From declan@well.com Fri, 03 Dec 1999 10:53:23 -0500 Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 10:53:23 -0500 From: Declan McCullagh declan@well.com Subject: [Livid-dev] Hacker delays launch of new DVD machines Thought you guys would like this... http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991203/tc/japan_dvd_5.html Friday December 3 6:38 AM ET Hacker Delays Launch of New DVD Machines in Japan By Yuzo Saeki TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese digital video disc (DVDs) manufacturers were forced to postpone the launch of long-awaited new audio equipment after a European hacker broke open the copyright protection of DVDs and raised new piracy fears. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co postponed the launch of DVD audio/video players by about six months to next May or June, while Victor Co of Japan plans to withhold the release of its new equipment for an unspecified period. Pioneer Corp is also considering postponing the release of new equipment scheduled to debut for later this month. The incident jolted the DVD industry which has just started to see sales of DVD players pick up after a slow start and was preparing for a major push to begin marketing DVDs as a better alternative to conventional music compact disks (CDs). DVDs can hold more information than CDs and were launched in late 1996 as the successor to video tape players, boasting superior sound and video quality. Norwegian Hacker Finds Weak Point A Matsushita spokesman said the setback emerged after a Norwegian hacker posted instructions on a Web site last month detailing how to override the copy-protection function installed in software for connecting computers with DVD-ROM drives. [snip]
From jean@kcco.com Fri, 3 Dec 1999 10:25:30 -0600 (CST) Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 10:25:30 -0600 (CST) From: Jean Liddle jean@kcco.com Subject: [Livid-dev] Hacker delays launch of new DVD machines This misinformation was in the news two days ago and on slashdot yesterday. It is not unexpected for the industry to put this kind of a spin on things and manipulate the release of their products in an effort to deceive consumers into taking the industry's side in this ongoing conflict. What is left unsaid is that there is zero market for audio DVDs, and their actions are far more likely to kill the new format as dead as DIVX rather than stirr up the ire of the masses. Most of us are perfectly happy with the audio CDs we buy today -- from which we have no trouble ripping mp3's for personal listening convenience, or copying to tape to listen in our cars.
From andreas@andreas.org 03 Dec 1999 17:57:04 +0100 Date: 03 Dec 1999 17:57:04 +0100 From: Andreas Bogk andreas@andreas.org Subject: [Livid-dev] Hacker delays launch of new DVD machines Declan McCullagh < declan@well.com> writes: > TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese digital video disc (DVDs) > manufacturers were forced to postpone the launch of > long-awaited new audio equipment after a European hacker > broke open the copyright protection of DVDs and raised new > piracy fears. Sigh, will they never learn. But who need 96kHz audio anyways? I'm glad if I can afford a high-quality amplifier where I actually hear MP3 artifacts. > A Matsushita spokesman said the setback emerged after a > Norwegian hacker posted instructions on a Web site last > month detailing how to override the copy-protection function > installed in software for connecting computers with > DVD-ROM drives. Say, I didn't notice before, but that whole CSS scheme smells funny. Did you notice that in order to *copy* a DVD, all you need is the title key and the disk key? And we've had the ability to read them for *months*? Did you notice that the player key isn't required for copying *at* *all*? CSS is about controlling who is allowed to build a DVD player. The threat is to revoke your player key if you don't play by the rules. It is that we are now able to build our own player what really pissed them off. But they can't tell that in public, of course. Andreas -- "We should be willing to look at the source code we produce not as the end product of a more interesting process, but as an artifact in its own right. It should look good stuck up on the wall." -- http://www.ftech.net/~honeyg/progstone/progstone.html
From ml@226-129.adsl2.avtel.net Fri, 3 Dec 1999 15:16:50 -0800 (PST) Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 15:16:50 -0800 (PST) From: Chad Page ml@226-129.adsl2.avtel.net Subject: [Livid-dev] Hacker delays launch of new DVD machines Yup... IMO they ought to just put uncompressed 32-bit 88khz PCM on the disks... there's more than enuff space at that speed for 40 minutes of music. - Chad, who _still_ wouldn't pay $15 for a new DVD-audio disk. On Fri, 3 Dec 1999, Jean Liddle wrote: > This misinformation was in the news two days ago and on slashdot > yesterday. It is not unexpected for the industry to put this kind of a > spin on things and manipulate the release of their products in an > effort to deceive consumers into taking the industry's side in this > ongoing conflict. > > What is left unsaid is that there is zero market for audio DVDs, and > their actions are far more likely to kill the new format as dead as > DIVX rather than stirr up the ire of the masses. Most of us are > perfectly happy with the audio CDs we buy today -- from which we have > no trouble ripping mp3's for personal listening convenience, or copying > to tape to listen in our cars. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Livid-dev maillist - Livid-dev@livid.on.openprojects.net > http://livid.on.openprojects.net/mailman/listinfo/livid-dev >
From derek@spider.com Fri, 3 Dec 1999 17:34:23 +0000 Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 17:34:23 +0000 From: Derek Fawcus derek@spider.com Subject: [Livid-dev] Hacker delays launch of new DVD machines On Fri, Dec 03, 1999 at 03:16:50PM -0800, Chad Page wrote: > > Yup... IMO they ought to just put uncompressed 32-bit 88khz PCM > on the disks... Well 88.2 kHz. DF -- Derek Fawcus derek@spider.com Spider Software Ltd. +44 (0) 131 475 7034 PGP/GnuPG Keys available