HighDef Content to Require New Monitors

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2005-08-24 06:18am

Ace Pace wrote:Kernel, that article you quoted, I think the sum up is "Lets fuck everyone over into buying everything new because this fucking sucks"

Words cannot describe how stupid this is from a non industry point of view.

Or maybe its because its 10AM...

It's stupid I agree, but Microsoft is not the one to blame, that's the point I'm making. I don't necessarily agree with the authors POV of the situation, but the truth is that if Microsoft doesn't agree to the DRM standards, the MPAA will simply cut them out. They don't give a flying shit if people can play HiDef DVD on their PC's.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2005-08-24 09:43am

The Shadow wrote:How does it stands up to stealing frames directly from the screen with software ? There are several simple (and virtually unstoppable) ways of doing that in current Windows.

Not if the system requires some sort of hardware-accelerated overlay with framebuffer protection. Drivers could be modified, of course, but it won't be as easy as it is now.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2005-08-24 10:29am

I'm not blaming microsoft, I do however want to rip out and somehow convince the hardware manufacturs to secretly change it all into the open.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-08-24 12:32pm

I wonder if one of the manufacturers will "accidently" break the DRM in their first gen machines. They'd sell a lot of units.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2005-08-24 12:58pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:I wonder if one of the manufacturers will "accidently" break the DRM in their first gen machines. They'd sell a lot of units.

Watch as said devices have their keys revoked in future content so that users of it can only watch 480p content.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-08-24 01:21pm

Perhaps. Still, I remember the first generation PS2's that played DVDs from any region. At the store I used to work, there's probably still a VCR / DVD combo player gathering dust on the shelf that can record directly from the DVD player onto the VCR. Combo players aren't supposed to be able to do that, of course. I'm not saying these things were definitely done on purpose, but similar errors, accidental or not, will sell a lot of units.

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2005-08-24 01:46pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:Perhaps. Still, I remember the first generation PS2's that played DVDs from any region. At the store I used to work, there's probably still a VCR / DVD combo player gathering dust on the shelf that can record directly from the DVD player onto the VCR. Combo players aren't supposed to be able to do that, of course. I'm not saying these things were definitely done on purpose, but similar errors, accidental or not, will sell a lot of units.

Look at how many DVD players Apex sold several years ago once it came out that you could hack them into being region free and turn the Macrovision off by merely entering a few codes.

Once that info hit the net, my local BB and Circuit City stores sold out of Apex players within two days.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-08-24 02:02pm

If something like that happened this time around, and given problems with first gen hardware it's almost inevitable, I doubt either of the two consortiums would cut off that manufacturer. It would cede a valuable partner to the other side, and generate a lot of anger in the geek press toward whichever standard did it. That's one redeeming quality of warring standards, I suppose.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2005-08-24 02:30pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:If something like that happened this time around, and given problems with first gen hardware it's almost inevitable, I doubt either of the two consortiums would cut off that manufacturer. It would cede a valuable partner to the other side, and generate a lot of anger in the geek press toward whichever standard did it. That's one redeeming quality of warring standards, I suppose.

The geek press doesn't matter, the mass market who is ignorant of such things is. It'd also send a message that the content providers are quite willing to cut off anyone who does not comply.

Glocksman wrote:Look at how many DVD players Apex sold several years ago once it came out that you could hack them into being region free and turn the Macrovision off by merely entering a few codes.

Well, DVD's copy protection is easy to break so short of redesigning its protection nothing could be done there. HD-DVD and BD-ROM are another story entirely.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-08-24 02:46pm

The Kernel wrote:
Uraniun235 wrote:Seems to me the optimum workaround would be to get at the key database. Wonder if it'll ever get leaked.
Wouldn't make a difference. They can still introduce new keys and invalidate the old ones.

How is that supposed to work unless every HD-DVD player has a network connection?

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-08-24 03:33pm

phongn wrote:The geek press doesn't matter, the mass market who is ignorant of such things is. It'd also send a message that the content providers are quite willing to cut off anyone who does not comply.

The mass market isn't going to be in the picture for the first generation, I don't think. Not with warring standards. There will be enough geeks and people who listen to geeks to make a big difference. And if content providers of one format take a hard nosed attitdue and get slammed in the press, and the other side positions itself as more enlightened, that could be enough to secure a winner.

But you're right, if the mass market did decide to start buying Hi-Def players soon after they came out, my argument would be invalidated.