Protect DVDVideo slaps face of PC and Media Center


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The movie industry just doesn't get it. This is a new century and the times, they are a-changing. But the studio bosses just keep on ignoring technology like they are on rails, kicking the consumer where it hurts every chance they get. Another copy protection scheme that some studios may decide to use for DVDs, has hit the streets and is courting tinsel town. This time they want to try and stop you from using your legally purchased DVD movies on a PC! All of course in the name of stopping piracy. Right, I've seen that movie too, the plot's thinner than a Will Ferrell flick.

Protect DVD-Video is a copy protection technology that will not allow playback of discs sporting the protection on a Windows PC using Windows Media Player or DirectShow. Protect DVD-Video by ProtectDisc, is basically a mechanism for mangling the IFO file that is used for menus and such on a DVD movie and have it be reported to Media Player as a zero byte file ..very clever, but also annoying.

Of course, if you just dropped coin for a Media Center OS home theater PC, the interface uses the Windows Media Player by default, so this is a major pain in the posterior, if you mistakenly purchase a movie with ProtecDisc. But not to worry, it has been defeated already by Slysoft. However, it is a sad state of affairs when we have to pay for additional software in order to use our legitimate purchases on our equipment.

"With this copy protection the film industry clearly overshot the mark", says Giancarlo Bettini, CEO at SlySoft. "The premium customer who spent a lot of money on his multimedia home cinema and who, for quality reasons, would never even consider watching anything else but an original DVD, is being slapped in the face. These customers with their shelves stuffed with rightfully acquired DVDs, can't watch their videos."

Man, I wonder if Hollywood will ever wake up and realize who is buttering their bread? The thing that is really annoying, is most of the time, these DVDs are merely pressed copies of films that already made scads of money at the box office. So this DVD version enhances an already insanely profitable project. I say it is insanely profitable, as I know of few other places where workers receive tens of millions of dollars for a few months work. Those interested can read the entire blog by visiting this link at ZDNet.

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/14096

Regardless of whatever bollocks they may put on packaging, and whatever returns "policy" a store may have, if a product that has been bought from somewhere is not fit for purpose (i.e. doesn't frickin work) you get a refund. Not an exchange (though you are entitled to one if you want, though that would be pointless). In order to discover a DVD doesn't work, you have to remove it from the packaging. Woe betide any tosspot that denies me my statutory rights under consumer law with "we don't accept opened returns".

Of course, this is in UK. YMMV.

My only DVD player is my PC. I shall not buy a seperate DVD player. I shall not buy software to make DVDs work. I'll be more than happy to stop buying DVDs if they try to screw me--after all, it's not like there is an irresistable amount of good movies.

its tru, i bought a media center pc with the intention of plugging my 32inch HDTV into it and useing it to watch movies on when i feel like it, if this is how there going about now and i aint buyign software to let me watch mvoies i have bough legit in the first place cuz thats just messed up, i guess they just want to promote illegal downloading.

The irony is that these tactics are not only inconvenient they infuriate the consumer. The consumers response is to stop buying DVD's. The low sales of DVD's is then MISINTERPRETED by the industry as being attributed to pirating.

Wow, that has to be the most insightful post on this subject for a long time.

Somebody give this guy a cookie... seriously.

Oh, and down with the RIAA/MPAA and all that.

You are right, the gaming as well as movie industry doesnt get it.

The irony is that if you purchase a cd/dvd legally you will have all these problems, but instead if you chose to use a pirated one you can use it without any restrictions.

Oh my god this is so funny it hurts. :woot:

Simple fact, too many PC players out there retailers will get massive returns.

Even if they clearly package them people will still have problems and return them with zero interest to any retailers new policys if enacted.

Its really over before its started...

Yes I know this has been said, however I'm the guy you return it to, and guess what we stop selling things that waste space and time like those silly DIvX DVDs that stopped playing after a few times.

WARNING FLASHBACK AHEAD (circa 2003?)

""Now there is a new system entering the market called Divx. It is basically DVD

technology with copy protected pay-per-view access to titles that you purchase at about

$5 each. These discs will not play on a current DVD player. Circuit City and some

lawyers from Los Angeles came up with this bright idea. Have the consumer buy the

movie cheap, and make him pay more each time he wants to watch it. So much for

compatibility.""

Yea that was a great idea too guys. I hope the industry is reading this.

Edited by jsaint

[rant]

ffs

tbh that about covers it. When are these guys gonna learn? We live in a digital age, and I don't actually give a damn about have a hard copy, all my media (legally purchased might I add) is played through my PC, it functions as a full media center as well as workhorse for my development projects.

I don't want a million devices kickin around clutterin the place up when I can (should be able to) do everything I want from a single device.

Solution:

Instead of finding new ways to annoy the consumer, get together and work out a standard for DRM, that can work cross industry so that all a digital consumer has to do is buy a "DRM license key". If they could just get DRM right, a good chunk of their problems would be solved. Don't get me wrong pirates are still gonna exist (no amount of new tech will stop this), but making life easier for legit consumers should surely be a priority over battling the handful (yes thats right - there really aren't that many) of pirates that are taking the odd million quid from the mutli-billion quid industries.

[/rant]

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