practice/qual/race and forego all other viewing/time-shifting of SPEED Channel content as it's too problematic for any casual time-shift viewing. I just have to make sure no one changes the channel on the non-HD box or trips over the cable, and I'll still have to stay up all night to prevent those issues.

I hope SPEED's advertisers are aware that this copy-protection issue is going to reduce viewers in general, and for my interests such as ALMS, Rolex series and generally any road-racing that I would watch.

So this issue is affecting DVRs as well as DVD burners? I can kind of understand why they would want to prevent shows from being recorded to DVD, but if they're blocking DVR as well, I really no longer have any use for the DVR, or SPEED TV, since most of what I watch on Speed is shown either when I'm at work or at the track. FWIW, Grand Am and F1 qualifying recorded just fine for me this weekend on Time Warner.

I thought I was the only one having this trouble. This really sucks the big one. SPEEDTV should be ashamed of themselves for doing this since most all of the F1 programming is on so early in the mornings. Why can't the fans have recordings of F1 programming?

I've recorded all of the races along with the practices and qualifying sessions for at least the last five years. Some folks on here have recordings going back to the 80's. So now SPEED is telling everyone tough crap?

I would like to hear someone from SPEED come on here and explain why they think this is necessary.

yeah
wheres that all knowing joe tripp dude

What the entertainment industry can't grasp is that DRM and the like just encourage people to seek out the very thing they complain about - downloading unrestricted files of their content. A lot of folks are more than happy to play by the rules, but once the rules start tightening to the point where they are nothing but a hassle, the consumers WILL go elsewhere, or simply go away.

If my DVR becomes useless, bye-bye DirecTV, no hesitation. It'll save us a few bucks a month and I won't miss it all that much. We only watch a handful of programs a very few times a week in my household, anyway, since TV programming is so far out of touch with what we'd like to watch.

I think we have the cheapy/basic DVR here, not HD or anything. Practice and quali recorded just fine. Hopefully that will still continue.

Given that so many folks are trimming the fat on their expenses right now, it's best not to anger or inconvenience your customers.