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Self destructing DVD players -- the future ?

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:47 am
by alister
It looks like if you buy a Blu-ray DVD player and modify it in any way (ie: remove region code, etc...) then it can be killed remotely.

"On top of that, consumers should expect punishment for tinkering with their Blu-ray players, as many have done with current DVD players, for instance to remove regional coding. The new, Internet-connected and secure players will report any "hack" and the device can be disabled remotely."

Full Article

Alister

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 1:27 pm
by NAiLs
I can tell you, an internet connected DVD player ain't gonna fly. For one, most homes don't even have a connection for internet near their living room. If they do, why in the world would they want to run a wire? If they come up with a wireless solution, why in the world would I want to do that? Big threat to security...

I don't have a connection where I have my home theatre setup... that moved across the house. I'm kinda looking forward to upgrading in a year or two, to the blu-ray setup. With this in mind, no way in hell will I upgrade.

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:43 pm
by bubba
I have seen folks talking about this before... not sure where though.. but there was alot of comparing Blue Ray to Betamax...

I dont even have my dish receiver hooked up to the phone because I didnt feel like string a line to it, that and keeps the wife from buying movies. why would I want a dvd player that requires me to have a internet conection? I cant even get internet outside a dial up where I live anyway...

they say that blue ray is the way for anti piracy, well there is always a way around, someone just hasn't had the need to spend the time to find it. when this stuff makes its way to the store it wont take long.

I'll be a tad hacked if I cant make back ups of DVDs anymore. I make copies of my kids movies to for them to use and I put the master up. hell this year alone I have burned spidy2 aleast 3 times. kids can f'up a cd/dvd.

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 6:44 pm
by Zelig
Heh, no internet connection's going to be available for any DVD player of mine... I don't even use my T.V. for that matter, other than watching hockey on the 1 channel I recieve. I watch movies on my computer, which has a bigger screen than my T.V.

Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2005 2:50 am
by sbohdan
bubba wrote:they say that blue ray is the way for anti piracy, well there is always a way around, someone just hasn't had the need to spend the time to find it. when this stuff makes its way to the store it wont take long.
I agree. rules are there to be broken- anti-piracy stuff to be hacked :snakeman:

you see, when you buy an original dvd movie, a big portion of the price is the rights. the phisical disc and the package doesn't cost more then $0.50 therefore I feel that when your kids (or your carplayer) damages the original you should be able to get a replacement free or for a little charge instead of buying the rights again. as long as this is not the case I can't feel sorry for those large movie companies who cry all the time of loosing profits. they are full of crap. also why do we have to pay $20 for a movie when warner bross is selling originals in china for $2.75 ?
Chinese customers will favor the more expensive, legit copies of the chick flick (priced at $2.75) over later, lower-quality bootleg ones (usually priced between 60 cents and $1.80).
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8185335/site/newsweek/

Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 4:43 pm
by killswitch83
bubba wrote:I'll be a tad hacked if I cant make back ups of DVDs anymore. I make copies of my kids movies to for them to use and I put the master up. hell this year alone I have burned spidy2 aleast 3 times. kids can f'up a cd/dvd.
No sh1t, and it's all bull anyways; I mean, there would be very little or no hacking if frickin movie stars and musicians weren't such dicks about lining their already gluttonous wallets. I mean, $20 for a DVD? why? like sbohdan said, the media and packaging adds up to about 50 to 75 cents a DVD, and yet they want to charge 40 times that on the street! ugh, it's just dumb, and I like the ability to make backups of my DVD's, it's just those who distributes pirated DVD's is who is giving regular users a bad name (sorry to offend those in here who do distribute their burned movies, but I speak my mind).

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 2:03 am
by NAiLs
bubba wrote:I'll be a tad hacked if I cant make back ups of DVDs anymore. I make copies of my kids movies to for them to use and I put the master up. hell this year alone I have burned spidy2 aleast 3 times. kids can f'up a cd/dvd.
I think it's illegal to reproduce any movies the way is. You read the warning, you'll get the nice message telling you that you cannot reproduce that movie, or else you can face 5 years and/or a $250,000 fine. I swear it's just movies you can't reproduce, but you can probably burn music CD's if you own the original. Video games are the same way too, console anyway. You used to be able to make ROMs legally for Nintendo games a few years back.... but not anymore!

I'm trying to search the law, but I'm having a hard time. I'm pooped! I'll look more after work.

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 5:27 pm
by Zelig
NAiLs wrote:you'll get the nice message telling you that you cannot reproduce that movie,.
I get no such messages on any of my original movies. :)

Actually, I'm pretty picky about all my stuff, all my movies are full quality video/audio.

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 5:53 pm
by killswitch83
Actually, I think the law is that you can make one personal copy as a backup, and if you're caught distributing, you face $250,000 fine and some years in prison for copyright infringement. When you buy a DVD, you're paying mostly for a license agreement, and I believe that license agreement allows for a backup copy.

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 6:39 am
by bubba
you can make a copy for backup/personal use. it falls under fair use act. but the first one you sell then your toast.

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:58 am
by infinitevalence
there is no such thing as the fair use act. it does not exist, fair use is not a law or any sort of established thing. dont hold your breath for it either the companies have alot more $$ than we do so they controle the laws.

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 10:06 am
by bubba
there isn't? did not know that, then why is it that when folks start yelling about this stuff it all ways gets brought up??

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 1:42 pm
by Tourec
Actually there is such a thing as fair use. It's not an "act" in and of itself but it is part of the Copyright Act of 1976. Section 107 defines it (although it's still pretty amiguous and therefore subject to interpretation). Anyways, its intention is to reinforce the idea that Congress should support the progress of science and arts as worded in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution: "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;"

That being said, I fully agree that all these copyright issues have gotten FAR out of hand. Patents being issued on ideas, "intellectual property", copyright extending far beyond an author's death (I have no idea how that's anywhere near constitutional), etc. I'm not sure making a backup of a CD/DVD is fair use or not, but it is usually permitted in the EULA of any product "You may make one backup copy of this product blah blah blah". So when they include extremely tight DRM and have all sorts of protection (more like they damage my CD and I'm forced to buy a defective product), I'm not sure how they expect you to be able to act on that right.

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 1:51 pm
by killswitch83
I know how to act on their digital rights tightening: break my size 11 off in their ass. Personally, the copyright issue has gone a bit far as to destroy personal property in the event that the Regional Code is missing from a DVD, not to mention that they used to (and they may still do) intentionally flaw a disc, whether application, music, or DVD disc, only enough so it couldn't be copied without error. I think that tightening "intellectual property" rights will stifle technological advance in the field of media and even certain media players like DVD players, CD-players, and so forth. Give me the foreceps so I can pull the collective head out of the RIAA and the MPAA's collective asses, lol :P

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:10 pm
by kenc51
killswitch83 wrote: Give me the foreceps so I can pull the collective head out of the RIAA and the MPAA's collective asses, lol :P
Why use a foreceps? That would imply you would use some kind of delicate touch... :axe:

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 5:07 pm
by killswitch83
oh yeah, I forgot I can't be nice to those who aren't to me; ok, then we can use the Jaws of Life, or maybe a dull butter knife, rofl :P :rolleyes:

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 5:10 pm
by kenc51
agent orange, mustard gas.. :evil:

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 5:34 pm
by killswitch83
ricin, VX nerve gas, Sarin, draw and quarter them, rofl. I'm so so cruel :evil: :snakeman:

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:08 pm
by Nobahar
I'm tired of justifying my personal reasons for going against digital copyright laws. If there's an idiot with a 20 hanging out the back of his jeans where I can grab it and make a getaway with low risk of getting caught, then I'd go for it.

I actually bought music legally on itunes, then quit it after I learned that I couldn't convert it to mp3 to play in other programs and burn to my mp3 cd player. Of course I used a 3rd party software to do it, but I won't be buying any itunes music anymore.

****, they're not even selling me the plastic disc- they're giving me the pure digital song which costs next to nothing in terms of selling massive quantities of the songs- and even then they do it under certain conditions where I'm not even allowed to alter the format of the songs I paid for.

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:27 pm
by killswitch83
I had the same problem with iTunes myself; they're a bunch of fudge-packing morons, the RIAA is. Something needs to change, because truly a CD should cost no more than 95 cents, what it cost for the media it's recorded on. They make plenty of money going on their international tours and their other business ventures. And you take one good look at MTV Cribs and The Fabulous Life Of...., and you see them with their multi-million dollar homes, their gluttonous lifestyles, and you just gotta think to yourself "Well, Satan's gonna be giving them the heavy lead pipe up the Hershey highway when they die". I hate greedy people :x