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Video Information From Disinformation
The movie industry, at least as embodied by the eight big studios that make up the MPAA, has an attitude about home movie viewing of "fair use, schmair use." Just because you bought a movie on DVD, and the hardware to play it back, the MPAA doesn't want you to watch it except with playback mechanisms they've approved. And despite the relative fame (or is it notoriety?) of software to allow viewing DVDs under Linux, or to convert the data-hungry DVD format to leaner alternatives, using it is beyond the ken of most computer users -- Yes, even Linux users. Not to worry.
Nick Hodulik, Director of Technology for disinfo.com writes:
" [...] Anyway, I thought that Slashdot might be interested in a dossier that we are featuring this week. The dossier covers the basics/history of the DivX codec, Video Compression, and DVD piracy. In addition the dossier features numerous links to tutorials and further information. I'm excited about this piece because I feel that it not only is a good introduction to this genre, but it also provides the reader with access to just about everything needed make and play DivX encoded files. The dossier is currently being featured on the front-page of disinfo.com, and is also accessible at [T his page].The brief history and explanation of DeCSS and DivX is geared to readers unfamiliar with them, and probably contains little new information to regular slashdot readers. On the other hand, the collection of links -- leading to information about setting up video playback on your system, about the DeCSS saga in more detail, and about next-generation DivX codecs -- is well-chosen and worth exploring top to bottom.
DivX is a real hack of a standard - basically, it's just a leaked version of the MPEG 4 codec from Microsoft, and a MP3 audio stream. You need a pretty fast computer to decode it, and it's only decodable on computer. I personally would rather use my nice big TV to watch movies.... SVCD is far better in my opinion - it offers most of the features of DVD (menus, overlayed subtitles, multiple audio tracks), and nearly every DVD player out there will play an SVCD. SVCD compression isn't as good as DivX (space wise, not quality, which depends on the encoder). SVCD is MPEG 2 compression which is fairly standard across all computers - the DivX codec on the only linux player is a hack on the Windows codec, making it x86 only. DivX seems like a fad to me - the codec is so new and not standardized that I doubt it'll last too long before the next fad compression technology comes out. Seems like the old audio compression format battles of a couple years ago - the open standard (mp3) prevailed over others (AAC, .rm, etc)
Not so clear cut, actually. Even accepting that the organization is non-profit, if the film festival charged money, then it's a commercial use, and every commercial use is presumptively ...unfair"(Sony v Univeral, 464 U.S. 417, which is the case on this subject, includes that little gem as part of the overall analysis that made VTR's legal.
Further, the MPAA and their associates regard DVDs not as movies, but as software, and assert that under the DMCA that any use other than the use which the producer intended is illegal. (See, for example, Valenti's deposition and the related slashdot discussion.)
If Valenti and the MPAA are correct, then there is perhaps no legal way for you to use that image without permission. The implications of DMCA in this regard are still to be litigated.
It's always important to remember that the law doesn't mean what you want it to mean, even when you want something reasonable. It means whatever five Justices agree that it means. Of course, since the 55mph speed limit created a whole generation of Americans who believe that laws are optional, I guess we'll have to expect more "technical" piracy.
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Most Americans don't understand science, and they wouldn't like it if they did.
Not. Here is how to get a VOB file off a CD so we can actually watch what we paid for. (quick example, don't expect it to work for you).
s /livid && cvs login && cvs -z3 co -P css-auth
/dev/dvd && ./reset /dev/dvd && ./tstdvd /dev/dvd /dev/dvd /mnt/dvd && ./tstdvd /dev/dvd /mnt/dvd/video_ts/vts_01_1.vob /dev/dvd /mnt/dvd/video_ts/vts_01_1.vob | ./css-cat -v1P -> 01_1.vob
export CVSROOT=:pserver:anonymous@cvs.linuxvideo.org:/cv
cd css-auth && make
umount
mount
mv title-key title1-key
dvdinfo
cat
mpeg2player -vob -f 01_1.vob
Just replace 01_1.vob with - in the last two lines to watch it realtime.
Let's just say this is one CLI program that doesn't warrant a GUI interface.
While all of this seems outrageous behavior by the MPAA, we must all remember that this is not the first time 'the law' has been used as a device to throttle new technology.
When records were introduced, musicians decried the invention as the end of live music. They fought to prevent music form being sold on the 'dictating machine' that had just been invented. Records won.
The movie & television studios went after VCRs when they first arrived. "How dare people record television?" they asked. VCRs won.
The RIAA went after Diamond when the Rio was released. Guess what? The MP3 players won.
So who will win the Napster/DeCSS wars? The new technologies will. The genie is out of the bottle and it can't go back in.
Big business will always rather use 'the law' to fight changes to business modles rather than reinvent themselves. They will eventually have to accept the idea of people copying movies just as making cassette mix tapes is accepted.
We, the consumers, will win out in the end. We have the dollars/pounds/rubles they desperately want. Eventually they will give us what we want. record companies WILL sell MP3s of live performances and movie studios will sell enhanced DVDlike movie on the net.
Look at what happened to a bad technology, the Divx DVD system. Consumers saw it for what it was, an attempt to wring every last dollar of out of the consumer with no benefit. Divx is out of business.
The most important thing we can do as individuals is write our government reps and tell them our views. The MPAA & RIAA have lobbiest in their offices all the time. Make sure they see more than one side of the arguement.
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The record, movie, and software companies must be stopped by legistlation before it's too late.