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MPAA still trying to close the analog hole: Now with new, more inane arguments

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 4th 2009 at 4:04PM

The MPAA can't stop, won't stop trying to cut out that pesky analog loophole, and it has returned to the FCC's gates once again requesting permission for selective output control: the ability to disable consumers unprotected (read: HDCP-less) video outputs at its discretion. According to Ars Technica the new argument is that the Consumer Electronics Association and everyone else who hates this idea are simply holding back technology, which the studios would love to use to provide a glorious utopia of early release films available via video on-demand. The request has been smacked down more than once before, but this is the first time it's come up with the new administration so it's anyone's guess what will happen, but we'd keep those petition signing fingers at the ready, just in case. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via Ars Technica]

Kaleidescape gets in line behind RealDVD for rough treatment

by Steven Kim posted Aug 13th 2009 at 6:44PM

DVD lawsuitWhen it rains it pours -- right on the heels of the punishing blow dealt to RealDVD, the money-laden Kaleidescape crowd suffered its own setback at the hands of the law. You just know that the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association) appealed the 2007 ruling that allowed Kaleidescape owners to rip DVDs to their media servers, and yesterday a California Appeals Court overturned that ruling. Next stop -- the Santa Clara Superior Court, which could place an injunction on Kaleidescape if the appeal is upheld. It's not over yet, but we're prepping the soundboard with ominous music, boos and noisy hand-wringing. Whatever (and whenever) the outcome, we can only hope that Blu-ray's Managed Copy comes to the scene sooner rather than later and settles this issue for our beloved HD content

Court injunction puts sales of RealDVD on ice, hopes and dreams in purgatory

by Darren Murph posted Aug 12th 2009 at 2:02AM


Something tells us Kaleidescape has a man (or woman, to be fair) on the inside, else United States District Court Judge Marilyn Patel is just downright trifilin'. In every visible way, RealNetworks' proposed RealDVD player was exactly what Kaleidescape was, but for people with annual salaries far less than $9,854,392,220. Regardless of our opinion, a preliminary injunction has just been passed down from The Almighty in the robe, which blocks the sale of the RealDVD software here in the US. The six major movie studies filed the suit last September, alleging that it "illegally violated their right to restrict the use of their movies in digital form." Evidently those that matter agree. A RealNetworks spokesperson took the time to vent their feelings on the whole ordeal, and since we know you're curious, we've pasted it below for your convenience.
We are disappointed that a preliminary injunction has been placed on the sale of RealDVD. We have just received the Judge's detailed ruling and are reviewing it. After we have done so fully, we'll determine our course of action and will have more to say at that time.
[Via Electronista]

RealDVD ripping software heads to court, fair use advocates on pins and needles

by Darren Murph posted Apr 27th 2009 at 5:08AM


Let's face it -- quite a lot is resting on the outcome of this case. For months now, RealNetworks has been unable to legally sell its RealDVD movie ripping software after a court issued a temporary restraining order that remains valid until it's decided if the application violates the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Now, the software is finally having its day in court, and the outcome could shape the future of the DVD player (for better or worse). You see, Real has already assembled a prototype Facet device that hums along on Linux; essentially, this DVD playing machine would sell for around $300 and could store up to 70 movies internally. On the surface, this sounds entirely like a poor man's Kaleidescape, but only time will tell if The Man agrees. Cross your fingers folks, we get the feeling fair use advocates are going to need the luck.

DVD region code blocks British Prime Minister from enjoying Obama's gift

by Darren Murph posted Mar 20th 2009 at 5:43AM


"Oh, bollocks." No, we can't definitively prove that Gordon Brown said that after witnessing a "Wrong Region" code when inserting a DVD given to him by Barack Obama, but we're sure something of the sort was uttered. You see, the ridiculous DVD region coding system recently prevented the British Prime Minister from viewing a set of 25 "American classics" on DVD, all of which were bestowed upon him by President Obama during a recent visit to Washington, D.C. We hate to bludgeon a dead mule, but seriously, when will the DRM madness end? Er, on second thought, maybe this is precisely what's necessary to keep those region-free player outlets in business, and thus, the economy strong.

[Via techdirt, image courtesy of AmericaLives]

Audio watermarks let the MPAA know where a recording was taken, but not by whom

by Tim Stevens posted Mar 9th 2009 at 8:09AM

Audio watermarks let the MPAA know where a recording was taken, but not by whomWe've heard of some crazy audio watermark plans in the past, designed to prevent people from making copies of Hollywood blockbusters, and as the audio industry finally moves away from its protective restrictions, the film industry seems to just keep working on more. The latest, created by Professor Noboru Babaguchi and his colleagues at Osaka University in Japan, is a means to apply spread-spectrum audio waveforms to a film's multi-channel soundtrack, enabling pirate seekers to determine exactly (well, to within 44 centimeters) where the bootlegger was sitting when he or she committed his or her felonious deeds. Interesting, sure, but unless all theaters worldwide start assigning seats by name it's useless. Beyond that, there's nothing stopping an intrepid recorder from stashing a mic a few feet to the left or the right, thus implicating an idle popcorn-muncher. Will these flaws keep this technology from being implemented? Don't count on it.

[Via Slashdot]

SlySoft takes down BD+ DRM once more

by Darren Murph posted Dec 29th 2008 at 1:28PM


A fresher, probably completely unbreakable version of BD+ isn't even expected until February, but SlySoft's making sure you have plenty to watch on your non-HDCP compliant display over the holidays. The newest refresh of its AnyDVD HD software (v.6.5.0.2 at last count) reportedly "decrypts copy protection on all current Blu-ray movies." In conjunction with the celebration, the outfit is also reminding everyone that it will be moving to a subscription-based update program starting in the New Year, so you've got T-minus two days and counting to buy now and secure that 20% discount.

[Thanks, Erie]

Chinese pirates offering cheap AVCHD Blu-ray rips on disguised DVD-Rs

by Darren Murph posted Nov 17th 2008 at 4:26AM


Just last week we heard that Warner Bros. was ending its home video / DVD business in South Korea due to rampant piracy, and now we've got a report from China suggesting that sophisticated pirates are duping buyers with faux Blu-ray Discs that are actually DVDs. As the story goes, movie pirates in select parts of Asia are ripping bona fide BDs and then burning them in AVCHD format (which uses 720 horizontal lines of resolution compared to Blu-ray's 1,080) on writable DVDs. Word on the street has it that these discs are being offered for around $7 each, and they even boast the BD hologram and the iconic blue hues on the packaging. Reportedly, none of the discs have made it outside of Asia just yet, but stay sharp should you ever get the urge to snag a discounted BD title while traveling abroad.

[Image courtesy of UberGizmo]

Warner Bros. ends home video / DVD business in South Korea, piracy to blame

by Darren Murph posted Nov 15th 2008 at 10:47PM

Those guys look pretty passionate, wouldn't you say? It's folks like that (we presume) that have forced Warner Brothers' hand, and now the studio will end its home video and DVD business in the nation of South Korea. According to an unnamed official at Warner Brothers Home Video Korea, "one of the reasons for the pullout is a slump in the video and DVD market, resulting from online piracy and illegal downloading," and amazingly enough, Warner Bros. is actually the last remaining Hollywood company to pull out of the region. Instead, the firm will focus on "digital distribution," and given that just about everyone and their grandmother has access to the internetz in South Korea, we'd say that's probably an intelligent move.

Plextor reveals PX-Q840U / PX-806SA Qflix-enabled DVD burners

by Darren Murph posted Nov 3rd 2008 at 12:01AM


Hot on the heels of Pioneer's latest Qflix-enabled duo comes a fresh pair from Plextor. The PX-806SA (internal) and PX-Q840U (external) both feature Sonic Solution's sophisticated burn technology that enables users to imprint CinemaNow movies onto specially-keyed blank DVD media. Yes, you actually need proprietary media for this to work -- fun, right? Anywho, the drives come bundled with Roxio Venue / Creator 10 CE software alongside a pair of recordable Qflix discs, and both should be available right now in North / South America for $89.99 and $149.99, respectively. Full release after the break.

Gallery: Plextor reveals PX-Q840U / PX-806SA Qflix-enabled DVD burners

Continue reading Plextor reveals PX-Q840U / PX-806SA Qflix-enabled DVD burners

Hollywood hates fair use, sues over RealDVD

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 1st 2008 at 4:31PM


We knew Hollywood wouldn't let RealNetworks sell its RealDVD DVD-ripping-and-archiving software without a fight, and right on schedule, the six major studios have filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent it from being sold. Of course, RealNetworks has been planning on hiding behind that Kaleidescape ruling all along, but straight CSS circumvention isn't really what's at the heart of the suit: according to the studio's request for a restraining order, consumers won't be able to contain themselves in the face of RealDVD's voodoo magic and will start ripping rental DVDs en masse -- seriously, the suit calls the incentive to do so "all but overwhelming." Here's a hint, guys: if you believe the temptation to do something is that strong, it probably means you can get people to pay to do it -- and you should probably be working out a business model that embraces consumers instead of funding new BMWs for your lawyers while actual piracy tears down the fragile house of cards your entire industry is built on. Or you know, whatever.

RealDVD rips DVDs just like you do, only legally (maybe)

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 8th 2008 at 5:18AM


RealNetworks, the company you love to hate, is back with a new product sure to capture the attention of Hollywood and its MPAA thugs. For $30, RealDVD plans to do what DVD Jon enabled years ago -- namely, making digital copies of your DVDs. Unlike Jon's illegal DRM stripping software, RealNetworks' approach lays on additional DRM allowing you to make a single copy, only, playable on the machine doing the rip -- up to five additional Windows PCs can be authorized at a cost of $20 per.

Real thinks that the use of the additional DRM coupled with Kaleidescape's legal victory -- a ruling that seemingly authorizes users to copy DVDs for their own personal use -- will help it escape the wrath of the MPAA. Not that RealNetworks has ever been afraid of a fight as demonstrated by its 2004 scuffle with Apple when it began offering software that allowed iPods to play Real's DRM'd content. Good thing too because we're pretty sure that shutting down the planned start of RealDVD's sales at the end of this month is the number one topic around the bunny-juice dispensers at the MPAA offices this morning.

[Via cnet]

Who cares if the analog hole is closed?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jul 24th 2008 at 1:58PM

HD PVR
There are plenty of people out there that couldn't care less if HD programming continued to flow over component connections. To some, it is just seen as an outdated technology that deserves to die. So it's no surprise that some big names like DirecTV and AT&T recently told the FCC that they couldn't care less either, but this is mostly because they are more interested in offering some Hollywood movies a few weeks early, than ensuring their customers can use their connection of choice. Funny though, not everyone agrees, we particularly liked the stance of the National Association of Theater Owners which believe that if new movies were offered earlier, it is sure to kill the theater business -- boy, we never heard that one before. The only entity out there who did seem to be on the same page as us was the Consumer Electronics Association, who called SOC a "blunt instrument" to which they see many opportunities for abuse. TiVo seemed to have the most level headed approach though, which was, let 'em try it, and if it's abused (aka used for something other then new movies) then repeal it -- just so long as the content works on TiVo devices, of course.

Hollywood can already control what you record on your DVR

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 12:00PM

Blocked content
There has been a bit of a ruckus lately about the fact that Hollywood recently petitioned the FCC so that the ban on selectable output control (SOC) would be lifted. The articles go on to say that the this could impact the way you record with your HD DVRs, but it really isn't the case. As DirecTV HD DVR, TiVo HD and Vista Media Center owners (among others) can tell you, there are already flags out there that can either limit the amount of time you can keep a show, or prevent you from recording something entirely. The copy never flags are not supposed to be used, but it's obvious that they are, and the copy once flags get abused by some providers as a rule, rather than the exception. But SOC has nothing to do with recording on your HD DVR; SOC is all about closing the analog hole.

Continue reading Hollywood can already control what you record on your DVR

MPAA backs yet another anti-piracy technology: DreamStream

by Darren Murph posted Jul 4th 2008 at 10:48AM


As the Motion Picture Association of America continues on its unending (we mean that quite literally) quest to banish digital piracy, it has just announced its unbridled support for yet another technology. The MPAA has approved the use of DreamStream's secure online file streaming system "as a solution to curb digital piracy," and according to Michael Jay Solomon, founder of Solomon Entertainment Enterprises, the software will "allow the content providers to recoup the billions of dollars that they are loosing [sic] right now." If you got a chuckle out of that, get a load of this. Ulf Diebel, chief development officer for DreamStream, went so far as to say that in order to "win the war on piracy, the studios need DreamStream's military grade capabilities." Heck, the company even asserts that its "unpublished encryption has never been compromised by hackers or digital pirates." Sheesh , don't you all know what happens when you just beg to be circumvented?




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