MPAA dangles early HD VOD releases, in exchange for closing that pesky analog hole
By Richard Lawler 
posted May 16th 2008 7:27AM
posted May 16th 2008 7:27AM
Moving beyond day-and-date releases via internet and HD video-on-demand, movie studios may be ready to move towards regularly putting movies online ahead of the DVD release date for a premium price -- that surveys say some of us are willing to pay -- but prepare to have your analog hole plugged again. The MPAA petitioned the FCC earlier this month to lift the existing ban preventing cable and satellite providers from remotely disabling analog outputs on their set-top boxes via selectable output controls (SOC). In a bit of ICT redux, the movie studios haven't said definitively that they will use the technology, but insist on having the ability to force anyone wanting to view high definition movies to only see them through an HDCP-protected HDMI output to a compatible TV. The failure of AACS and BD+ to prevent high quality copies isn't a deterrent to the MPAA's push, so while ICT has gone unused on Blu-ray and HD DVD, we're still too fond of our component outs, switchers and homemade cables -- and too wary of a future change in policy -- to support any changes in the law.
Can these guys just go die in a fire or something? Sure, piracy's bad, don't do it, whatever. Some people (who aren't me, I swear) are going to find a way to do it no matter what and it's almost more about the principle of the thing. Sure, I could pay for this movie, or I could take it for free from a bunch of dicks who nobody likes. Hmmmm.
Two problems: I can still hook up and record whatever I want via my pc connection on my tv, and I can always simply run cable through my laptop. This won't stop piracy at all.
Dude, you just took the words right out of my mouth.
let me be the first to say it
F*** You mppa
enough with this hdpc crap its failing on monitors
so why do they think it will work on TVs
The mpaa and riaa will never learn that the consumers do *NOT* want drm in any form
Fail. You're not the first to say that! :P
He may be the first to say that to the MPPA...
The Minnesota Professional Photographer's Association?
If we were offered movies for a reasonable price yes i would buy one straight away. I do like to see a movie before i pay for it. If you offered brand new DVDs for £5-8 considering in the UK £10-15 is normal. That would make me buy them straight off.
If you charge too much, people will screw you over.
It still wouldn't stop a pirate from pointing an HD camera at a 1080p projection.
The more difficult they make it to pirate, the more effort pirates will take just for the notoriety.
Yeah, and HDMI with HDCP to VGA or component boxes will just up and disappear.
Makes that hauppague component HD h264 encoding box and a HDMI to component box off ebay look like a good investment for any budding internet pirate types...
They seem determined to make pirate copies more appealing to consumers by making authentic ones so damn restrictive.
The average joe doesn't give two shits if his interconnects are HDCP approved, all he cares about is the video he just paid for isn't playing and the ones on bittorrent are!
Short of approved DRM enabled retinas there will always be an analogue hole.
"Short of approved DRM enabled retinas there will always be an analogue hole."
SHUT UP! Don't let them hear about that!! Anything's possible..
If you eye isnt HDCP compliant, you'll see the Ghost In the Shell "Laughing Man" censor logo instead.
Who the hell are these "some of us" that are willing to pay $9 for a 24 hour on-demand movie rental.
Are these $9 movies released on the same day as the theatrical release? Then I might pay...might.
Are they stupid ? We don't live in the Matrix, it's an analog world. The analog hole CANNOT be closed. As soon as something hit the TV display, you're screwed as it can be catched by whatever mean.
Actually, the matrix has you.
Death to DRM
Death to DRM
Death to DRM
Death to DRM
Death to DRM
Why does every corporation want to control everything! Gone are the days when you pay for something and you actually OWN it!
Why are they doing this? Because enough of you have bought plenty of DRM-filled crap from stores like iTunes. So, they figure that no matter what they do, you guys are still buying. Then, they feel like they can keep on trying on restricting you more and more.
Seriously. Anyone who's ever bought DRM'd music or video needs to shut up, because you brought this upon us all.
Here's a newsflash-- video has had some sort of copy protection going back to VHS (Macrovision). It's been around in some form for thirty years now. Blaming people who've purchased DRM'd iTunes music (I've never, BTW), is naive.
Sorry, but my analog hole is a one way street. Nobody's plugging it. Nobody.
I'm incensed and at the same time a little excited. It's an excuse to get a new TV. :)
This would annoy the freak out of me. I have a perfectly good Mitsu 55-513 55" HD-RPTV which does not have HDMI. It has component and DVI.
Since Timewarner removed the DVI port on the 8300HD box, it now only had component and HDMI. Well, when I bought a Wii, I needed to move the 8300HD to DVI.
So, I now use a HDMI to DVI cable for my TV. The problem will be if they require this new stuff, I won't be able to watch HD anymore.
You might be ok. I've got a 6 year old Hitachi RP set w/DVI only. But, it's still HDCP-compliant, so I can use an HDMI-DVI converter and still see protected content. I believe your Mitsubishi is the same.
The BitTorrent network and premium newsservers have already plugged this hole for users.
Who cares? I fail to understand why anyone would watch HD over component at most anyways. HDCP is common place so what's the big deal?
I really hope you are joking.
You have one cow. You paid for it twice because of some fucking media corporation.
Amen to that.
@Rick I don't actually know anyone who uses HDCP, yet most everyone I know has HD of some sort.
How can they be so fucking stupid? How can they not realize that it takes *one*, UNO, ein, a SINGLE DRM-free copy, in ANY format, in the hands of a pirate, for it to multiply by the millions digitally? It doesn't matter how many leaks they try to plug, there will always be a leak somewhere else!
They are truly their own worst enemy.
+1
This will be fun to watch the pirates; the step of ripping content from physical media is already out of the way.
We should start a pool for when the MPAA start trying to sell movies at $50 and $100, and reguardless of the quality of the movie. Whether it's "Santa Claus conquers the Martians" or "Citizen Kane."
I can June 21, 2009 for the $50 point.
And December 21, 2012 for the $100 point.