"Lots of gear that's still kicking around only has an analog connection with a cable box: like TiVos and Slingboxes made before 2004. And what about your TV? You'd likely be forced to upgrade to gear with digital ports (like HDMI) to watch movies protected with Selectable Output Control. The studios are desperate to show on-demand movies over cable prior to their DVD release, but claim they can't without SOC. They say the tech protects their revenue by blocking easy analog copying—the so called "analog hole". Problem is, DVDs (a supposed secure format) get ripped and shared online, anyway." - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet