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Cnet: New copy-proof DVDs on the way?

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Cnet: New copy-proof DVDs on the way?

Old 02-15-05, 09:48 AM
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Cnet: New copy-proof DVDs on the way?

http://news.com.com/New+copy-proof+D...op&tag=nl.e703
Macrovision is expected to release a new DVD copy-protection technology Tuesday in hopes of substantially broadening its role in Hollywood's antipiracy effort.

The content-protection company is pointing to the failure of the copy-proofing on today's DVDs, which was broken in 1999. Courts have ordered that DVD-copying tools be taken off the market, but variations of the software remain widely available online.

Macrovision executives said that even if it's not perfect, the new RipGuard DVD technology can prevent much of the copying done with such tools and can help bolster studios' DVD sales.

"Encryption standards either work or they don't," said Adam Gervin, Macrovision's senior director of marketing, "Now the cat's out of the bag. (DVD sales) are going to be one of the main sources of revenue for Hollywood for a long time, so why leave billions of dollars on the table when you can do something about it?"

The company could be hard pressed to break into the DVD protection market, which has historically been managed by companies or industry groups closely associated with the Hollywood studios themselves. However, studios have been deeply concerned by the failure of today's DVD copy protection and may be willing to experiment with an alternative if it proves practical.

The original DVD copy-protection tool--called Content Scramble System--was developed by a technology coalition that included studio representatives. The tool is licensed by a group with close ties to Hollywood.

A new coalition, which includes Warner Bros., Walt Disney, IBM, Sony, Microsoft and Intel, is working on another content-protection technology for next-generation DVDs. That technology called the Advanced Access Content System, which is not designed for today's DVDs, is being designed to let movies be moved around a home though a digital network.

The group has said little about its progress since announcing the project last year, but companies involved have said they expect to have it ready in time for the first expected release of high-definition video on DVD late in 2005.

Meanwhile, Macrovision is promoting its alternative. The company, which has worked with the studios in the past, was responsible for the technique that makes it difficult to copy movies from one VCR to another, and it has updated that technique to help prevent people from making copies of movies using the analog plugs on DVD players.

The company is using a new version of that analog guard to create copy protection for video-on-demand services. That new guard will be included in TiVo devices and other set-top boxes beginning later this year.

Macrovision's new product takes a different approach to antipiracy than it has taken for analog or audio CDs. Gervin said Macrovision engineers have spent several years looking at how various DVD-copying software packages work and have devised ways to tweak the encoding of a DVD to block most of them.

That means the audio and video content itself requires no new hardware and isn't scrambled anew, as is the case with most rights-management techniques. Someone using one of the ripping tools on a protected DVD might simply find their software crashing, or be presented with error messages instead of a copy.

Macrovision's analog copy-protection business means that it receives pre-market versions of most major DVD players in order to test for compatibility, and it has been performing RipGuard DVD tests on these machines for months. As a result, the company says it is confident that discs encoded with its new product will be playable on all major DVD player brands and PC drives.

Gervin said that the technique would block most rippers, but not all, and could be easily updated for future discs as underground programmers find ways to work around RipGuard.

If adopted, the technology could be a welcome financial shot in the arm for Macrovision. The company has seen its revenue from DVD copy protection fall over recent quarters and has increasingly been looking to other businesses to make up for the shortfall.
Old 02-15-05, 10:28 AM
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There's no such thing as "copy proof". The only variable is how long it actually takes to get around it.

Originally Posted by nemein
"Gervin said that the technique would block most rippers, but not all, and could be easily updated for future discs as underground programmers find ways to work around RipGuard."
Something tells me "underground programmers" can release new versions with a lot more speed than a studio can switch it's pressings.
Old 02-15-05, 10:29 AM
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what i dont understand is why the movie & music industry are so against digital media...


the SMART companies would be working WITH it as upposed to against it
Old 02-15-05, 12:05 PM
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To me, most DVDs are cheap enough these days to just buy them, especially when they are previously-viewed. I think keeping the retail cost down will do more to prevent copy protection than investing in new technology that will be obsolete as soon as it comes out.
Old 02-15-05, 12:21 PM
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Macrovision's new product takes a different approach to antipiracy than it has taken for analog or audio CDs. Gervin said Macrovision engineers have spent several years looking at how various DVD-copying software packages work and have devised ways to tweak the encoding of a DVD to block most of them.

That means the audio and video content itself requires no new hardware and isn't scrambled anew, as is the case with most rights-management techniques. Someone using one of the ripping tools on a protected DVD might simply find their software crashing, or be presented with error messages instead of a copy.
Uh, huh. Right. Let's see, there are what, 80,000,000 DVD players in the USA alone? And while they wouldn't need hardware changes according to this quote, they would still obviously need firmware changes. Not going to happen.

And then there's that pesky little group, the DVD Forum. They like to have a bit of control. MAYBE they could get something like this through for HD-DVD players, might already be too late for that.
Old 02-15-05, 01:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Kris81
what i dont understand is why the movie & music industry are so against digital media...


the SMART companies would be working WITH it as upposed to against it
What does protecting your product from theft do to hinder digital media?
Old 02-15-05, 03:39 PM
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Fixing what ain't broke. What lost billions? DVD sales are stratospheric.
Old 02-15-05, 09:03 PM
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Are they red surfaced and disposable too!!??
Old 02-15-05, 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Spiky
Uh, huh. Right. Let's see, there are what, 80,000,000 DVD players in the USA alone? And while they wouldn't need hardware changes according to this quote, they would still obviously need firmware changes. Not going to happen.
You are incorrect. This new copy protection requires NO changes in the current DVD players at all (HD or SW). That is why Macrovision is so excited about it as well as the studios.
Old 02-15-05, 11:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Spiky
Uh, huh. Right. Let's see, there are what, 80,000,000 DVD players in the USA alone? And while they wouldn't need hardware changes according to this quote, they would still obviously need firmware changes. Not going to happen.
Nope. This isn't a change that affects playback on standard DVD players. Instead, it specifically causes errors in ripping software (probably due to the placement of intentional digital errors that DVD players can ignore during playback).

DJ
Old 02-15-05, 11:30 PM
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i wonder how much it costs to license css, macrovision and this new protection scheme on every dvd vesus how much they lose to piracy.
Old 02-16-05, 08:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Quatermass
To me, most DVDs are cheap enough these days to just buy them, especially when they are previously-viewed. I think keeping the retail cost down will do more to prevent copy protection than investing in new technology that will be obsolete as soon as it comes out.
I couldn't agree more. I believe it was Universal who lowered the retail price on their music CDs, which allows retail outlets to lower their sale prices. As a result, I find myself buying many more Universal CDs than I did before -- simply because it's more affordable to spin a CD if you're uncertain whether you'll like it or not. There are always going to be people who don't follow the law by selling copies of music/movies (I don't agree with it), but if prices were lower, there would be less of a demand for their products.
Old 02-23-05, 10:28 AM
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“Macrovision RipGuard DVD is designed to dramatically reduce DVD ripping and the resulting supply of illegal P2P content. For over two decades, Macrovision has provided the premier solution for device-to-device copying using DVD players, VCRs, DVD recorders, digital video recorders, digital set-top boxes and media center PCs,” said Steve Weinstein, executive vice president and general manager of Macrovision’s Entertainment Technologies Group. “Ultimately, we see RipGuard DVD and the ACP framework evolving beyond anti-piracy, and towards enablement of legitimate on-line transactions, interoperability in tomorrow’s digital home, and the upcoming high definition formats.”

The two processes of applying RipGuard DVD and ACP to DVD optical discs can be transparently combined at the replication facility, regardless of the type of manufacturing systems used. In support of the worldwide content protection ecosystem, Macrovision has developed extensive test and certification facilities used to validate both these products for seamless playability on nearly all manufacturer’s DVD players, drives, and recorders prior to market release.

RipGuard DVD is available today in select replication facilities, with general availability anticipated in the second quarter of 2005.
http://www.macrovision.com/company/n...6%20PST%202005

http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=671

Could they possibly put the protection in the current format AND still keep it running in current players???

If so, anyone know which movies have that protection so I can netflix it and "try" things?

Either way, I guess it'll get cracked soon enough.
Old 02-23-05, 10:20 PM
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Originally Posted by djtoell
Nope. This isn't a change that affects playback on standard DVD players. Instead, it specifically causes errors in ripping software (probably due to the placement of intentional digital errors that DVD players can ignore during playback).

DJ
Hmm. I'll reserve judgement on that til I see it. Besides, as mentioned above, it's take days or weeks til it is cracked anyway. All it will do is potentially screw up actual DVD players.

If nothing else, here's a thought: current errors on DVDs are already the bane of videophiles everywhere. Intentional ones better die a quick death like those extreme copy protected CDs that didn't work.
Old 02-24-05, 05:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Quatermass
To me, most DVDs are cheap enough these days to just buy them, especially when they are previously-viewed. I think keeping the retail cost down will do more to prevent copy protection than investing in new technology that will be obsolete as soon as it comes out.
Absolutely. Price the pirates out of business is tthe real way to win. It is so fucking obvious.

Instead, treat everyone like a crook and piss off lots of loyal customers.

The MPAA and RIAA are run by dipshits.

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