HDMI Out locked down???

[fishacura]

Was trying to use HBO Go on my droid 3 and hook it up to my TV via HDMI so I could watch it on a bigger screen. Got a message saying I had to unplug the HDMI cable. What gives? They somehow locked this down? If so, hackable???

 

[brad92]

I haven't seen a workaround for it. Blockbuster app is the same way

MIUI 2012.3.9

 

[fishacura]

BUMMER! Seems really dumb. Who cares if I choose to watch it on a bigger screen. Oh well...guess no HBO Go for me.

 

[Bullitt6996]

Wow, can't say I'm surprised. Techs and smartys spend so much time making these nifty little gadgets just so corporations can f with the features like this. Make no mistake, that is something that SHOULD (ethically) be enabled. It is disabled to make sure you shop for a home entertainment package, nothing more.

@Devs: Can anyone help with this issue? Thanks in advance.

 

[fishacura]

It is disabled to make sure you shop for a home entertainment package, nothing more.

That's the odd thing. You only get HBO-GO if you subscribe to HBO through your cable provider. So it's not like I would have to buy anything else from them. I already have the package. They just locked down the ability to view it on a bigger device. But where there's a will there's a way. Just wish I was more technically savvy and I'd try it myself!

 

[fishacura]

After scouring the internet for what seems like hours I found this. But I am FAR from a developer. I am interested in method #2 for a rooted CWM phone. Anyone know if this will work with a droid 3? Post doesn't really mention what phone it's for:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12250126&postcount=459

 

[NoBloatware]

The funny thing is that putting up obstacles like this is just forcing people to find workarounds. I like using aDownloader, free from the market. Paired with MX Video Player or BSPlayer lite, I get everything free and it works over hdmi.

 

[fishacura]

The funny thing is that putting up obstacles like this is just forcing people to find workarounds. I like using aDownloader, free from the market. Paired with MX Video Player or BSPlayer lite, I get everything free and it works over hdmi.

Can you elaborate a bit? What whould I need to do related to what you mention above to get HBO go to work via my hdmi out?

 

[brad92]

He isn't using HBO, he is downloading movies and using a video player to watch via HDMI

GUMMY

 

[NoBloatware]

Right, just bypass the hobbled HBO app entirely and get the shows from an alternative source. Many people use newsgroups. I have been partial to bittorrent lately. Just download a bittorrent client. aDownloader works well and is free. In aDownloader do a search for the media that you want.

Use a good video player app like the ones I mentioned and you should have no trouble viewing what you've downloaded.

Learning to use bittorrent is pretty easy, but it often helps to tweak settings depending on your connection. I actually prefer using a PC over wifi as it is faster than these phones right now. Also, it is illegal to infringe copyrights. If you have HBO at home then I would say that you are within your rights to view shows however you like, but I'm no lawyer. Just move the video files out of bittorrent after they've downloaded so that you stop sharing them with others. One final note, I stick only to media files like AVIs and MP3s. You can download software over bittorrent but the potential for a virus is too high. I prefer finding alternative software via a site like sourceforge.

 

[gadgetrants]

If you have HBO at home then I would say that you are within your rights to view shows however you like, but I'm no lawyer. Just move the video files out of bittorrent after they've downloaded so that you stop sharing them with others.

Interesting advice. A couple of thoughts:

If you have HBO at home then I would say that you are within your rights to view shows however you like, but I'm no lawyer.

I haven't downloaded any movies through Bittorrent since the Cease&Desist that Mediacom sent. They graciously allowed me to delete the "offending" content and avoid a lawsuit. It was probably a bluff, but still embarrassing to get caught with my pants down. I strongly suspect if I argued that "I already owned the content from another source" they would print out a copy of the Millennium Copyright Act and ask me to find the line where "ownership in alternative form" is legal. I agree with your reasoning 100%. I just don't think that's the law.

Just move the video files out of bittorrent after they've downloaded so that you stop sharing them with others.

I didn't go to law school, but I think there's a name for this. Something like "acknowledgement of guilt" or "bad-faith avoidance of detection." In the day and age of hi-tech computer forensics (i.e., "cyberpolice"), downloading files and moving them out of your share folder is tantamount to admitting you shouldn't possess them. Again, I agree with your strategy 100%. But it means what it means, and putting lipstick on it doesn't change that.

As I recall, we're not even supposed to be discussing this on droidforums. Hope I don't get banned!

-Matt

 

[fishacura]

+1 gadgetrants. Appreciate someone taking the time to advise me but if someone advised me to rob a bank I'd probably think otherwise also. Seriously, not a chance of me doing any of that but I appreciate the response.

If anyone on the other hand knows of a way to unblock HDMI out for content I rightfully purchased, please let me know...

 

[gadgetrants]

Kind of off-topic, but I installed Hashcode's AOKP ROM last night -- it looks gorgeous and runs fast -- but it seems HDMI still isn't working on that particular port.

-Matt

 

[NoBloatware]

Yes, officially I am not condoning copyright infringement. Bittorrent is very convenient and free, but it is up to the end user to decide how to use it. There are public domain movies, songs, etc. available and those are fine for anyone to download. If you want to download HBO stuff it is easy and free but you should check with your lawyer regarding the laws in your country. I don't want to get banned either. Bittorrent can be used legitimately so I hope the moderators keep this in mind.

 

[gadgetrants]

NB, I want to be 100% clear that my post was meant in fun, and while I wouldn't condone it either -- I'd rather not fess up about my "Napster" days. I distinctly remember FairUse Wizard using the same argument you suggested, i.e., that it should be legal to create a digital copy of media you own, for backup/archival purposes. Too bad it may not be the current rule.

Either way, I think fishacura has a really good point: if I can run HBOGo on my laptop, and connect it with HDMI to my TV, why can't I do the exact same thing with my phone?!?!??!?!

-Matt