
Moving beyond
day-and-date releases via internet and
HD video-on-demand, movie studios may be ready to move towards regularly putting movies online ahead of the DVD release date for a premium price -- that surveys say
some of us are willing to pay -- but prepare to have your analog hole plugged again. The
MPAA petitioned the FCC earlier this month to lift the existing ban preventing cable and satellite providers from remotely disabling analog outputs on their set-top boxes via selectable output controls (SOC). In a bit of
ICT redux, the movie studios haven't said definitively that they will use the technology, but insist on having the ability to force anyone wanting to view high definition movies to only see them through an HDCP-protected HDMI output to a compatible TV. The failure of
AACS and
BD+ to prevent high quality copies isn't a deterrent to the MPAA's push, so while ICT has gone unused on
Blu-ray and HD DVD, we're still too fond of our component outs, switchers and
homemade cables -- and too wary of a
future change in policy -- to support any changes in the law.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Zorque @ May 16th 2008 7:39AM
Can these guys just go die in a fire or something? Sure, piracy's bad, don't do it, whatever. Some people (who aren't me, I swear) are going to find a way to do it no matter what and it's almost more about the principle of the thing. Sure, I could pay for this movie, or I could take it for free from a bunch of dicks who nobody likes. Hmmmm.
gary @ May 16th 2008 10:35AM
Two problems: I can still hook up and record whatever I want via my pc connection on my tv, and I can always simply run cable through my laptop. This won't stop piracy at all.
Andy TGD @ May 16th 2008 4:01PM
Dude, you just took the words right out of my mouth.
DefPo3t @ May 16th 2008 7:43AM
let me be the first to say it
F*** You mppa
enough with this hdpc crap its failing on monitors
so why do they think it will work on TVs
The mpaa and riaa will never learn that the consumers do *NOT* want drm in any form
r3loaded @ May 16th 2008 7:50AM
Fail. You're not the first to say that! :P
Dan @ May 16th 2008 8:00AM
He may be the first to say that to the MPPA...
George @ May 16th 2008 9:45AM
The Minnesota Professional Photographer's Association?
Blaine Oliver @ May 16th 2008 7:48AM
If we were offered movies for a reasonable price yes i would buy one straight away. I do like to see a movie before i pay for it. If you offered brand new DVDs for £5-8 considering in the UK £10-15 is normal. That would make me buy them straight off.
If you charge too much, people will screw you over.
Evan @ May 16th 2008 7:51AM
It still wouldn't stop a pirate from pointing an HD camera at a 1080p projection.
The more difficult they make it to pirate, the more effort pirates will take just for the notoriety.
Richard @ May 16th 2008 7:57AM
Yeah, and HDMI with HDCP to VGA or component boxes will just up and disappear.
Makes that hauppague component HD h264 encoding box and a HDMI to component box off ebay look like a good investment for any budding internet pirate types...
w00t @ May 16th 2008 7:58AM
They seem determined to make pirate copies more appealing to consumers by making authentic ones so damn restrictive.
The average joe doesn't give two shits if his interconnects are HDCP approved, all he cares about is the video he just paid for isn't playing and the ones on bittorrent are!
Short of approved DRM enabled retinas there will always be an analogue hole.
r3loaded @ May 16th 2008 8:31AM
"Short of approved DRM enabled retinas there will always be an analogue hole."
SHUT UP! Don't let them hear about that!! Anything's possible..
Kurian @ May 16th 2008 11:14AM
If you eye isnt HDCP compliant, you'll see the Ghost In the Shell "Laughing Man" censor logo instead.
DoctaDJones @ May 16th 2008 8:02AM
Who the hell are these "some of us" that are willing to pay $9 for a 24 hour on-demand movie rental.
Are these $9 movies released on the same day as the theatrical release? Then I might pay...might.
m-p{3} @ May 16th 2008 8:11AM
Are they stupid ? We don't live in the Matrix, it's an analog world. The analog hole CANNOT be closed. As soon as something hit the TV display, you're screwed as it can be catched by whatever mean.
Ed @ May 16th 2008 4:02PM
Actually, the matrix has you.
Jayden @ May 16th 2008 8:19AM
Death to DRM
Death to DRM
Death to DRM
Death to DRM
Death to DRM
Why does every corporation want to control everything! Gone are the days when you pay for something and you actually OWN it!
Rob @ May 16th 2008 8:34AM
Why are they doing this? Because enough of you have bought plenty of DRM-filled crap from stores like iTunes. So, they figure that no matter what they do, you guys are still buying. Then, they feel like they can keep on trying on restricting you more and more.
Erwos @ May 16th 2008 8:50AM
Seriously. Anyone who's ever bought DRM'd music or video needs to shut up, because you brought this upon us all.
Joe T. @ May 16th 2008 10:40AM
Here's a newsflash-- video has had some sort of copy protection going back to VHS (Macrovision). It's been around in some form for thirty years now. Blaming people who've purchased DRM'd iTunes music (I've never, BTW), is naive.
Joe T. @ May 16th 2008 8:52AM
Sorry, but my analog hole is a one way street. Nobody's plugging it. Nobody.
Ryan Trevisol @ May 16th 2008 8:57AM
I'm incensed and at the same time a little excited. It's an excuse to get a new TV. :)
stromm @ May 16th 2008 9:50AM
This would annoy the freak out of me. I have a perfectly good Mitsu 55-513 55" HD-RPTV which does not have HDMI. It has component and DVI.
Since Timewarner removed the DVI port on the 8300HD box, it now only had component and HDMI. Well, when I bought a Wii, I needed to move the 8300HD to DVI.
So, I now use a HDMI to DVI cable for my TV. The problem will be if they require this new stuff, I won't be able to watch HD anymore.
Joe T. @ May 16th 2008 1:27PM
You might be ok. I've got a 6 year old Hitachi RP set w/DVI only. But, it's still HDCP-compliant, so I can use an HDMI-DVI converter and still see protected content. I believe your Mitsubishi is the same.
Steffen Jobbs @ May 16th 2008 10:04AM
The BitTorrent network and premium newsservers have already plugged this hole for users.
Ethan @ May 16th 2008 10:06AM
You have one cow. You paid for it twice because of some fucking media corporation.
Rob @ May 16th 2008 11:01AM
Amen to that.
Rick @ May 16th 2008 11:03AM
Who cares? I fail to understand why anyone would watch HD over component at most anyways. HDCP is common place so what's the big deal?
Neeko @ May 16th 2008 11:21AM
I really hope you are joking.
Able-X @ May 16th 2008 11:43AM
@Rick I don't actually know anyone who uses HDCP, yet most everyone I know has HD of some sort.
Joachim Bengtsson @ May 16th 2008 1:50PM
How can they be so fucking stupid? How can they not realize that it takes *one*, UNO, ein, a SINGLE DRM-free copy, in ANY format, in the hands of a pirate, for it to multiply by the millions digitally? It doesn't matter how many leaks they try to plug, there will always be a leak somewhere else!
They are truly their own worst enemy.
seth.estrada @ May 16th 2008 11:00PM
+1
This will be fun to watch the pirates; the step of ripping content from physical media is already out of the way.
Garst @ May 16th 2008 10:31PM
We should start a pool for when the MPAA start trying to sell movies at $50 and $100, and reguardless of the quality of the movie. Whether it's "Santa Claus conquers the Martians" or "Citizen Kane."
I can June 21, 2009 for the $50 point.
And December 21, 2012 for the $100 point.