FCC Allowing Hollywood to Disable Analog Output
The MPAA wants to control all what you see and hear.
The Federal Communications Commission said Friday that the movie industry--namely the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)--can now disrupt the analog video output jacks on consumer equipment. In an obvious attempt to cut down on piracy, this "waiver" will prevent consumers from recording on-demand movies (those released before the DVDs) and watching them on millions of HDTVs with analog connections.
Called Selectable Output Control, this new method of DRM is a partial grant of the MPAA's 2008 demand for banning all DVRs from recording all content, and all non-digital HDTVs from displaying recorded content. Although the new FCC-sanctioned method is now "selectable," this may pose a problem for the millions of consumers who don't have HDTVs with digital connections. In fact, this may be a huge technical support problem for cable and satellite companies in dealing with consumers who are uninformed over the sudden on-demand DRM.
But there's a small sliver of good news: the DRM isn't permanent. In the FCC's ruling (in PDF no less), the Commission is only allowing the MPAA to impose the DRM for 90 days, or until the movie is released on DVD or Blu-ray, whichever comes first. Studios will also not be allowed to anoint a proprietary DRM-compliant connection, and must support HDMI (which already has DRM built-in).
The FCC said that it will review the waver in two years. At that time, it will review data supplied by the studios and determine if the on-demand DRM is a commercial success (and stopped unauthorized redistribution). If sales decline and/or redistribution is still rampant, then the FCC may be required to find additional avenues.
Ultimately, the FCC's ruling doesn't appear to grant Hollywood access to consumer hardware. What this could mean for consumers is that on-demand content will have an unseen additive that will scramble the image and sound on an analog-connected device. Similar measures are used to prevent copying VHS to VHS and DVD to VHS.
Cable and satellite companies can easily disable recording of on-demand content through their leased equipment if necessary.
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They do realize that "piracy" isn't coming from this?
No release group uses the analog out for create their releases.
They are trying to stop piracy by disabling options that pirates dont use.
sure it may stop joe average from recording his shows..but thats what? 1% of the piracy of movies and such on the grand scale?
All they are going to do is upset many many end users that is trying to do it, while not stopping the people that's actually doing the large scale piracy.
Just like game DRM tactics, it drives off legit users, while not making a dent in the real problem because they are so clueless on whats going on in the real piracy world.
We go over this every few weeks when a story like this comes out... DRM = FAIL. Next topic!
Another scheme that hurts consumers instead of pirates.
...
The analog connection worked better on my old TV than HDMI through the PVR.
For some reason, HDMI looked like crap coming form my PVR.
Last I checked, all shows available for on demand viewing were out on DVD for several months to a year for my old provider (granted, Canadian).
As usual, MPAA = FAIL
Hollywood, get a clue!
It amazes me that the MPAA continues to exist when they continually use asinine tactics like this. They fail horribly and only serve to disrupt legit users. If anything the MPAA makes piracy more appealing. Remind me the last time someone who downloaded a movie had to sit through all of the anti-piracy warnings that is on all DVDs these days.
Stop Supporting these clowns. They havent produced much worth buying in years and the stuff that was worth buying wasnt good enough to outweigh all the BS they impose and try to impose on us. Its just not worth it. Its time most of these movie companies and music companies for that matter go bankrupt.
It has been nearly 2 years since I bought a Blu-Ray or DVD... I just don't care that passionately about movies. However, I do admit to enjoying the occasional independent mini-movie on YouTube from time to time.
hando some of us put our dvd's in our pc's and extract movie without!!!! the piracy adds becasue lets face it they are just promoting to people who dont know about it how easy it is
and then watch it through my htpc
Good grief, who pirates by the analog chanel???
Time to make CAM versions from my TV set! lol
Did they not notice that movies get online before they even hit theaters? You would think that they would have noticed by now that the more difficult they make it for people to watch movies, the less paying customers they get. Study after study after study have shown that movie piracy boosts movie sales. As much as they complain about piracy killing their industry, they can't hide the FACT that their revenue increases year after year!
Some of this reads like they can disable your TV. It's just DRM allowing them to prevent output to analog channels and has been coming for a long time. Bluray players will eventually stop supporting 1080p on their analog outputs and require HDMI which was the plan all along.
Remind me the last time someone who downloaded a movie had to sit through all of the anti-piracy warnings that is on all DVDs these days.
That was a "feature" of DVD to entice movie makers who don't need to place those warnings but are encouraged to by their own industry. It would be nice if they listened to the consumers who want to skip past those locked-in viewing warnings and get to the content they paid for. I haven't seen as much of it on streaming and on demand videos which is surprising considering how much the industry wants to move towards that model.
...The analog connection worked better on my old TV than HDMI through the PVR.
It's a problem with a low quality PVR or low quality TV set, most likely the PVR. The HDMI connection sends a signal to the TV what the quality is (upconverted 1080p is the same as real 1080p) so the TV does not perform any upconverting on that signal, which it does on the older analog signal. The PVR upconverts for you and not very well.
Everything in my living room (besides the Wii which doesn't support it) is HDMI connected and looks great but would look just as good with the analog connections in most cases. The HDMI allows me to make use of an auto-sense switch so my girlfriend doesn't have to figure out the "input" button on the TV remote.
All this is going to do is make it ever harder from the average guy to hook up his TV.
No one has captured from analogue since the Pentium 4 made it possible to decrypt fast enough.
Just like in the game arena, the best way to play your game uninterrupted is to get the pirated version. Movies will now be the same way. They aren't stopping piracy they are pushing legitimate users towards it. They are very counter productive, whom ever is running the show must be a 90 year old czar trying to hold onto the last shred of power they have. Idiots!
easy solution: Digital in to computer, record. Im sure somebody has made an app for that!
They do realize that "piracy" isn't coming from this?No release group uses the analog out for create their releases.They are trying to stop piracy by disabling options that pirates dont use.sure it may stop joe average from recording his shows..but thats what? 1% of the piracy of movies and such on the grand scale?All they are going to do is upset many many end users that is trying to do it, while not stopping the people that's actually doing the large scale piracy.Just like game DRM tactics, it drives off legit users, while not making a dent in the real problem because they are so clueless on whats going on in the real piracy world.
It sure wont prevent me from ripping BRs and DVDs directly to my HDD array.
maybe it's just an excuse to make people get rid of their analog sets and force them into buying HDMI.
pirates just rip using computer and convert to mkv or other. These people should do their homework or get another line of work. Seriously weak!! How muchis this elevating the price of things again. Piracy is not killing business. 90% of my games and movies are genuine, the rest I would never have bought or will inspire me to buy same or sequel(this has happened time and time again). Also double dipping with multiple releases is a real crime.
My 1st generation plasma only has analog inputs. The dvd player warns me everytime I play a dvd that it is down sampling to 480p due to non HDMI connection. My solution, I strip the encryption from the dvd with DVDFab and then I can watch the ripped copy at 1080i. MPAA go f$%k yourself.
After my first DVD fail, of course I started backing up my DVD's
I own over 300 DVD's what should I do... just wait unil all of them fail? hell no!
and by the way the disk that fail had no visible scratches or anything, it just stop working for no reason, I also tested it on 4 different players, the disk just died.
How many people pay ridiculous Cable or Satellite Pay-Per-View prices anyway? Sure, you might get that movie a little earlier than it's released, but if you loved the movie that much, you need to get an f-ing life.
How many refunds are Comcast, DirectTv, etc.. going to have to give out each time someone with an old TV calls in to complain about the fact that the movie they paid to watch isn't showing on their TV?
Comcast had a HUGE campaign making sure all their subscribers knew they wouldn't have to update their TV for the digital-TV switch. I can see the class-action lawsuit now, and it will be glorious.
HDMI has DRM built in and they made me pay $80 for the cable!
Why again did we all switch from component and fiber optic surround sound?
My 1st generation plasma only has analog inputs. The dvd player warns me everytime I play a dvd that it is down sampling to 480p due to non HDMI connection. My solution, I strip the encryption from the dvd with DVDFab and then I can watch the ripped copy at 1080i. MPAA go f$%k yourself.
panhead, Your DVD player is not downsampling the DVD to 480P. It is just not upconverting it to 1080i. DVDs are no more than 480p res. Also, since your Plasma is 1st generation, it is most likely only a 1366 X 768 pitcure. So upconverting to 1080i and then having the TV downconvert to its native res can be, and most like is, a bad thing.
You know, for the freedoms the media has, they sure are working hard to make sure we do not have any.
HDMI has DRM built in and they made me pay $80 for the cable!Why again did we all switch from component and fiber optic surround sound?
You paid $80 for the cable. No one else made you pay that amount for an HDMI cable.
Check online prices. To me it appears that the cables are no more than $2 per ft.
I meant to have a link in my last post.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/ [...] p_id=10240
Analog? What's that? Wait a minute.....it's coming back to me......:lol:
Excuse me while I park my truck in the front door of the MPAA building and then proceed to honk my horn repeatedly. Who the hell do those people think they are to control my first amendment rights? The Federal Communist Commission is supposed to protect consumers from being scammed by fake TV ads and to make sure porn isn't playing on Nick Jr, not to allow fat cats to throttle us and regain their criminal profit margins. Things are seriously screwed up these days.
I will only buy movies if they're from a source without DRM/crazy piracy views. That's how I'm protesting.
Wait analog? are we in the 90s? *goes to tv to check for analog jacks*