Hollywood’s new DRM scam
p2pnet.net News:- The Big Six Hollywood studios still think CSS (plus DRM CC) is the way to go.
CSS (DRM CC) is short for Content Scrambling System Digital Restrictions Management Consumer Control and according to The Associated Press, Sonic Solutions believes its Qflix will add a “standard digital lock” to DVDs burned in a computer or a retail kiosk.
“The lock, known as ‘content scrambling system,’ or CSS, is backed by the studios, TV networks and other content creators and comes standard on prerecorded DVDs today,” says the story. “All DVD players come equipped with a key that fits the lock and allows for playback.”
CSS has been hacked inside out and backwards. Ask DVD Jon Lech Johansen.
Meanwhile, “Studios have experimented with an alternative to CSS used by movie downloading service CinemaNow, but only a small number of titles are available for such burning and some users have complained of problems with playback,” says the story, But, “With Qflix – and its studio-backed copy-protection system -consumers should have more options.”
Fat chance.
Not only but also, users will be expected to actually buy new blank DVDs and “compatible” DVD burners to make sure the DRM, which stops them from making fair use of the DVDs they thought they’d bought and paid for, works properly.
And, “Burning a DVD will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes using Sonic’s technology, the company said,” states AP.
On top of that, “Consumers still would be subject to restrictions placed by the movie service and studios. For instance, using the copy-protection technology in Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Media system, a service could specify that a given title can be burned no more than two times.”
Dream on.
If your Net access is blocked by government restrictions, try Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Go here for the official download, here for the p2pnet download, and here for details. And if you’re Chinese and you’re looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent web site blocking outside of China. Download it here.
Also See:
The Associated Press – Studios OK technology for movie downloads, January 4, 2007
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