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Is Playing a DVD Harder Than Rocket Science?

Posted by samzenpus on from the too-much-TV dept.

dacut writes "After successfully repairing the Hubble Space Telescope, astronauts aboard the shuttle Atlantis found themselves with a free day due to thunderstorms which delayed their return. They attempted to pass the time by watching movies, only to find that their laptops did not have the proper software, and Houston was unable to help. No word, alas, on what software was involved, though we can assume that software/codec updates are a tad difficult when you're orbiting the planet at 17,200MPH."

5 of 464 comments (clear)

  1. Re:VLC by rxan · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was just going to say, shoulda got VLC. My buddy had a DVD that wouldn't even play on DVD players or a PS2. Got VLC, no problem.

  2. Re:VLC by fractoid · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Isn't there a small issue with this being a government-funded space mission, and VLC being somewhat in breach of the DMCA or software patents or something due to its inclusion of a not-paid-up DVD decoder? I may be out of date on this issue, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have VLC for the same reason they wouldn't encode mp3s with LAME.

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  3. Re:Oh come on! by BikeHelmet · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's okay - the MPAA are shooting themselves in the foot. Every time a Windows user can't figure out how to play a DVD, a new pirate is born. :D

  4. Re:VLC by hughk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    EU countries for example, have the reverse engineering exemption. If we have te right to use data, we can use whatever technical means to get at that data including reverse engineering for interoperability. The US doesn't like this and has been trying to force a change but it seems that it isn't going to happen.

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  5. Re:VLC by John+Hasler · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > Borders extend vertically only in US law, not in the rest of the world...

    They extend diagonally in the rest of the world? Your nation claims no airspace?

    > ...another law that does not apply outside the USA

    What law might that be?

    While Congress has never enacted legislation formally defining the upper limit of US air space the most common administrative limit is 50 miles (80km). The USA certainly does not claim that its borders extend vertically to infinity. Space is clearly recognized by the US government as international territory.

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