Round One of the DRM War......

Ding...Ding...
Round One
Of the DRM War
Has Started....

As any one who has read my blog over the last several months know I have very definite ideas about the upcoming digital transition, and more importantly issues surrounding it, i.e. DRM and the consumers right to play what they want when, and on what they want. The first salvo of the DRM war against High Definition media owners vrs the consumers was fired earlier this year when a hacker was able to find the AACS Code the encrypted the title and locked the High Definition Disc. This was posted and eventually made its way to the Digg.com website, where it was posted. Digg.com soon received a cease and Desist order requesting they take down the code and any post related to it. However, there was a revolt and very soon after it was remover it was put back up in many different forms by thousands of readers, The folks at Digg finely relented and let the post stay up.

The bigger picture is that while the Media companies and studios will try to limit how consumers use their media, forcing people to find workarounds to to what they've always done before, which was well with the preview of "Fair Use" I have seen reports of some rather nasty ideas floated using hardware embedded software that "phones home" and alerts the powers that be what your doing if your playing a DVD that not quite legit they will know and may do anything from shutting down the machine either later next time you try to play that disc, or right then and there, or filling a report to someone who can make your life miserable for months after.

it was just brought to my attention that Direct tv, has put a 24hour cap on letting folk view a per per view movie, that include items you've started watching and haven't finished, once the 24 hrs was up it disappeared, and if you want to see it again you have to pay again. Heres the link;

http://www.hothardware.com/News/Your%5FDirecTV%5FWill%5FBe%5FDRMOld%5FAnd%5FBusted/

The encryption code used in Blu-ray HD DVD is called AACS code its a encryption used for content distribution and digital rights management for dvd, I foresee other uses for it, none of them good..

Here are two Links to information about AACS Code;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Access_Content_System

Also related to the AACS Code the page detailing the crack to the DRM on the HD DVDS:

http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=1104

Heres a link to the DIGG Story about their taking down the code and putting it back up again.

http://www.techimo.com/forum/t185930.html

Also heres a link to a page on the HBO Site I found this morning;
This explain their position on recording show off their networks;

http://www.hbo.com/corpinfo/cgmsafaq.shtml#jump3




I don't think most people realize how their rights as consumers are being slowly eroded and what we have taken for granted as rights granted to us back in the 1970's with the advent of VCRS , and a supreme courts decision that vcrs did not violate copyrights or tv produces as long as the tapes were made for personal use. its called "Fair Use" What is needed for people to call and email and write their local congress people and let them know they are against DRM and crippling DRM in particular.As far I'm concerned that fair use law extends to CD's DVD, HD DVDs and any other media, as long as I make copies for my own personal use they have no right to limit my ability to record or archive any media.

The Perfect Set-top DVD Recorder...

I have had a set-top dvd recorder for a couple of years now, and overall I love it.
I use to make copies of movies off my dish network pvr, just like we used to do with vcrs.
However now I make better copies and its all digitial and can play in most anything that plays dvds.
I am getting a nice collection of old movies and tv specials and one-off specials from my local pbs station.
I'm not going to bore you with a list of my collection,

Right now, I focusing in on the hardware.

Over all it looks like a regular dvd player,, but the remote has that lovely little record button...!

There is where I'd make my first changes, one would be to better arrange the buttons, so the ones you use most, play record and pause, and stop were easily worked, without danger of hitting the wrong button.
I would also ad a finalize button, what most folks forget is that when a disc is done you have to finalize it like you do on a computer made dvd, as it is, at least with mine is I have to go down through 2 sets of menus to finalize a dis. what a pain. not bad when you know the way, but still a unnecessary pain.


One of the thing I love about this dvd recording in general is being able to put titles on the disc themselves when your done,, so when you put it in a machine you get a main menu, telling exactly whats on the disc.
There in lies my other change, I would make it easier to add the titles, one way to do this would be to add a wireless keyboard, possible with hot keys leading directly to main functions like editing titles and the like, it would make it easier to do menus. It should be packaged with the unit, along with the regular remote.

My other changes would be on the back of the unit, My unit would have a broader selection of inputs, not just the standred s-video, and rca plugs,
I would ad HDMI both in and out, possibly 2 HDMI inputs, and the ability to input fiber-optics and a fire wire and usb ,
I'd also let it record in high definition, either HD or Blue-ray, with at least 5.1 surround natively.

I am sure that the powers that be will never let such a unit be build and sold comericially,
But maybe some techie smarter then me will figure out how to make the HDMI inputs work and get the recording laser to see what we want it to see..

Meanwhile ,I use my little magic box and dream digital dreams........