Consumer Electronics Companies Plan Common DRM Standard

Rinisari writes "'The world's four biggest consumer electronics companies have agreed to start using a common method to protect digital music and video against piracy and illegal copying, they said on Thursday,' begins a Reuters article on Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, and Sony's new alliance to establish interoperability and combat the evergrowing 'threat' to the music industry. The new alliance is to be called the 'Marlin Joint Development Association.'" The BBC's story on this issue is better, with quotes from several people.

Comments

The solution is simple.

[Weaselmancer]

This is 4.

4. Whine and bitch about it, adopt new DRM system, and force consumers to buy another round of gadgets.

There's where the profit comes from in step #5.

Re:1 Scheme=1Hole

[Rei]

Almost whatever scheme they use, I would think that this would work (anyone see a problem with this?)

1) Open up the case
2) Find the sound hardware
3) Locate the digital to analog converter used for output
4) Solder wires to its input connections (you may need to remove the converter to prevent a voltage drop)
5) Find any compatable sound card which allows for input
6) Find its A/D converter.
7) Solder the other ends of your wires to its output connections (you may need to remove the converter to prevent a voltage drop)

Of course, it could be far easier than this if they have digital output, have a crackable format, or don't use special hardware. The only thing I would think would be a problem is if the only analog stage (there has to be at least one for us to see/hear the content!) gets its inputs encrypted (I.e., a single decrytion+D/A conversion chip). Even still, the possibility for extracting the data through tempest remains.

SDMI

[djaj]

I knew this sounded familiar! It was called SDMI, and they gave up on it about four years ago. Why do they think it'll work now?