ARccOS
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The 13 Netflix DVDs still featuring ARccOS copy protection
We hoped that we had pretty much heard the end of Sony's ridiculous ARccOS copy protection -- which added in corrupted sectors in order to prevent copying (and legitimate playback in a myriad of players) -- but sadly, not all wishes are granted. Dave Zatz noticed an announcement on Netflix's website which spells out the remaining DVDs in which ARccOS is still in play, with 007: Casino Royale, Black Christmas, The Grudge 2, Pursuit of Happyness, Stranger than Fiction, The Holiday and a smattering of other halfway popular titles in the mix. It also shows the list of players known to be affected by the DRM, so you may want to take a peek before renting any of the aforesaid titles. Thanks, Big Content!
Sony offers fix for broken DVDs
For those still living in the 90's and having problems with Sony's ARccOS copy protection scheme for DVDs, Sony has updated the system and is offering replacement discs to those who request them. Some studios just won't give up on DRM, and while CSS and more recently AACS have been compromised, they continue to look for ways to "protect" their content. As in any cat-mouse-game, you have to constantly adapt to stay in the game -- so you can bet that this won't be the last time Sony updates this format. If you are one of the few watching DVDs on an incompatible player, do yourself a favor and call in to get a replacement disc, or if even if you don't have one and just want to chat about DRM for a bit.[Via Slashdot]
Sony copy protection taking heat again: now DVDs won't play
Reports continue to filter in about DVDs that refuse to play on standard players from Toshiba, LG, Pioneer, Sony, and others. The culprit is titles that utilize Sony's ARccOS copy protection scheme, such as Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," The Weinstein Company's "Lucky Number Slevin," and Sony's "Casino Royale," "The Holiday," and "Stranger Than Fiction." ARccOS artificially scrambles sectors on the disc in an attempt to keep users from ripping the disc to a drive. Many older (or less sophisticated) players simply skip these corrupted areas as unreadable and continue on. Computers -- and unfortunately, some newer players -- try to perform error correction on these areas and fail playback. When contacted, Sony seems to deny the problem, much like Microsoft and the 360 disc scratching, and simply passes the buck onto the player manufacturers to upgrade their firmware. Meanwhile, many users have simply downloaded programs to bypass the protection and make copies without the "defect." So, is this a rootkit-like class action lawsuit in the making? Is it just overblown hype over a few players that don't follow standards? Another example of copy protection that bites legitimate users and ignores the real problem? And do average consumers even care?
