TiVo/Macrovision screw up breaks devices again

By Cory Doctorow at 9:18 am Wednesday, Aug 9

TiVo's anti-user technology has malfunctioned again, preventing TiVo customers from storing the shows they record. Last year, there was a rash of problems following from TiVo forcing a downgrade on its customers, one that added Macrovision software to TiVo devices. This software allows broadcasters to specify whether and for how long a show can be recorded. Supposedly (and by law), this will not be used on unencrypted standard broadcast shows, but Fox has some kind of sloppy or malicious procedure by which they frequently tag their programming in such a way as to prohibit or restrict recording of their broadcasts.

Now Dave Zatz reports that his TiVo has refused to store his recording of a 37-year-old movie on Fox, giving him 24 hours to watch it before it expires.

No law required TiVo to take this functionality away from its customers. Indeed, it's arguable that when you bought your pre-Macrovision TiVo, you bought a machine that could record anything aired, and that by changing the deal so that now you can only record some things, TiVo has broken its contract with you. Link (Thanks, Thomas!)