BattleZone said:
A couple of issues here:
1. HD is NOT SD. By that, I mean there are many additional laws and restrictions on HD content, which is only distributed digitally, and is protected therefore under the DMCA, then there were with SDTV, which was nearly unrestricted, at least from a technology point of view.
But the protection afforded to the authorized programming distributor is exercised or enforced at his own discretion. As far as I know, DirecTV has allowed clear QAM distribution for certain classes of commercial customer, but presently does not allow it for residential and so-called "hospitality" classes of customer. The HDTV distribution in most major league arenas is unencrypted QAM, and I have been told by a local DirecTV dealer that he is distributing zeevee, reconstituted QAM in a hospital with DirecTV's full knowledge.
2. A sportsbar is going to be inspected sooner or later. The fines for breaking the rules are HUGE.
3. The DMCA makes it a violation of federal law to take encrypted digital TV signals and break the encryption.
Have you tried to get DirecTV to activate an HD receiver with analog, HDTV component outputs in a sportsbar? I'm sure such activation is routine. I haven't seen anything in their commercial public viewing contract that explicitely precludes MPEG encoding and QAM modulating that content.
...Other laws require HDTV content that is delivered from content providers to remain encrypted into the TV if the signal remains in digital format.
I'm not aware of any such laws, though the contract between the program provider and the customer could surely require that, but I also scrutinized the current edition of some DISH Network contracts and they explicitely authorize HDTV distribution of programming for hospitality (hotel/motel) bulk distribution yet do not mention a Pro:Idiom requirement for it. On the other hand, they do mandate some HD "per drop" fees without explaining how that charge is enforced.
DISH Network, unlike DirecTV, encourages the use of its low end HDTV receiver, model 211, which has an analog, component HDTV output, in contemporary headend installations, however it is possible that they don't load the HDTV channel number into their limited guides unless the account as explicitely subscribed to an HDTV viewing option. FWIW, it is also theoretically possible that DISH and DirecTV have the means to disable or "downres" the composite, HDTV outputs on boxes in accounts where it does not want those signals available.
4. The only *legal* way to distribute digital HD signals (other than ATSC broadcasts) over RF (coax) is with equipment using the Pro:Idiom system. DirecTV and Dish both make Pro:Idiom-compatible head-end equipment.
When I got "certified" for Pro:Idiom installation by NACE about a year ago, there was no mention of any DISH Network, Pro:Idiom hardware, though its development certainly seemed inevitable. Can you find me a link to any dealer information on such products? I am in regular contact with a number of DISH Network commercial dealers and none of them are yet aware of any such hardware.
So, the real answer to your question is: No, there aren't any inexpensive ways to modulate and distribute HD signals, and there aren't likely to be, given the protection digital signals have under current US laws.
I don't know how much the price on MPEG encoders might drop. I think the cheapest zeevee product is about $750 at present, but I don't agree that the HD programmers are not likely to give permission to decode and distribute their standard definition signals, but they allow their SD programming to be similarly processed now, even though they have the same rights to restrict the use of that digital, encrypted data.
Whether and when they ultimately extend the privilege or distributing digital signals in commercial properties will be an economic decision based on hiow much that they think they might lose by facilitating the production of bootleg copies, versus how much more money they think they might make by facilitating the distribution of it in commercial establishment.