The Middleman throws broadcast flag on ABC Family

by Darren Murph posted Jul 1st 2008 at 4:04PM

Sheesh, again? Not even a month after the collective HTPC community begrudgingly forgave Microsoft / NBC / whomever for throwing up the broadcast flag on select NBC programs, we've got yet another instance of Media Center users being unable to record a (late) primetime show. Reports around the web are suggesting that ABC Family's The Middleman threw the flag on a number of systems -- not just Vista -- and it's hard to say right now who is at fault. TVSquad's Brett Love had no issues capturing the show in HD and SD via his cable company-provided HD DVR, thus he's guessing the finger of blame is pointing in the general direction of Redmond. So, what gives? Will users continue to see these things followed by a quiet apology, or will the kinks really be ironed out so our perfectly legal time-shifting can resume?

Filed under: Regulatory, Media PCs, Cable, Fiber, OTA, Satellite, Primetime

Tags: abc family, AbcFamily, broadcast flag, BroadcastFlag, copyright, fcc, microsoft, recording, restrictions, The Middleman

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Matt @ Jul 1st 2008 4:45PM

Wasn't this issue patched already in Vista MCE? (last week actually). Does the patch not work, or is the only affecting folks who don't run WU?

Neutral

shawnmos @ Jul 2nd 2008 3:06AM

A vista patch doesn't work on XP which is what that's a screenshot of.

Neutral

Justin Maldonado @ Jul 1st 2008 5:19PM

Well I was affected by the broadcast flag using vista without the new update, but from what I have heard, the update doesn't seem to help and has caused quite a few other problems.

Neutral

Justin Maldonado @ Jul 1st 2008 5:22PM

Oh, and I forgot to add that I am on a STB connected through s-video so the update wouldn't actually help me anyways.

Neutral

genaldar @ Jul 1st 2008 5:56PM

No problem recording it on my Tivo HD on Comcast.

Neutral

Mr. E @ Jul 1st 2008 6:42PM

Recorded fine for me via Tivo HD on Cox with one Mcard. Not a bad show, either.

Neutral

retro77 @ Jul 1st 2008 7:29PM

There needs to be a patch released to disable this "feature"

Neutral

Velcrocore @ Jul 1st 2008 7:49PM

I'm getting the flag on AMC here in Portland, OR running mce 2005. Every movie I've tried to watch on the channel is blocked. Haven't bothered to call comcast yet, but not sure it'll do any good.

Neutral

John @ Jul 1st 2008 8:25PM

Judging by the shows, the broadcast flag seems more like a good taste filter than a recording restriction

Neutral

Harlock @ Jul 1st 2008 8:45PM

Not many people understand the implications of what Digital broadcast is going to mean. You can now be (1) charged for everything you watch on a per-diem basis. and (2) You can be blocked from recording shows and broadcasts.

The analog shut down means getting screwed. But since everyone is asleep to this fact, I'll just quietly go about my business making arrangements in the background while you all are napping.

Neutral

Mike4 @ Jul 1st 2008 10:39PM

It's all a big conspiracy theory! :p

Yes - as with most upgrades - there are negatives along with the positives. It's just the way it is. If you look at it from Hollywood's point of view, though, they just see this as another positive.

Honestly, this does suck. It doesn't affect me at all, but I get pissed off for the people this happens to. You do everything legally and by the book and you still get shafted.

Neutral

MegaZone @ Jul 1st 2008 11:09PM

And you sound like a paranoid delusional. The vast majority of viewers don't use antenna, and the digital cut over only applies to OTA broadcasts.

Cable and satellite, the vast bulk of the market, have always been able to place controls on their content - even on analog cable.

Neutral

shawnmos @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:16AM

That screenshot isn't vista. It's XP MCE.

Neutral

ChiWax @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:57AM

That's not going to stop Engadget from taking a swipe at Vista. What's the big deal if you can't record some show. I use four rigs here and three of them are Vistas. I use three Linksys Extenders for Media Center and an XBOX 360. It's lacking features that I can think of and yes I've run into problems. The things I can do with all of these devices make me say WHO CARES IF IT ISN'T PERFECT!!!! Period. Q.

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