The law is a bit unclear on the issue. While judges have determined that it is legal to make backup copies for your personal use, there have been other cases where the act of breaking the encryption is found to be illegal.

The bottom line is that you can make copies for your personal use, but you cannot sell commercial software which breaks the encryption. You will notice most of this software is from countries where that isn’t the law.

It does put the pressure on Google TV and Boxee Box to lower their prices.

Everything the new Apple TV has is already a feature in most new HDTVs. you can get it from numerous black boxes, including the Roku box for $59.

I’m also surprised they ditched movie purchases. Since it access content from a computer, I would think they would have downloaded the content there.

These boxes will just be extensions of what we already have adapted into our own lives.(Us, being the people that have already taken cable out of our viewing equations) They’ll just bypass the requirements of dedicated computers in each room.

The DVRs will be around for sure; for those that don’t cut the cable; but these boxes aren’t here to replace the DVRs either.
Take Google TV for instance, it works with Dish’s DVR to schedule recordings and work in internet content on top of live TV. It will simply act as a friendlier interface (If you like Android that is) than the terrible interface that Dish chooses to thrust onto us.

In essence it makes your TV more reactive to you and less reactive to the time tables of the Cable companies. This works whether you still choose to pay large amounts to greedy bastards or not.

I don’t think this is the story, but check it out: cable subscriptions are on the decline.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129431229

I heard the rumor about the Apple TV product, but I just do see them doing it yet. I think the announcement is going to have something to do with Lala’s closing in May.