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The Little DVD Driver That Could Change Movies
AnnaBlack writes "DVDSynth is a (currently prerelease) low-level driver tool that can sit between your physical DVD drive and any software that accesses it. So far so what, but the extremely clever thing about this is that it can filter the DVD data on the fly. The example applications included currently allow new subtitle sets to be provided for existing films (which could spawn a whole new activity for movie buffs!) but also a very neat little filter that will remove region codes on the fly from any DVD you play. Supplied with full sourcecode and programmers documentation." Wonder how long before this is contraband code like DeCSS.
I thought the region codes were handled by the DVD drive, not by the software or drivers. That's why the the regionset tool for Linux exists, no?
They just aren't $40-at-Wally World cheap. That's the real clincher: if you aren't paying tariffs and exorbitant fees for your international media; then The Powers That Be get pissed off. Maybe, just maybe we should start considering the regulations that make it difficult for us (in any country) to access foreign-produced media; and then the technology itself won't matter quite as much anymore.
I think with the interesting people, their lives can't possibly be wrapped up into a nice little package.
Isn't this and example of the achilles heel of any CD-encryption/protection technology? The hardware reader has to decrypt it at some point, and then a program can just capture the unencrypted bits and reroute them as desired, for example to an unencrypted image.
If it's dedicated hardware, you just have to make friends with an Electical Engineer.
Hey, I'm just your average shit and piss factory.
Being able to bypass the region code stuff has been avail for a while now. http://www.elby.ch/download/SetupRegKill.exe Also, this still won't help with the dvd drives that have the region checking stuff built into the hardware.
When you can change the region code on your DVD-ROM with a simple firmware flash. I havn't run across a DVD-ROM drive that can't be flashed yet. Although this could be a nice tool for fansubbers. They could avoid some legal trouble by releasing only the translations and making the people buy the actual offical DVDs themselves.
I read the internet for the articles.
Wonder how long before this is contraband code like DeCSS.
Non-region coded dvdplayers are almost defacto now, im not so sure this will cause a stir. It seems to me the big media providers have more or less given up on the whole region thing.
Can't we just bash them in the nuts with the mighty gavel of justice?
Dammit, it would feel so GOOD.
Everyone on slashdot has a journal.
You see, Senator? This is a perfect example of why we need Trustworthy Computing(TM) protection like Palladium(TM). Protection at the hardware level is absolutely essential to stop the rampant piracy of intellectual property that threatens to destroy the entertainment industry.
Imagine, if you will, the billions of dollars in lost revenue, the thousands of lost jobs, the dozens of dollars of lost tax revenue (for those of us who don't shelter our money overseas) if this behavior is allowed.
This is more damning that the threat of VCRs and audio tapes that nearly destroyed our industry in the 1980's. Then consumers could watch television whenever they wanted and fast-forward over commercials. They could watch these shows again and again without new revenue being generated with each play. They could make mix tapes of their favorite music to listen whenever they wanted as often as they wanted, without paying more money, and without being forced to listen to the new music and messages we're selling.
See how much money we lost in the 1980's a direct result of the evil Socialist conspiracy? This is why we need perpetual copyright and why we must control every aspect of the consumer experience. We must be rid of choice; it threatens our very existence. And yours. Imagine what would happen if voters had real free choice of who they wanted in office.
</sarcasm>
The DVD-region is both in software and in hardware. The hardware code can be hacked by writing a new firmware to it. The software region MUST be there in order to let you play a disk. A disk can have multiple regions and in order to play the right track the region must be set.
The software region is however easy to fix.
Microsoft can say anything they want NOW, but what is stopping them from embedding code that they can switch on at a later date to add these kind of restrictions? That's the danger of this new security platform. Although, look at passport. Maybe Palladium will be too buggy to be effective.
People here keep going "Well, you can flash the ROM and sidestep region-coding that way."
That's just one of the things it can do.
Unrestrict DVD: This filter removes various usage restrictions from a DVD, including region lockout, APS (Macrovision), and disabled fast-forwarding, menu call, angle change, and so forth.
The ability to remove those stupid control lockouts is what's really great. That it gets rid of region-lockouts is simply a bonus.