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VideoNOW PVD Reverse Engineering
Zoc_All_Alone writes "In mid-July, Hasbro released the VideoNOW, a portable media player for kids. The disks are specially encoded ~3 inch audio CDs. We have started a project to reverse engineer the format, and have made considerable progress. More information about the player can be found at the Hasbro website."
I have reported you to the authorities for reverse engineering this. Please remain at your location; the SWAT team is on the way.
We have started a project to reverse engineer the format, and have made considerable progress. So far we have been sued for $10 million, and we are posting in hope of gaining even more attention to our work.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE
okNo thanks. It's an ugly black and white video player which uses a stupid format. Besides, I already have this LAPTOP.
Hey freaks: now you're ju
After reading through the couple of updates they have, I get the impression that the format is actually a standard used somewhere but these guys just haven't figured out what it is.
They seem to be wasting their time grabbing frames and converting from jpegs etc. They should just try work out what the standard is. Afterall, why would the developers of the VideoNOW spend the time and money developing some new format when there are heaps out there already. They are already using a non-standard CD size to stop people just playing the discs on their own machines, and people wouldn't pay $8 for a few b/w low res cartoons to play on their own machines anyway. - so why use a propriety format?
I.O.U One Sig.
16 shade greyscale on an 80x80 pixel 4"x6" LCD? For fuck's sake, that's like watching video on a TI-8X calculator! (which, incidentally, you can do) Sure, it sounds like a fun project and all, but I don't think geeks will be rushing to encode their movies to this format so they can be played on this dinky little player. On the other hand, the player looks VERY portable and runs on 2 AA batteries. So I guess there is some potential for a low cost low resolution video/picture/text? viewer. It is interesting, at least.
It sounds to me like this little gadget is the modern implementation of a narrowband television. There are still guys who dink around with this stuff (indeed, I've started to assemble the parts for one myself), for fun you could try the Narrow Band Television Association website.
That being said, it seems like the format can't possibly be that difficult to determine. If the authors posted .wav files of some of the audio tracks, I suspect that an afternoon's worth of work by someone familiar with NBTV would crack the modulation wide open. After all, the box itself is obviously very cheap, it probably has very little CPU power, it can't be that
complicated.
It's a pity they don't use the normal mini-CDs, if they did I might buy one just for the novelty of being able to make my own CDs. I think they missed a bit of a hacker market by deliberately disabling this possibility.
There is much pleasure to be gained in useless knowledge.
"Okay Johnny, see how daddy bypasses the cryptography algorithm on this special "Sing Along Volume 5" disc? This is what us grownups call 're-verse engine-neering'" ...
"But Daddy, why are you wearing an orange suit and sitting behind that glass?"
this isn't intended to be flaimbait.
Either it IS flame bait, or you are an idiot.
And yes they are hurting Hasbro's ability to make money.
I doubt that, but for the sake of argument lets assume that is true. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Every time i go to the library I am hurting someone's ability to make money. Every time I loan something to a friend I am hurting someone's ability to make money. Every time I open a store and sell something I am competing with someone else and hurting their ability to make money. Every time I take a broken item, open it up and fix it my self, I am hurting someone else's ability to make money.
Anyone who bought a car has every right to lift the hood, look at it, and try to understand it. Anyone who bought a VideoNOW PVD every right to lift the hood, look at it, and try to understand it. They have every right to use teh player however they like. They can create their own content for it or even use it as a flowerpot. If they buy disks for it they have every right to read those disks in their computer or to use them as frisbies.
They wouldn't have made the CD format difficult to udnerstand and use if it wasn't part of their marketing plan.
I bought a product for my own reasons and I'll do whatever I like with it. I don't give a damn what THEIR PLAN was. Once I bought it I own it. If Gillette Razors gives away 5 cent razors with the business plan of selling disposable blades I am perfectly free to take the razor and either clean and re-use the disposable blades, or even to make my OWN blades to put in it. Or I can use them as paperweights. Once they have SOLD the product their plan is irrelevant.
Just because I have a business plan / marketing plan to sell SnoCones at the South Pole does not mean I have any right to make a profit doing so. There is no 'right to make a profit'. Hasbro's rights are not being infringed in any way whatsoever. It is YOU who wants to infringe the rights of the buyer.
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- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.