What else can we say? The concept here is pure genius, and it totally makes those pricey security systems seem way pointless (okay, slightly less critical). The FakeTV is a strobe that sets up in an occupied room at night and flashes up beams of light. From the inside, we can imagine it looks fairly curious, but from the outside, it gives prospective burglars the idea that someone is actually awake and watching a television program. It promises to produce the effects of "scene changes, fades, swells, flicks, on-screen motion and color changes," just like they were generated by a bona fide set. We can't speak for how well (or not) this thing actually works, but at just $49, we'd say it's a solid buy if you're the paranoid type.

[Via BoingBoing]

The title pretty much says it all here, folks. Just a few months after SlySoft revealed a beta of its AnyDVD HD software which obliterated BD+, v6.4.0.0 has finally arrived and proudly possesses the ability to "remove BD+ protection from Blu-ray Discs." Among the other changes is an option to enable / disable BD+ removal, a fix for seeing a black display with some BD discs and other minor DVD-related tweaks. Brimming with excitement? Hit up the read link below -- your next download awaits.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

If you've been wondering why you haven't heard anything about AMIMON's Wireless High-definition Interface since just before CES last year, it's probably because no Blu-ray / HD DVD material can be delivered through it. Now, however, the company is hoping that its WHDI solution will be much more attractive, which isn't too far fetched considering the HDCP certification that it just received. Reportedly, the technology is now considered an Approved Retransmission Technology (ART), and since that hurdle has finally been cleared, we're elated to see that a number WHDI-enabled products should be headed our way courtesy of "several original equipment manufacturers in 2008." The possibilities here are fairly limitless, and needless to say, we're quite interested to see what AMIMON has to offer at CES 2008.

Regardless of what those oh-so-knowledgeable analysts had to say, we all knew this day was coming. Yep, that highly-touted, totally "impenetrable" copy protection technology known as BD+ has officially been brought to its knees, and it's not at all surprising to hear that we have SlySoft to thank. The AnyDVD 6.1.9.6 beta has quite a comical change log too, and aside from noting that users now have the ability to backup their BD+ movies and watch titles sans the need for HDCP-compliant equipment, it also includes a candid note to Twentieth Century Fox informing the studio that its prior assumptions about BD+'s effectiveness were apparently incorrect. You know the drill, hit the read link below to try 'er out.

[Thanks, Aaron]

We haven't broken down the minutes and seconds or anything, but we're fairly certain that July 10th wasn't exactly ten years ago. Nevertheless, the so-called "impenetrable" BD+ DRM scheme has reportedly already been subverted, and it's no shock to hear that the folks behind SlySoft had a hand in it. Regrettably, there's not a lot of details beyond that just yet, but according to the outfit's CEO, the software is ready to rock and should be released before the end of 2007. Chalk (yet another) one up to the hackers.

[Via HighDefDigest, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sure, there's been more than a few attempts to offer up DRM-laced burns, and while the overall success level is certainly debatable, DTR is giving the whole secure writing thing a go anyway. The company, which specializes in making sure that content guardians rest easy, has announced a two-faced DVD burner that can write both normal, non-protected discs or "burn secure downloaded content." Apparently, the Protected Disk Recorder (PDR) will arrive in an external flavor that can connect to "PCs, game consoles, and more" via USB, and while it can reportedly add-in whatever flavor of protection the manufacturer wants, DTR also states that its new device can "provide additional access control functions which further enhance the security of downloaded media." Currently, we've seen no details in regard to price or the actual target market, but if history continues to repeat itself, this is just another layer of DRM waiting to be cracked. [Warning: PDF read link]

We all know that bit about a "speedy trial" doesn't exactly come to fruition in most cases, and after three excruciating years of battling innovation stranglers the DVD Copy Control Association, Kaleidescape has escaped unscathed. The firm's DVD ripping / streaming jukebox was under fire for obvious reasons, as it not only encouraged the ripping of "protected content," but it helped users rip and transmit the data around their network. The DVD CCA whined that the machine "breached a contract" when it crafted a product that enabled users to copy its locked-down material onto hard-drive based servers -- the judge, however, felt otherwise. In fact, it was ruled that "nothing in the DVD CCA licensing agreement prohibits the development of products that allow users to copy their DVDs," thus, no contract was breached at all. One down, too many to go.

It's hard out there for DRM these days, as we've got diligent users working 'round the clock to reinstate the fair use rights that AACS and similar restrictions seem to remove, and now there's an easy, streamlined, and costly method to cracking down on your HD DVD's DRM scheme. Those out there looking to make backups, view your content sans PowerDVD Ultra (or without an HDCP-compliant graphics card / display), get rid of user prohibitions, and skip over studio logos and warning messages should look no further, as SlySoft's AnyDVD HD has been relinquished from its brief stay in beta territory and is ready for purchase. While we've already seen just how compromised DRM is as a whole, and we've witnessed giant steps leading up to this occasion, this $79.99 software gives users a point-and-click approach to freeing up their protected content in order to make it a tad more user-friendly. Moreover, the company's marketing director insinuated that a Blu-ray version of the software should be hitting the beta stage "later this quarter," so if you're anxious to remove those chains from your precious HD DVDs, and don't want the bother with the free alternatives already out there, be sure to hit the read link with credit card in hand.

[Via DTV]