DVD Decrypter is Dead

[Bob Russell]

It seems that legal threats were enough to end the development of DVD Decrypter. That has long been a tool for archiving DVDs, and which strips protection (DRM) much better than other all-in-one tools such as DVD Shrink and others. The tool is also helpful at times for getting content onto a mobile device for reading.

Looks like the process of making personal backup copies has just gotten that much harder for anything you buy in the future with DRM that existing copies of DVD Decrypter can't already handle.

Publisher's control of content is likely to become even harsher than the wireless carrers' stranglehold on how you use and pay for their data network. The bottom line is that they are going to force you to live with expensive and hard to use content that is controlled even to the point of how often and how long you are able use it. Until the inevitable alternatives arrive, that is!

(via Engadget)

[gadgetguru]

Sad that dual use software like these are being taken offline. Most people use this for transferring legally bought DVD for mobile viewing... Do we really have to pay time and time again for the same content? VHS, DVD, UMD, why pay again, when you have paid once, and willing to take the time to convert them...fair use rights are being dwindled...

[hacker]

Originally Posted by gadgetguru

Sad that dual use software like these are being taken offline. Most people use this for transferring legally bought DVD for mobile viewing... Do we really have to pay time and time again for the same content? VHS, DVD, UMD, why pay again, when you have paid once, and willing to take the time to convert them...fair use rights are being dwindled...

Unfortunately, yes we do.

The industry is slowly moving to a model where you "lease" your media, and it will either exire, or refuse to play. Think of it like putting quarters in a hotel television set to watch a movie. You get to pick what you want to watch at any time, but you can only watch it if you put the quarters in the slot.

We pay a tariff on the player, the original CD/DVD media ("The Movie", or "The Album"), the blank CDR/DVDR media, the aftermarket players (iTunes, iPod, mp3 players), and now the RIAA/MPAA is talking about extracting another tariff if you resell music or movies you've already purchased (such as at a second-hand music store).

So basically that means they get paid two, three, four or more times for the same physical product.

Think of it like auto sales. If you buy a car from a dealer, new.. the salesperson gets a commission. What if you bought some tires for that car. Would you expect to pay the salesperson again, even if you bought them from Sears? What if you sell the car 10 years from now to your neighbor? Should you pay the salesperson again? We wouldn't accept this in any other industry, but for some reason we ignore it in the music and movie industry. It just boggles the mind.

What I don't understand is... the artists make ~$40k USD, on average, and we pay a tax on the player for example, which presumably goes to the artist (through their record label) for the right to play their music. We pay another tax on the original media (which also is supposed to benefit the artist), we pay a tariff on the blank media to record copies of that original media (which does have a legal reason to exist: I'm not going to take my collector-quality albums out into my truck where they can (and have) get stolen. I'm going to burn copies so I always have the originals safe and sound). I don't want my daughter scratching my original discs, so I make copies to play at home.

But now they want the media to "expire", and the players to "refuse to play" after a certain amount of plays. They're also saying that they don't think they're charging enough for music and movies.

WHAT?!

You're taxing every single point along the chain, including second-hand sales and public performances, and you're making it impossible to listen to the media you produce... you fail to compensate the artists, and you think we're not paying enough for the music/movies? Are you that blind?!

The other thing that irritates me (at least in the US), is that the reason CD and DVD recordable media is so inexpensive, is because the process to produce it leaves off one (or more) extra coatings of the plastic surrounding the disc media itself. I've had several store-bought CDs "oxidize" over the course of a few months (not years), because there wasn't enough plastic around the disc media to prevent oxygen from degrading it.

This means you should go through your CDs every 2-3 years and re-burn them, because they won't last past 5 or more years. When you want to recover that old email archive you burned 5 years ago... good luck. Magnetic tape lasts significantly longer than CD/DVD media, despite what the general public disinformation would have you believe.

We pay a tariff on the appliances and recordable media even if we don't listen to their artists or record their artists music onto disc. I use CDR and DVDR to back up my machines here on the LAN as well as to hand out Linux ISO discs to my LUG every month. Ever single disc I burn pays the RIAA a few cents, which goes to their bands... even though I never burned any of their band's music.

Its pathetic extortion to an extreme, and we're all presumed to be guilty immediately (which is why the tariffs exist in the first place).

If you want to see how badly the artists are getting ripped off, read Courtney Does the Math for a real eye-opener.

I just don't buy any movies or music anymore, and I don't go to the movie theatres either. If I like a band, I'll buy something from their website, or send them donations directly... but I don't go through the recording company to do it.

The RIAA/MPAA really missed the boat on using the Internet as a media distribution mechanism, and now they're reeling from it. Most of us have access to broadband, most of us have high-speed printers and burners. Why not let us pay for the media, download it, burn it, and download + print some album artwork for the jewel case... it would save millions per-year in distribution costs of sending that media to brick and mortar stores, not to mention the other costs associated with keeping those stores open, employing people to man them, and so on.

They really screwed up, and the less we support their crack habits, the better.

[Pride Of Lions]

Originally Posted by hacker

What I don't understand is... the artists make ~$40k USD, on average, and we pay a tax on the player for example, which presumably goes to the artist (through their record label) for the right to play their music. We pay another tax on the original media (which also is supposed to benefit the artist), we pay a tariff on the blank media to record copies of that original media (which does have a legal reason to exist...

...[/i]You're taxing every single point along the chain, including second-hand sales and public performances,...

...We pay a tariff on the appliances and recordable media even if we don't listen to their artists or record their artists music onto disc. I use CDR and DVDR to back up my machines here on the LAN as well as to hand out Linux ISO discs to my LUG every month. Ever single disc I burn pays the RIAA a few cents, which goes to their bands... even though I never burned any of their band's music...

...The RIAA/MPAA really missed the boat on using the Internet as a media distribution mechanism, and now they're reeling from it. Most of us have access to broadband, most of us have high-speed printers and burners. Why not let us pay for the media, download it, burn it, and download + print some album artwork for the jewel case...

The auto example was very convincing and apt, I think. I also think it's reprehensible that these companies rationalize a false "poverty consciousness" as justification for these acts which are clearly meant to inflate the bottom line.

You mention tariffs and taxing as being interchangeable and all due to the RIAA. The repeat taxation is actually due to the gov't: initially during the CD's "new" sale, later in subsequent "secondhand" sales. In California, it's something like 8.5% during each sale, none of that goes to the RIAA (as far as I know.) Hopefully, it's going to fix our potholes or whatever. The few cents of each CD blank you burn that goes to the RIAA, that must come from somewhere in the MSRP of the CD blanks, and not from the taxation at the sales counter.

One thing that I just cannot ignore is the "tunnel-vision" perspective of the technology community. We really need to remember that people who have access to computers, to internet access, to broadband, to high-speed printers,...are the severe minority in America and even moreso in the World. Most people are intensely computer illiterate and/or don't have the skills to improve their computer literacy, don't have access to the tools to improve their computer literacy, and may not even have the want/desire to improve their computer literacy. The record companies know this and are still catering to the "cash cow" that is the "unwashed masses" of the non-geeky.

Yes, we with the tech. knowledge believe we can and should shape the futures of our favorite appliances, our favorite gadgets, our favorite operating systems,...but we have to remember that it makes better business sense to market to the overwhelming majority of consumers who are still struggling to keep up with the technology curve. The purchasing power of these people completely dwarfs that of the geeks (impressive as it is.)

Also, as the geeks get geekier, they always outnumber the record companies and will easily rally worldwide to overcome any potential obstacle that the DRMers try to impose. As the non-geeks lag further behind, they are the ones who will be inconvenienced by the rotting CD's or the non-be-able-to-rip-them-to-the-hard-drive or whatever. And because those are the vast majority of consumers and users, the RIAA (and their ilk) can exercise a modicum of control over the majority of their cash flow. The more people who increase their tech. knowledge, the more the RIAA is concerned with theft via the "geek pipeline." And the more Draconian the anti-geek laws become, the more the geeks rail loudly against the machine.

Unfortunately, as it stands right now and will for the forseeable future, the supreme majority of consumers/users are blissfully unaware of the machinations of these corporate conglomerates (outside of the usual cynicism re: corporate greed.) Until the "Digital Divide" shrinks and the technologies we've mastered are available to and utilized by all, we should always remember that we are the minority and we should accept the responsibility of helping our fellow non-geeks achieve a more complete and useful tech. literacy.
POL9A

[doctorow]

So does that mean tools like DVD Decrypter are now forbidden, or any publication of the descrambling algorithm for encrypted DVDs?

I am sure those law-enforcers will have difficulty shutting down every publishing method on this site by some Prof from Carnegie Mellon U.

[hacker]

Originally Posted by Pride Of Lions

Also, as the geeks get geekier, they always outnumber the record companies and will easily rally worldwide to overcome any potential obstacle that the DRMers try to impose. As the non-geeks lag further behind, they are the ones who will be inconvenienced by the rotting CD's or the non-be-able-to-rip-them-to-the-hard-drive or whatever. And because those are the vast majority of consumers and users, the RIAA (and their ilk) can exercise a modicum of control over the majority of their cash flow. The more people who increase their tech. knowledge, the more the RIAA is concerned with theft via the "geek pipeline." And the more Draconian the anti-geek laws become, the more the geeks rail loudly against the machine.

Unfortunately, in less than 6 years, none of us, geek or otherwise, will have a choice. Hard-coded DRM is going into the silicon in every computer processor (Intel, AMD, Motorola, PowerPC), mandated by federal standards. Many are already there, just not activated as yet.

Very soon, we won't have a choice, so stock up on computer parts now if you're the paranoid type.

The other scary thing that's being discussed, is prohibiting people from connecting to the Internet unless their computer is "approved" to do so, via the CPUID and DRM-in-silicon methods. ISPs and service providers will simply forbid you from connecting unless your OS and hardware supports their key system. Its a scary future when the media companies convince the federal government to mandate these kinds of laws and guidelines.

"Just leave a sample of your DNA on this usb dongle, put in your password, and we'll check your computer's contents for any copyrighted material before you can connect to the Internet."

Its going this direction. With national/global databases, DNA being gathered whether you approve of it or not, your every move being tracked by IP address, city camera, RFID tags, GPS systems, and many other technologies we probably haven't invented yet.. the Telescreen isn't far behind.

[Bob Russell]

Originally Posted by hacker

The other scary thing that's being discussed, is prohibiting people from connecting to the Internet unless their computer is "approved" to do so, via the CPUID and DRM-in-silicon methods. ISPs and service providers will simply forbid you from connecting unless your OS and hardware supports their key system.

You would think all this sort of thing is rediculous and couldn't happen because it's "outrageous." But if you think about it, stuff gets put into place not always because it makes sense, but often because of legal or political maneuvers, or even adoption of distasteful policies that are accepted incrementally because the slow adoption keeps any resistance from becoming strong or organized.

As far as DRM required to get onto the internet, I find it hard to believe that it can be "sealed" down completely that way, but you never know. For one thing, ISPs could be forced to go along if they are being held liable for copyright damages if they don't follow the DRM rules. And individuals who try to devise ways around it may also find that they are facing more legal action than they dare to withstand. Such as DVD Decrypter for example.

I hope this is not our future because it's certainly not a required "moral" solution. Don't let anyone tell you that it's more moral to make a law that says you can't freely use content than one that allows, say, free use after 3 years. The only moral issue I see is obedience to the law and authority, and that one is going to be a very personal decision for each of us. So I don't believe it's a moral issue, or that it's inherently criminal to copy content apart from civil obedience to the law.

It's really just a matter of lawmakers and judges determining how to balance the public interest between content protection and fair use. There are not just the obvious and great benefits of free use to consider, but also the impact on how much content is produced. But I think people would be happy to have a little less content available if they were given "freer" use of what's already out there. Is there really any reason why movies or songs from 40years ago should not be in the public domain?

Unfortunately, that balacing act seems to be much less based on public interest for the average person, and much more based on the special interests in the recording and publishing industry.

[hacker]

Here is some good information about Intel's LaGrande chipset plans... basically locking software down at the silicon level, so it can't be copied off, distributed, or many other things without being "checked" by other software control mechanisms (read: Internet-based monitoring and metering systems).

I have no idea how this will handle things like system backups, rsync, and other "legitimate" copying tools. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Stock up now, and hope you've got enough Linux and BSD knowledge to function.. you can bet OSX (on Intel) and Windows will be all over this like ants.