Help me understand SiliconDust's app

Discussion of getting WMC to work on Windows 10 (unsupported)
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KarterJK

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Help me understand SiliconDust's app

#1

Post by KarterJK » Thu Mar 12, 2020 6:39 am

What I don't understand is how Silicondust's Windows 10 app can detect and use tuners and allow recording/playing of protected channels, but some routine can't be piggy backed onto WMC. I am certain they would share their methodology.

I am not a programmer, but it appears there is some good talent out there. Seems to me who cracks that, could stand to make some good coin, on donations.

I am talking where you don't have to use a particular version and have to stop upgrades. What is the point in that?

Are the processes that different?

technodevotee

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#2

Post by technodevotee » Thu Mar 12, 2020 11:13 am

If I'm not mistaken, you have to pay for the DVR functionality in SiliconDust's offering and that is what covers their costs in paying for access to protected material.

Microsoft never charged any kind of subscription to use WMC and if you believe what they say, it seems that they didn't make much money out of it because they have always stated that take up and usage of WMC was very low. I expect that had a lot to do with them dropping the product.

People would say 'Why bother updating and supporting a product that no-one uses?' but it seems to me that those are mostly people who don't know what they are missing.

There are also people who think they were pressured into removing support for the DRM mechanism used by cable companies but I suspect that it was a decision made for financial reasons.

The holy grail for many people is to get Cable Cards working in WMC on current versions of Windows 10 but it isn't purely a technical challenge. There are other considerations.

tonywagner

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#3

Post by tonywagner » Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:46 pm

KarterJK wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2020 6:39 am What I don't understand is how Silicondust's Windows 10 app can detect and use tuners and allow recording/playing of protected channels, but some routine can't be piggy backed onto WMC. I am certain they would share their methodology.

I am not a programmer, but it appears there is some good talent out there. Seems to me who cracks that, could stand to make some good coin, on donations.

I am talking where you don't have to use a particular version and have to stop upgrades. What is the point in that?

Are the processes that different?
First of all, WMC is closed-source. People have done inventive things to work around it, but re-engineering its DRM video playback method is pretty much impossible from the outside.

Second, Silicondust has been asked in the past about sharing their DRM methods with the Channels DVR app (which doesn't support DRM content), and have rightfully declined to do so. Silicondust's own software and services are in direct competition with Channels DVR, as well as with WMC.

Third, there's no "good coin" to be made on WMC these days, if there ever was. :)

jachin99

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#4

Post by jachin99 » Thu Mar 12, 2020 10:51 pm

You would have to remove the playready 2 requirement from ocur discovery I believe. I still wonder if there is a way to point wmc at your tuners and bypass ocur all together though.

jekslein

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#5

Post by jekslein » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:48 pm

tonywagner wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:46 pm
KarterJK wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2020 6:39 am What I don't understand is how Silicondust's Windows 10 app can detect and use tuners and allow recording/playing of protected channels, but some routine can't be piggy backed onto WMC. I am certain they would share their methodology.

I am not a programmer, but it appears there is some good talent out there. Seems to me who cracks that, could stand to make some good coin, on donations.

I am talking where you don't have to use a particular version and have to stop upgrades. What is the point in that?

Are the processes that different?
First of all, WMC is closed-source. People have done inventive things to work around it, but re-engineering its DRM video playback method is pretty much impossible from the outside.

Second, Silicondust has been asked in the past about sharing their DRM methods with the Channels DVR app (which doesn't support DRM content), and have rightfully declined to do so. Silicondust's own software and services are in direct competition with Channels DVR, as well as with WMC.

Third, there's no "good coin" to be made on WMC these days, if there ever was. :)
Thank you very much. It really helped.

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