AfterDawn: News

Movie studios approve new copy protection system to allow burning

The main problem with many of today's online video download services is the majority lack a burning features, which locks a movie to a PC and whatever display and audio equipment it feeds to. CinemaNow has had a burning option for very few of its titles but there have been reported complaints regarding playback issues. Now the movie studios have approved a new system that uses an old content protection.

Sonic Solutions Inc. will introduce its Qflix system on Thursday which can be used to burn movies bought over the Internet or used with Kiosks. Specifically, the system burns DVDs that are protected with Content Scrambling System (CSS), the same weak scheme used with the majority of retail DVDs to date. Surely there is some other form of content protection included to prevent easy copying.



However, this is still not exactly what consumers are looking for as it is reported that consumers will need "new blank DVDs and compatible DVD burners to use it". I guess it remains to be seen what exactly that means in practice. The company also said that burning a disc using the system will take about 10 or 15 minutes.

Enabling its usage with Kiosks is interesting though; allowing consumers to possibly choose from thousands of movies and TV shows to make custom discs.

UPDATE: Some more details to give. Customers will still be subject to restrictions on their downloads, such as a burn limit, but the resulting burn does in fact contain the same CSS protection as seen on regular DVDs.

"We are pleased and encouraged to see efforts like Sonic's creation of Qflix that addresses the need for industry standard protection," Chris Cookson, chief technology officer at Warner Bros. said in a statement. Several companies are participating with Qflix including Verbatim (makes blank media), MovieLink, Akimbo Systems Inc. and the Walgreen Co. chain of drug stores.

Sonic also explained that some DVD burners can be updated to support the service and companies such as Plextor, a Qflix partner, will market compatible DVD burners.

Source:
MSNBC

Written by: James Delahunty @ 4 Jan 2007 0:39

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• 8 comments

• duckNrun

  ok so let me get this straight...
  
  So I CAN burn movies I BOUGHT via download but I am expected to go out and buy new hardware as well as specially designed (read: more expensive?) blank discs to be able to do so.
  
  The discs would be an interesting situation though. Normal retail discs do not contain the extra section where CSS resides. This means that true bit copies which would maintain the encryption on the copy cannot be burned. Perhaps that would be fixed by these new discs. If so that would technically allow one to legally copy ANY media they owned since they would no longer be the requirement to bypass the DMCA by removing the protections.
  
  Still though lots of expense expected for consumers to incur just for the priviledge of using their purchased products in a manner that they wish to be used.
  
  

  4.1.2007 07:12 #1

• borhan9

  I don't like this. If i wanted a legit way to get the media i would go out and buy the DVD that i really want cause it comes with all the goodies. If i just want the movie ill download it but all depends i prefer the old DVD format we have now.

  4.1.2007 11:15 #2

• deadcat

  if im reading this correctly, these new dvd burners/discs are going to mimic a pressed copy? and include the css?
  so therefore they should be able to copy any disc without the need for a deCSS program?
  ........in a perfect world maybe

  4.1.2007 14:10 #3

• ZippyDSM

  you do realize once hacked home archivers and pirates could made 1:1 copies..... using stuff to make "legit" downloaded DVD's....oy vay...heres a thought just don't.......for the sake of everythign...just don't....

  6.1.2007 17:12 #4

• DADEO1

  This is just more crappolla being stuffed downed the consumers throat.Buy special discs,buy or try to upgrade your dvd player,do this don't do that can't you read the signs.The consumer holds the final key to all this crap,keep it in your pants,your wallet that is.

  7.1.2007 04:19 #5

• ZippyDSM

  funny thing is the current blank CDs and DVDs are special because they are "taxed" *rollseyes*

  7.1.2007 05:46 #6

• Steve83

  The MPAA's old argument that consumers DON'T have the right to make or posess backups of movies has now officially been blown out of the water. Forever.

  7.1.2007 11:56 #7

• jziman

  More and more attempts to try to make something that can only be used the way the the studio wants it used. But as we all know we the user will use it the way that we want or not use it. I guess thats just how it works.

  7.1.2007 14:01 #8