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iTunes to allow video burning soon?
I used the question mark because nothing is set in stone here, but TUAW reader Ann-CA tipped us off to a report at the DVD Newsroom that Hollywood might actually be close to lifting some of their over-the-top restrictions on DVD burning. This slightly loosened grip on their content could allow for things like DVD burning kiosks (it better be a darn fast burner), and it could also give the green light to vendors like the iTunes Music Store to allow burning of purchased videos.The panel in charge of making and (finally) rewriting these rules is called the DVD Copy Control Association, according to DVD Newsroom. This DVDCCA is currently working on licensing the encryption technology (Content Scrambling System, or: CSS - nothing to do with web design) to digital distribution services, which is the key to allowing video burning.No ETA is offered on when these rewritten rules could see the light of day, or when video burning could arrive in the iTMS. If Hollywood's reaction times of the past are any indication (and I genuinely hope they aren't), however, we might all be using 7th or 8th gen iPods before we can watch iTMS video on something besides Apple-branded devices.
DVD Copy Control Association to lighten DVD restrictions
It only took them, what, 10 years? The DVD Copy Control Association is finally setting about loosening some of the restrictions they've had on DVD copying -- at least to an extent. It doesn't sound like they have any plans to expand usage rights for consumers (perish the thought!), so we're guessing burning copies of a disc for backup purposes is still going to be less than legit. What they are planning to do is license their Content Scramble System (CSS) to Online distributors and makers of in-store kiosks, to allow for the burning of full-fledged DVDs from legal downloads. They're also in talks with media manufacturers to produce CSS-compatible blank DVDs for use with the services. We're guessing this new tact will bring some improved compatibility for services like CinemaNow, who already offers DVD burning with their download service, and hopes are high for a DVD burning feature from Apple for that eternally-rumored movie download store.[Via DVD Newsroom, thanks Ann]
Ask HD Beat: DVD upconverting over component?
HD Beat reader Mark writes in with a common question:"I really have no idea who else to ask about this: Given that most of the new HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players will be at least theoretically capable of outputting an HD signal over component cables, it seems odd to me that all the upconverting DVD players only offer the upconversion over HDMI. Are there any that offer upconverting over component? Hell, maybe they all do, and I'm just misreading the specs... but if so, I blame the specs."If you can get high definition formats to output at 1080i or 720p via analog connectors, why not existing DVDs? One word: DRM.
Download-and-Burn movies getting closer
Download-and-Burn might just become the new mantra of the MPAA yet. Recently, the studios dropped their asinine controversial demands to retrofit set-top DVD players and DVD-ROM drives with expensive watermark detection technology. Instead, the demand is now limited to new devices with enhanced features such as the ability to burn downloaded movies or support managed copy; not to your run-of-the mill living room DVD player. Under the proposal, these so-called "enhanced devices" would also have to incorporate HDCP on all digital outputs as well as CGMS-A on analog outs in an effort to curb piracy. Something to keep in mind with your next TV purchase, eh? Sure, the watermark technology must still be chosen along with a new method for CSS authentication. But this clears the way for an overall download-and-burn agreement for standard-definition DVDs (not Blu-ray or HD DVD folks) which would allow the likes of Walmart, Target, and Best Buy to implement their download kiosks and enable the good peeps at Netflix to finally stream their flix into our homes for that sweet, sweet burn. [Via Digital Media Thoughts]
Widget Watch: CSS Tweak!
CSS Tweak!, as you might imagine, can optimize and clean up your CSS code with the drag and drop of a file. The widget will report how much smaller your file is going to get, and its description states that your new file is "saved in the same location as the original", so I'm pretty sure this means it doesn't overwrite the original, but proceed (and backup!) with caution.CSS Tweak! appears to be free and is available from Andy Peatling at his site, CssDev.
OmniWeb 5.5 public beta
Earlier this month, the Omni Group offered a sneak peek of their upcoming 5.5 release of OmniWeb, their feature-rich web browser that pre-dated Netscape by a year. If the preview piqued your interest, you might be interested in their public beta. While this new release doesn't pack in a boatload of up-front whiz-bang features, they have implemented some great back-end stuff like using a more recent version of WebKit than Safari, a Site Inspector (also known as a DOM Inspector) and allowing site-specific CSS rules that update in real time.John Hicks of hickdesign has a few more details of what's new and upcoming in the final 5.5 release, and if you want to get in on the public beta, you'll have to register in the Omni Group's forums in order to see the forum thread with details on how to download your own copy.
Use CSS in your Mail signatures
I'll have to agree with Dvorak that mail apps that don't allow HTML are lame lame lame. Apple's Mail will allow you to see HTML emails, but not compose them. I guess that's supposed to be a security/annoyance feature, but sometimes I would really like to make an HTML email... But at least we can have CSS for our signatures. CSS, for those who don't know, is a way of styling web pages. It's more precise than plain ol' HTML, and quite frankly, more powerful and better looking. My personal site uses CSS exclusively (much to the chagrin of Netscape Navigator 4.7). Anyway, Melvin Rivera has a step-by-step tutorial on using CSS in your Mail.app signatures. You may want to learn a little CSS first, if you've never tried it before. Just like using a Mac, you may never go back.
What if the DRM on your DVD player didn't work?
Yeah that might make you happy, but it could be a real problem for the manufacturer. Enter Samsung's DVD-HD841, an upconverting DVD player sold in 2004; it didn't sell well until a key "feature" was uncovered, you could hack it to turn off region coding and HDCP protections. The player has long been off the market, but now several movie studios have brought lawsuits against Samsung for their failure to protect content.But we all know that there have been ways around the CSS encryption practically since DVDs launched, so why sue now? Ars Technica supposes that this is more about setting an example for the next generation of DVD players, and I tend to agree. If/when someone finds a way around AACS and HDCP expect the lawsuits to come hard and heavy.
My other issues with iWeb
Adding to the small pile of gripes with the new technology Apple is using with iLife 06, such as complaints about iWeb's bloated CSS or RSS standards and photocasting, I just developed a beef that I haven't really seen mentioned yet: the crummy new URL scheme for iWeb sites, both on and offline.First of all, in the olden day the .Mac "homepage" did't seem to be case sensitive, as in: homepage.mac.com/user will get you to the same place as /User. iWeb is a bit pickier, as a wedding site I'm working on lives at web.mac.com/myuser/iWeb/Wedding/, but /wedding/ will result in a 404 error. Yes, a friend already reminded me that "Unix = case sensitive," but I don't care. While this could be labeled a minor complaint, my fiance and I have plenty of family members who aren't too hip on these computer thingies. They're going to get confused by something silly and minor like this, and I'm sure our relatives aren't the only ones.Next on my list is the URL scheme itself. web.mac.com/user/iWeb/sitename? Could that get any less friendly? Granted "homepage.mac.com" might seems a little unprofessional to some, but this new scheme feels pretty cumbersome and just plain ugly. Why couldn't we simply have web.mac.com/user and web.mac.com/user/othersites, Apple?Last but not least is how the new sites are organized in a user's iDisk. Old homepage sites still live in iDisk/Sites/, while shiny new iWeb sites live in iDisk/Web/Sites/iWeb/sitename. Nevermind a discussion about how needlessly buried that file structure is - I'm sure this dichotomy of old/new sites and content is going to confuse plenty of .Mac customers if they ever want to get at any of those files, or make a backup of their sites or entire iDisk.But enough about my gripes, what do you guys think: do iWeb and its underpinning .Mac support have more issues besides CSS and standards? Let's hear your thoughts.
Widget watch: SeeSS
Not long ago we posted a list of the best Dashboard widgets for web developers, as compiled by designer Lisa McMillan. Today's widget could easily join that list. It's called SeeSS, and it serves as a complete CSS reference. There are 140 CSS properties represented, and each includes inheritance, CSS compliancy, Safari support and more. It also does some cool resizing tricks to keep it from hogging too much space on your Dashboard. Check it out.
