Gefen To Encrypt Drives On Their HD DVR

Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by MegaZone

I initially reported on Gefen’s HD DVR during CES, and then again last week when Zatz Not Funny got their hands on one. The real standout feature of the box is the HDMI input. That’s pretty much unheard of. HDCP is normally felt to preclude recording from HDMI. But Gefen claimed they were compliant as they preserved the HDCP flags on their HDMI output.

However, there was a wee loophole. The recordings on the drive were unencrypted. If you pulled the drive and connected it to a PC you could copy the raw H.264 files, as Dave Zatz discovered. A perfect HD piracy tool. Well, CNET News.com reports that Gefen is closing this loophole and will begin encrypting the drives. Why didn’t they do that from the start? Well, they had this to say to CNET:

Gefen did not anticipate that users would void warranty to crack the unit and use the internal drive in this fashion. The company is currently in the process of encrypting every internal drive of every HD PVR so this situation will be corrected.

So, either Gefen is run by truly oblivious individuals or they’ve managed to avoid reading every tech blog in the world. The very first thing we geeks do is violate the warranty and open the box up! See also my TiVo reviews with internal photos. Gefen was really surprised that someone a) opened the box, b) tried connecting the drive to a PC, and c) posted the results online? Really? I’d be surprised if someone didn’t do that with a new product! Since the boxes are not network connected, I don’t know how they’ll address units in the field. They may release a firmware update users can load over USB or SD – but they can’t force anyone to do so. If you run out and buy one now you might just get one from pre-encrypted stock. I’m just saying…

Now, if you’ll pardon me, I need to visit Gefen HQ. I have this old bridge over the East River that I’m looking to sell.

About MegaZone

MegaZone is the Editor of Gizmo Lovers and the chief contributor. He's been online since 1989 and active in several generations of 'social media' - mailing lists, USENet groups, web forums, and since 2003, blogging.    MegaZone has a presence on several social platforms: Google+ / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / LiveJournal / Web.    You can also follow Gizmo Lovers on other sites: Blog / Google+ / Facebook / Twitter.
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  • http://www.zatznotfunny.com Dave Zatz

    We updated our box’s firmware via a SD card. Encrypting the drive is more of a reaction, probably to save face. The original question stands: How are they compliant with HDCP?

  • http://www.soldiersperspective.us Marcus

    Eh, this thing isn’t that great. The price tag is in the stratosphere, and, like you said, low on the features. It really is just a stepping stone device.

  • Nate

    I see Dave had to ruin the fun for everyone. ;-)

    Seriously though, I can’t believe that no one at that company believed that someone would open up the box and put the harddrive. All CE devices that have been released in the recent past all get dissected, photo’ed and shown on the Internet. I guess these guys don’t look at tech blogs.

  • Charles

    I guessing Dave will not be receiving any more review copies of hardware from Gefen.

  • DSSwonsob

    Gefen probably just assumed that Dave would be too lazy to open the box up. After all, he can’t even be bothered to program his own playlists!

  • http://www.zatznotfunny.com Dave Zatz

    I am pretty lazy… ;) For the record, we (over)paid for the box so their PR person is in the clear. Though, you’re probably right I won’t be on top of the list for future review products.

  • Glenn

    What Dave said. Seems likely this is a violation of the HDMI spec, and thus possibly a legal contract. Seems like Gefen should be expecting a lawsuit any minute now…

  • cliffclof

    Man why even post comments that cause heartache. I’ve been wanting a device like this for so long so i can record tid bits and review them later for myself. Now it’s all shattered dreams again. Encryption hurts legitimate users.