A company that manages internet services for subscribers from many national telco providers said the majority of Americans would replace their satellite or cable TV service with internet-based television if they could get the same channels.

Redback Networks, an Ericsson company, sponsored research by national pollster Zogby to find out how Americans use broadband services, internet-connected mobile devices and what video services they would pay for in the future. According to the internet company’s commissioned poll, not surprisingly, just more than half (53 percent) said they would replace their cable and satellite services with broadband TV.

According to SkyREPORT’s sister weekly publication The BRIDGE, telco TV currently has an estimated .5 million subscribers - or roughly .52 percent of total pay-TV market share. With cable and satellite providers combining to dominate the market with nearly 95 percent penetration among pay-TV subscribers, it would seem broadband-delivered video services have a long way to go.

Other findings from the poll include: 88 percent believe video cell phone calls will become a reality within five years and 64 percent of parents would subscribe to mobile TV in cars to entertain kids. Despite 53 percent responding in favor of a broadband TV service, 74 percent believe a video-centric internet may be more dangerous for children.

Sony DVD’s won’t play on Sony DVD players

Having recently settled various lawsuits over their use of invasive DRM in CD’s, Sony has decided to try their luck with pushing more DRM into DVD’s which has caused some recent issues in Sony’s own DVD Players.

“It doesn’t seem believable. But the terrible publicity Sony is still getting following its efforts to foist dangerous (to PCs) rootkit spyware onto customers via music CDs doesn’t seem to have dissuaded the company from trying it on again, this time DRM-ing movies. And it’s apparently been going on since March at the least.

“In their zeal to make their DVD movies copyproof (yeah right) they have in fact made their latest releases unplayable on some DVD players, including my Sony DVP-CX995V DVD player,” says Mick B on Just another WordPress.com weblog, quoted on slashdot.

He goes on that he recently rented Sony’s Stranger than Fiction and The Holiday. both by Sony Pictures. Both load up to the splash title screen and then load no further, then after about 60 secs the player turns itself off!”

A federal jury ruled that a Pennsylvania man was guilty of illegally accessing DIRECTV programming without paying for it. Late last week, 58-year-old Bruce Figler, a local school board member, was convicted in federal civil court of using unauthorized devices to intercept the satellite company’s signals for more than a year.

According to DIRECTV, Figler was found guilty on four counts including receiving unauthorized encrypted satellite transmissions and assembling a device known to intercept those transmissions. The charges all stem from violations of the Federal Communications Act, Federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and Pennsylvania state laws, court documents said.

Now, Figler awaits the decision of U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster as to just how much he will be ordered to pay DIRECTV. Court papers said the man could face a maximum penalty of more than $300,000; a minimum would be around $40,000. Figler is not facing prison time.

According to local reports, Figler may have to file for bankruptcy in light of the conviction and would seek to have the home he owns excluded from the settlement. Figler’s attorney, John Gibson, said DIRECTV would likely oppose that action.

DIRECTV’s case centered around an “unlooper” that Figler bought for $200 from a web site in 2000. The company has filed thousands of theft lawsuits over the years after a rash of California companies selling pirated technology were raided. DIRECTV has been using billing information from those raids to help track people suspected of stealing its signals.

A federal jury has ruled a Harrison man was guilty of illegally accessing satellite television programming without paying for it.

DirecTV sued Bruce Figler, 58, a Highlands School Board member, in federal civil court, alleging Figler used unauthorized devices to intercept the company’s satellite signals for more than a year.

The jury reached a verdict late Wednesday afternoon and found Figler guilty on all four charges, including receiving unauthorized encrypted satellite transmissions and assembling a device known to intercept those transmissions.

The charges are a range of violations of the Federal Communications Act, federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act and state law, according to court documents.