Slashdot Mirror
Ogle Does CSS and DVD Menus
javilon noted that a new DVD Player for Linux has appeared, and this one supports CSS and is the first player to implement menus. It's called
Ogle and is developed by a few students at Chalmers University of Technology ins Sweden. It's really exciting to see several different groups independently and together developing players. The only question is when will the MPAA give up?
The guys from LSDVD had a presentation last month at RIT and showed us their player. It was completely fucntional, or at least as functional as you can get on Linux, since there is no media framework. It supported menus fully and was comparable to any wind-bloze player out there. Shame it's commercial, and the cash-mongers that bought the LSDVD guys, killed the project. The name of the company that has LSDVD is MGI. I believe it's www.mgisoft.com... Most of the LSDVD folks were pretty cool, but one was some sort of IP zealot. Oh well. Fully functional DVD player for linux killed because "There wasn't any interest for DVD on Linux." - Another fine example of why all software should be free.
It all started when they harassed a Norwegian coder, so I'll take it that as yes.
``What can the MPAA say about Chalmers? I know the University is not directly involved, but they are students there.''
University students are typically fair game for cease-and-desist lawsuits, though. A university will certainly defend faculty, but I haven't seen many that won't bend over backwards to help anyone that looks like a lawyer.
More likely, the first sign of MPAA activity these students will lose computing priveledges, have their dorm rooms searched, personal effects confiscated, and possibly have their academic futures sunk.
Hopefully I'm wrong.
c.
Log in or piss off.
At Chalmers we also have a rather nice lawyer, who actually defends Chalmers (and I want to be defended, it's "my" computer system the MPAA will be after). He also enjoys going to court, if we just get him on the right side. :-)
The thing is that this player has been developed in Sweden. Sweden currently does not have software patents, or any equivalence to the DMCA, and the chance of making this development look like a criminal offence is very very small. Even for the MPAA.
We also have something to use to bend Chalmers back the right way if they seem to mushy against the MPAA - PR. Chalmers gets lots and lots of good PR from this player, and that is an argument that the leadership here can certainly accept.
It's really exciting to see several different groups independently and together developing players.
Exciting? I've got a wheel for you to re-invent if you find that sort of thing exciting. I don't know about you, but I'd rather see ONE quality Linux DVD player than five unfinished ones, each in a different stage of brokenness.
Mod me down, they're your points...
If MPAA ever "gives up" on keeping the lid on DVDs, it will be because they're abandoning DVD altogether. And it might make sense for them to do that pretty soon. If you have bought a lot of your favorite movies on DVD, then it's time for them to introduce a new format so they can sell them to you again.
So when MPAA gives up, be afraid, because it means they're getting ready to ream you.
---
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
And the MPAA thinks there is no reason for hacking CSS. Go fig.
I don't want knowledge. I want certainty. - Law, David Bowie
In an ideal world, one good player would be a better situation, but in the current case of dvd players, I don't think so. One player made by one company/group means one single point of failure, and single point to be closed down/intimidated.
Whack-A-Mole is a very easy game to play if there is only one mole, you know.
--
Exigo spamos et dona ferentes
What free software developers can't be assed to do is polish their software for use by mere mortals. Not many people have the motive to do it, because that last 25% of the work just doesn't look like it's there to a developer. And if you pay the developer, who cares about the documentation? You can save money and just ask the developer if you have questions.
Boss of nothin. Big deal.
Son, go get daddy's hard plastic eyes.
Expanding a vast wasteland since 1996.
FINALLY! A DVD player that supports Cascading Style Sheets!
Whoohoo!
What? Oh..ok. I see. OK.
Nevermind.
You don't mean commercial. You mean proprietary. VideoLAN is produced for partially commercial reasons, and its Open Source. Just like Red Hat Linux.
Its odd people continue to get this wrong when its one of the few things the Open Source and Free Software foundation people unanimously agree upon.
Anyway, LinDVD is available as OEM deal, with Caldera OpenLinux eDesktop 2.4 and LinDVD, on the A20 series, IIRC. GIYF.
But yes, they should be more widely available. Why not send a message to Intervideo asking them for a release date if you'd like to buy a license?
Its probably the only player asides from PowerDVD for Linux (embedded only) that can play film at full quality on a Celeron 300.
VideoLAN has been reported to work on OS X.
[TMB]
From: Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
To: Slashdot Readership Re: Use of the SMOG trademark
The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce has worked hard to provide our visitors with the premium SMOG brand of processed air particles, and we feel it is a unique product in the world today. Thus, we must protect our unique product image with a trademark on the term SMOG.
We do not object to use of the slang term "smog" to describe unsolicited commercial air particles, although we do object to the use of our product image in association with that term. Also, if the term is to be used, it should be in all lowercase letters to distinguish it from our trademark SMOG, which should be used with all uppercase letters.
Sincerely,
The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
www.lachamber.net
[
In short, this looks like it will be really neat but it is definately not ready for widespread use yet.
Here's my DeCSS mirror, where's yours?
It's not nice to tease people.
Here's my DeCSS mirror, where's yours?
"Does a DVD player for Linux have to be a subversive mission against the MPAA?"
Yep! It sure does.
Hold on a second here, I'm not actually being facetious. Consider this:
There are no licensed DVD players for any linux (not to mention all the Unices, OS/2, etc. etc.) In fact, no Linux (etc.) developers have licences to produce one, as far as we know. Thus, ANY DVD PLAYER DEVELOPMENT on Linux is a de facto 'line in the sand' against the MPAA. There's no way for it not to be.
And for that matter, that's the way it should be. As long as the MPAA thinks they can make people pay for the rights to develop software, we should agressively ignore their decrees and do everything in our power to defeat them.
Remember: They are selling you the right to develop your own software. That's simply unconscionable.
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
What can the MPAA say about Chalmers? I know the University is not directly involved, but they are students there.
It should be the message, not the messenger that should be looked at.
Fight Spammers!
I wonder if these dudes can port this thing to Mac OS X so I can finally use my damned DVD player on my TiBook. I can't believe it's taking Apple so long to get theirs out the door.... the technology will change before Apple's player is released!
You might not have a choice. I went to rent a videotape last night. The major chain had moved all the video tape into 1/4 of the floor space with just the edges of the boxes showing. They also bunched them all together. They were no longer seperated by classics, comedy, drama, action, family, etc.. Anybody else notice this trend? However the few DVD's they did have filled up 3/4 of the floor space. Several shelves were filled with the same title showing the full front of the box 1 deep on the shelf. This is a bold move to herd people to the DVD's and away from the videotapes. The change happened over the last 2 weeks. The title I went to rent was out. They had reduced inventory to one copy. It is not on DVD. I do not wish to watch DVD's on my computer monitor. I refuse to buy a DVD player until either DVD's are released region free, or all-region players are legally on sale here. I can change the region on my computer DVD drive, but it is not part of my living room home entertainment system. My entire DVD library now consists of one computer program on DVD ROM (phone book) and one movie I bought in a second hand store.
The truth shall set you free!
Ig uesst heyw illg iveu pw hent heyr ealizet hatt heirs ituationi sf utile.
Your livid link is wrong linuxvideo.org
that is all.
I'm going to go back in my box and will think within the limits of my box: MS Sucks Linux Good I read too much Slashdot.
Dude! The LiViD link links to the wrong place! You should check your linksto make sure they go to the right place.
Perhaps someonecould write an open source Perl script that checks links and put it in Slashcode so that CmdrTaco never links to the wrong place again.
Or perhaps Microsoft just put some smart tag code in Slash.
Yes I know is is somewhat offtopic, but CmdrTaco did link to the wrong place with the LiViD link. www.livid.org goes to someguy's homepage while www.linuxvideo.orrg goes to LiViD. So this is ontopic. And it makes fun of Smart Tags.
--Volrath50
"Does anyone know if the MPAA has the same legal power over people using the CSS code in countries other than the United States?"
Theoretically, NONE. However, this did not stop them from having the author of DeCSS arrested and his PC confiscated.
This is another case that would make them look horrible, if they go after authors CLEARLY just trying to make a player. Such a shot to one foot, along with the other shot the RIAA administered by threatening Felten, COULD finally destroy the DMCA.
=== The price of freedom is eternal vigilance
It's really exciting to see several different groups independantly and together...
See, SmartTags(tm) aren't so bad after all.
It's GPLed! Cancer! Infection! Death and destruction! Killer rabbits! SMOG!