New DVD copy protection scheme

[trotsky]

http://news.com.com/New+copy-proof+DVDs+on+the+way/2100-1026_3-5576375.html?tag=nefd.top

You know, this really pisses me off. I don't pirate stuff, I just want to be able to make an archival copy of a DVD I buy so that I can store away the original and protect it from the rigors of normal use.

Oh I know they don't care. They lose a sale if I break a disc but have a backup, don't they! Bastards.

[Redstone]

1. I agree.

As a writer and graphics guy, I'm big on copyright protection, but these assholes are going too far theother way.

Back in the old days (this will date me), I used to buy records and immediately make cassette tapes of them, listening to the tapes in order to prevent wearing the records out.

That's fair use, and what you want to do is fair use as well. You should be able to do it.

Redstone

[Occulus]

4. I have long held the belief that, were it possible,

the RIAA would force you to 'forget' their songs as soon as they air, to prevent me from singing ti on my own and chancing that someone else might hear my unauthorized performance of their copyrighted work.

I saw it coming about ten years ago. That's when I stopped buying CDs and listening to radio that plays RIAA member music. I haven't looked back once and I don't miss the tripe they're trying to pass off as "creativity" in the least. I haven't given the RIAA a dime in all that time :)

[MrModerate]

5. Copy-schmopy! I'd be satisfied if I could PLAY the damn things...

That I've bought in other regions of the planet.

The region-protection is the most useless, consumer-hostile scheme in the software/content biz. Supposedly, it's because they want to control release dates of their content, but we know that's bovine fertilizer. It's another clubfooted copy-protection scheme that doesn't slow down the pirates but cornholes the legitimate user.

I have a region-free DVD (Romanian manufacture, so it has other "interesting" features and a certain devil-may-care attitude toward reliability) -- and it doesn't always work. For my laptop, I'd have to buy a $25 deregionalizer program to use the commercial DVDs I've legitimately purchased.

The people who came up with this one should get an uncomfortable skin disease that makes them ashamed to be seen in public!

(No insult intended to those who have uncomfortable skin diseases)

[SemiCharmedQuark]

2. I agree.

I make copies of my CDs for my own private use, not to sell. I'm very hard on my CDs, and I don't want to have to keep paying for a new one. Although, I guess that's what they want.

[dubyaD40web]

3. Just like anything else...

The code will be broken.

[Occulus]

6. Remember the one Sony came out with?

The one that could be defeated by a $.59 black felt tip marker? :D

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2294

Sony's latest CD copy protection comes unstuck

* 13:51 17 May 2002
* NewScientist.com news service
* Will Knight

"The latest improvement to Sony's CD "copy protection" technology can still be defeated with sticky tape or marker pens, New Scientist has found. But Sony warns the methods could damage the discs and drives.

Copy protected discs are designed to stop computer users converting music tracks to digital music files, such as MP3s, which can be easily distributed over the internet. Sony's key2audio is one type of copy protection and is designed to stop music discs playing in PC and Mac CD-ROM drives. Each protected disc comes with the warning: "Will not play in Mac/PC".

Most protection systems, including key2audio, introduce data to discs that confuse CD-ROM drives, but are ignored by CD audio equipment. Some older copy protected discs had a visible gap near the edge of the disc, between the copy protection data and the music data.

It was found that drawing with a marker pen or applying tape over the gap and copy protection data would sometimes let the discs play normally in computers, presumably by preventing the CD-ROMs from reading the data."

[BlueJazz]

7. Yep...You got that right.

Being a Tech, I know a few Assembly Language people that are licking their chops to "figure out" a way to crack it.

Also, with the advent of super-high resolution screens and super-high resolution digital cameras, a person could always just "film the screen".
...And there ain't NO-WAY to protect that...

[Kellanved]

8. Certainly, but to what price?

It will be illegal to try it (at least here).

It is the same with CDs already. The protection isn't the real problem, I'd be okay with that. My problem is: copy-protected CDs have a noticeably worse audio-quality - and no crack will ever bring back the lost quality. I guess something similar might happen to DVDs.