copy protected media

[C de-Avillez]

On Fri, 9 Jul 2010 15:10:43 +0100
nepal <nepal.roade at googlemail.com> wrote:

(Rather OT, but irresistible.)

<OT>

> A friend has just lent me a couple of Pride DVDs but I notice they are
> marked with a CP symbol and I cannot watch either of these DVDs, they
> do something weird and skip to the end of the disk.
> 
> I'm using Ubuntu 9.10 and I've tried a few different players, vlc,
> mplayer, moovida, even Totem which never works properly and doesn't
> for this either.

Don't know these DVDs, but it is an almost safe bet they will run under
Windows, or on standard DVD players ('standard' meaning DRM-compliant).
> 
> Is this the new state of affairs for media? I can be legally sold
> useless media, media that will not play in my standard piece of kit?


No, this is not the *new* state of affairs. This is how it has been for
quite a long time (think some tens of years, google for Digital Audio
Tape, for example). However, please note that sometimes this is not
actually an action from an oligopoly -- see, for example, PC games
that state they require a video card XYZ or better.

So yes, you can be sold media that will require compatible hardware.
 
> It certainly doesn't seem to be making me want to go and spend money
> of packaged media...

This is why it is so important to make your representatives (to the
government) aware you are against DRM (at least as it is). Keep in mind
that currently, pretty much all DRM implementations only restrict and
penalise the *legal* user.

</OT>

Cheers,
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