Recordings on Ipod allowed travel to/through the United States?

[steven017]

Hi all,

I will soon be traveling to via the United States and am wondering if having recordings on my Ipod is a problem. I don't have any on it right now, but I am considering it as my flight is quite long (12 hours) and the inflight entertainment is not looking good. So, does anybody know the official or non-official word on this?

Steve

[sainswor99]

Once you're in the air, most electronic devices (excluding cell phones) are allowed to be used. I watch my Zen all the time on flights.

[steven017]

Thanks for the response.

I realize that, as I consider myself an experienced traveller. However, what I'm asking about is basically the law concerning entry to the United States as pertains to recordings of television shows. I don't want trouble, but would like to be able to watch some of my recordings on my Ipod while in transit.

Steve

[sainswor99]

Sorry, Steve,

I wasn't sure which way you were going with that, and the legal issues seemed to be a lesser concern than content; unless you're watching something that is going to draw attention to yourself (like extremely graphic material), no one will care.

Most of the content-specific laws refer mainly to distributing or viewing content for pay; if you own the media, for the most part, you're OK.

Stu

[Tiki]

If you were to come through Customs / Immigration with a suitcase full of bootlegged DVD's you may have problems, but I think it is highly unlikely that anyone would check the contents of your iPOD or laptop PC. I imagine they would only do this if they had some specific reason to suspect you of some sort crime where the evidence might be hidden on an electronic device.

It is legal in the US to record television shows for personal use or to make "backups" of DVD's or VHS tapes that you have legitimately purchased. So, even on the remote chance that someone did check the contents of your iPOD, you should be OK as long as you don't have illegal material like child porn stored there.

iPODs and other electronic devices are very popular in the US and it is very common for travelers to use them to view movies and TV shows, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[steven017]

Thanks for the responses. It seems I *should* be okay, as I don't have any porn or "illegal" content on my ipod. I'm also not very suspicious looking, I hope.

One question, does content I "own" apply to content that I record from TV?

I did read this interesting article in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...020604763.html

Although the situation doesn't really apply to me--I don't have any of the seeming profiling characteristics mentioned in the article--it raises this as a valid issue. Even the TSA's response does not clarify the case of mp3/mp4 players and cell phones. It only seems to refer to computers.

So far, based on the responses I've seen, I think I will be okay.

Thanks for the responses so far.

Steve

[Serra]

Originally Posted by steven017

One question, does content I "own" apply to content that I record from TV?

You are still allowed to time-shift TV, so yes, you own them. So provided you don't have anything that is a DMCA violation, such as a DVD that isn't DRM, you should be fine. As far as TV content, there isn't an issue.

[steven017]

Okay, that seems great. Except, I'm embarassed to say I no longer have any content to take with me.

I had a little bit of trouble with my DVD drive, which led to overzealous troubleshooting on my part (stuttering in and out of Sage--I think DMA 4 might be too high for smooth playback on my system and am considering moving down to DMA 2--thoughts?).

This, of course, led to a BSOD from which there seemed to be no recovery. So, I attempted a repair installation. As I couldn't get back into my installation anyways, it was my last ditch attempt at recovery.

However, as many of you probably know, you cannot install XP in SAFE MODE. I wasn't in SAFE MODE, but my computer wouldn't boot to "normal" mode, so I guess that qualifies. This was just a complete waste of time. When I realized the problem, I did the only thing I could do--reinstalled.

Man, what a pain in the @ss. But, I've got to thank all those in the forum who've posted advice over the years about backups and reinstallation. My reinstall was smooth, and I was back up and running in no time--without any recordings--but with all of my settings and epg intact.

So, suffice it to say, I'll be recording away for the next few days until I leave. I just wanted to thank you all for your advice and post this for others foolhardy enough to fix their systems. LOL

Thanks again

Steve

P.S. I haven't checked the DVD drive yet. I don't have time for another reinstall.