Text 17334, 169 rader
Skriven 2007-04-10 16:30:52 av Gary Britt (1:379/45)
  Kommentar till text 17333 av Rich Gauszka (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Macrovision DRM  + DVD movie  + PC = 'Macrovision distribution
==========================================================================
From: Gary Britt <GaryNOSPAMBritt@generalcogster.com>

We had a DVD recently that would play fine in a DVD player, but if you put it
in a PC DVD player it would want to install some BS DVD player.  If you are
sane and don't allow the DVD Player to be installed, then the DVD wouldn't play
on the PC.

I ripped it to hard disk with DVD Decrypter or FABDVDDecrypter (don't remember
which).  So much for their bullshit DVD player virus infecting one of my
computers.

Gary

Rich Gauszka wrote:
> Macrovision must be protecting us from playing war movies on our computers
>
> "Flags of our Fathers" by Warner Bros, "We Were Soldiers" by Paramount, and
> "Battlestar Galactica 2.5" ;-)
>
> http://weblog.infoworld.com/gripeline/archives/2007/04/a_macro_vision.html?so
urce=NLC-GRIPE&cgd=2007-04-10
>
> What do you when Digital Rights Management (DRM) keeps you from using a
> product that you legitimately purchased? Who can help you figure out how to
> make it work - the publisher of the material, the manufacturer of the
> playing device, or the DRM supplier? Those were the questions one reader had
> after he discovered that three DVDs that couldn't all play in his computer
> were all "protected" by Macrovision DRM.
>
>
>
> "I recently let my girlfriend borrow my DVD player because hers went out,"
> the reader wrote. "Well, I thought, that's okay because my computer is
> hooked up to my TV and I had a DVD drive on the computer so I can still
> watch my movie collection. Boy, was I wrong. It seems that three out of the
> last four DVD movies I had just bought will not play on my computer."
>
>
>
> The DVDs that wouldn't play were "Flags of our Fathers" by Warner Bros, "We
> Were Soldiers" by Paramount, and "Battlestar Galactica 2.5" by Universal,
> the reader said. "Each time it comes up with 'Macrovision distribution
> failed' error message and playback is not possible. These movies were
> purchased at WalMart just days before, but here I am with legal copies of
> DVD movies and I can't play them. A couple of days later when my DVD player
> was back, the movies play just fine on the player."
>
>
>
> Before the reader got his DVD player back, he tried doing some
> troubleshooting on the problem. "I did some checking on the Internet, and
> some people said that if you have a DVD burner on your system, the
> Macrovision distribution fails. There was also another explanation that the
> newer Nvidia drivers for my graphics card won't support Macrovision with a
> DVD burner installed. I don't know, but I think this is ridiculous that I
> would have to revert to a older driver for my graphics card just to watch a
> movie."
>
>
>
> The reader wasn't going to waste any more time trying to get past the
> Macrovision DRM, but I thought his experience raised some interesting
> questions about who you are supposed to call when you're unfairly thwarted
> by copy protection schemes. So I contacted Macrovision to see if they could
> suggest why these three particular titles wouldn't play in the reader's
> computer. And I hoped they might be able to tell exactly how the average
> consumer should go about troubleshooting this kind of DRM problem.
>
>
>
> After checking with Macrovision technical staff, a Macrovision spokesperson
> got back to me with a rather lengthy answer. "Macrovision routinely tests
> its DVD protection technology (RipGuard) with a broad variety of consumer
> electronic devices, including PCs, in order to ensure a consistent, easy and
> enjoyable experience for consumers and is not aware of any PC playback
> issues," the Macrovision spokesperson wrote. "Given the scenario your reader
> queried, the DVDs should work fine, just like all of his other DVDs did."
>
>
>
> Potential sources of the problem, Macrovision said, included some that were
> not related directly related to the DRM. The DVD media itself could be
> flawed or marginal, or the DVD player on his computer could be impaired or
> degraded by dirt and dust in a way that would cause some DVD titles not to
> play. Another possibility would be that there could be a mismatch with
> regional restrictions built into the DVD or video standards like PAL and
> NTSC.
>
>
>
> Then there's the possibility that the PC's operating system, graphics,
> and/or DVD playing application could have a conflict with the DRM or with
> each other. "On a personal computer there is always the possibility that
> there are anomalies within the graphics driver or the DVD playing
> application," the Macrovision spokesperson wrote. "To determine in this
> specific case if this is an issue, it would be helpful to know more about
> the particular PC being used, including the graphics chip set part number
> and driver version number, the application software used to play the DVD and
> whether the problem is repeatable using other playing applications, and the
> operating system version, including what service pack updates are installed.
> However, even without this information the recommended best practice here
> would be for a consumer to check on-line for any updates to the graphics
> driver, DVD application software, and/or operating system, in that order,
> for a possible remedy."
>
>
>
> In addition, the PC's display configuration can sometimes cause conflicts
> with DRM. "Due to some design limitations, certain dual display mode
> configurations may be inhibited for playback of copy protected content," the
> Macrovision spokesperson wrote. "The most common is attempting to view copy
> protected DVD title with a PC that is configured for 'Clone' mode. In such
> cases, an error message is usually presented to the user -- unfortunately
> the text doesn't often convey the cause very clearly. If this occurs, it is
> generally a simple process to reconfigure the computer to either 'Extended
> Desktop' dual view, or even just 'single view' mode."
>
>
>
> "These are the most likely sources of your reader's problem based on
> Macrovision's experience with these issues in the past," the Macrovision
> spokesperson continued. "Generally, the best way for a consumer to get help
> on issues with playback is through the maker of the device they are using -
> in this case, the PC maker -- or the player software. While Macrovision
> works closely with various consumer electronics and PC companies to help
> ensure broad, consistent and easy playback of DVDs protected with RipGuard,
> it's difficult to make a sweeping rule for diagnosing and remedying playback
> issues given all the moving parts that aren't related to Macrovision."
>
>
>
> So let's see. The average consumer confronted with a problem like our reader
> had should buy a optical disk cleaner kit, delve into the mysteries of PAL
> and NTSC formats and DVD geographical coding, download a bunch of drivers
> and updates, (or maybe find some older drivers, according to the advice our
> reader found on the Internet), and mess around with your display
> configuration. And if that doesn't work, try calling HP or Apple or
> Microsoft and ask them why your PC can't play Battlestar Gallactica 2.5.
> Good luck with that.
>
>
>
> The Macrovision spokesperson acknowledges that these are not ideal
> solutions. "You do bring up an important point and something that needs to
> be considered, especially as devices and formats proliferate. Macrovision
> takes the issue of playability seriously and is considering ways of
> educating and expanding the resources available to consumers on this topic.
> I hope this information and guidance helps somehow. We realize it is not a
> complete solution to what you are looking for, but it is a point we are
> raising with our customers and other industry partners such as the MPAA to
> discuss ways we could work to alleviate it."
>
>
>
> Well, that's terrific, although somehow I doubt anybody's going to be very
> comfortable calling the MPAA when they have a problem playing a DVD on their
> computer. What we really need is far simpler solution, but it's not one that
> Macrovision will like. DRM can cause a lot of trouble for the customer,
> and - because it doesn't stop the pirates for even a minute - it really
> doesn't wind up benefiting anyone. The music industry is showing signs of
> finally realizing that DRM is not the answer, but it's going to be a while
> before the same light dawns with the movie studios. In the meantime, what
> can you do when the DRM doesn't work? Well, make your voice heard on the
> Gripe Line.
>
>

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