"Tuner activation" - this is a thing?

[VirtualLarry]

I was looking at WestinghouseDigital's web site, looking for a firmware update for my 24" HDTV / monitor (has HDMI handshake issues with Intel's iGPU drivers).

Anyways, there was a link to "tuner activation" on their site, and from some of my web searches, it appears that some of the newer HDTV's, that come with ATSC tuners, do NOT enable them by default, and you actually have to get an "Activation code" from the mfg, and program it into the HDTV, before it will work?

What's the point of that? Disabled features that you paid for, that you have to "Activate" when you get the product?

What's next, buy a car, have to "Activate" the steering wheel and brakes?

 

[Eug]

Makes some sense. Not activating the tuner means not having to pay the royalties/licences, which means cheaper TVs. Remember 99% of people these days never use the tuner.

Note that all of the high end Vizio TVs now come with no tuner at all.

Mind you, if I were a Westinghouse customer, I'd most definitely activate it, just in case I needed to do OTA in the future. Also, note that activating the tuner doesn't cost you anything. It's free for the end user.

 

[NutBucket]

AFAIK there are no licensing fees associated with OTA signals. This isn't like paying an HDMI/DVD royalty.

At any rate, maybe it's just Westinghouse's way of seeing how many folks actually use the OTA tuner...to figure out if it's worthwhile for them to put one in future sets.

 

[Eug]

AFAIK there are no licensing fees associated with OTA signals. This isn't like paying an HDMI/DVD royalty.

At any rate, maybe it's just Westinghouse's way of seeing how many folks actually use the OTA tuner...to figure out if it's worthwhile for them to put one in future sets.

Q: Why do I need to enter a tuner code for my television to receive over-the-air broadcasts?
A: This enables Westinghouse users to choose a feature that most TV users do not use, receiving over-the-air broadcasts. This choice simplifies TV operation for users who do not intend to receive such broadcasts, such as by avoiding unnecessary channel scans. The access code input enables Westinghouse to accurately count the end users who seek to enable the ATSC tuner, for purposes of royalty reporting (but for the end user, this activation is free). This looks to the future of television design: Digital televisions are beginning to include installable hardware or software features.

http://westinghouseelectronics.com/support/tuner-activation-faqs/

 

[NutBucket]

Decided to look it up and sure enough, $5 "receiver product".

http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/ATSC/Pages/Agreement.aspx

 

[Eug]

Wow, that's way more than I expected. I assumed these things were like $0.50 or something.

 

[Oyeve]

WTF?