Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Universal Studios' films now available on iCloud, Fox still grounded]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/07/universal-studios-films-movies-itunes-in-the-cloud/http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/07/universal-studios-films-movies-itunes-in-the-cloud/http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/07/universal-studios-films-movies-itunes-in-the-cloud/#comments itunes in the cloudBack in early March, it became clear that content from Fox and Universal Studios would be held back from being available in the all-encompassing iCloud, presumably due to the HBO release window stranglehold impacting both libraries. Today, however, the tides of change are having an impact of their own. Mac Rumors is reporting that Universal titles no longer boast the unfortunate warning that they used to, allowing iTunes users to enjoy titles from iTunes in the Cloud. Regrettably, Fox titles still exhibit the hold back, but we're told that negotiations are ongoing to remedy that. So, movie plans back on for this evening?

Universal Studios' films now available on iCloud, Fox still grounded originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>app storeappleAppStorecloudfoxhdpostcrossiclouditmsitunesiTunes in the CloudItunesInTheCloudmovie streamingmoviesMovieStreamingmpaastreamstreaminguniversalUniversal StudiosUniversalStudiosSat, 07 Apr 2012 18:11:00 EST<![CDATA[Louis CK makes $1 million in 12 days, proves that DRM-free content is valued]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/louis-ck-makes-1-million-in-12-days-proves-that-drm-free-conte/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/louis-ck-makes-1-million-in-12-days-proves-that-drm-free-conte/http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/louis-ck-makes-1-million-in-12-days-proves-that-drm-free-conte/#comments Hear that, MPAA / RIAA? That's the sound of Louis CK's audience chuckling. Not at one of his jokes, mind you, but at the notion of strapping DRM onto everything you possibly can in order to "make people buy it." In an effort to see if this crazy idea was true or not, the famed comedian decided to sell his Live at the Beacon Theater for just $5. Procuring it was dead simple -- you could either surf over to his website and plop down a PayPal payment, or you could pirate it. Either way, no DRM was affixed. Turns out, people actually are fans of paying money for things that they see as both fair and worthwhile, as evidenced by the $1 million that currently sits in Louis CK's PayPal account. Of course, we've never advise anyone to hold anywhere near that much cash in an account that could be frozen on you at a moment's notice (not that we have experience or anything), but at least he's going to do awesome things with the proceeds. We'll let you hit the source link to find out precisely what that is. Kudos, Louis.

Louis CK makes $1 million in 12 days, proves that DRM-free content is valued originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comedydownloaddrmlouis ckLouisCkmpaapower to the peoplePowerToThePeopleprivacyriaaThu, 22 Dec 2011 20:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Zediva ordered to permanently shut down operations, pay $1.8 million to MPAA]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/01/zediva-ordered-to-permanently-shut-down-operations-pay-1-8-mil/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/01/zediva-ordered-to-permanently-shut-down-operations-pay-1-8-mil/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/01/zediva-ordered-to-permanently-shut-down-operations-pay-1-8-mil/#comments
The last time we checked in with Zediva, the DVD streaming service was reeling from a court-ordered preliminary injunction that effectively brought its operations to a halt. At the time, the California-based company was still pinning its hopes on the promise of a forthcoming appeal, but those hopes were summarily quashed on Friday, when US District Judge John Walter rendered the injunction permanent. Zediva had previously exposed an apparent loophole in US copyright law, by allowing users to stream movies from physical DVDs located in Silicon Valley. This strategy allowed the firm to offer newly released movies well before other on-demand services, but according to Judge Walter, it was also illegal. Zediva will now have to cease all operations and pay $1.8 million in damages to the MPAA. The defendant has yet to comment on the decision, but MPAA Associate General Counsel Dan Robbins seemed understandably delighted: "This result sends a strong message to those who would exploit the studios' works in violation of copyright law, on the Internet or elsewhere, and it is an important victory for the more than 2 million American men and women whose livelihoods depend on a thriving film and television industry."

Zediva ordered to permanently shut down operations, pay $1.8 million to MPAA originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcopyright actCopyrightActcourtdamagesdvdhdpostcrosshollywoodinjunctionjudgelawlawsuitloopholemoneymoviemovie studioMovieStudioMPAAnegotiationnetflixon demandOnDemandshut downShutDownstreamingstudiovideozedivaTue, 01 Nov 2011 15:16:00 EST<![CDATA[Pirate Bay founders launch 'copyright respecting' BayFiles sharing site, still dream of a life on Sealand]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/pirate-bay-founders-launch-copyright-respecting-bayfiles-shari/http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/pirate-bay-founders-launch-copyright-respecting-bayfiles-shari/http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/pirate-bay-founders-launch-copyright-respecting-bayfiles-shari/#comments It ain't often that the hated few have a genuine change of heart, but it sounds as if the folks who founded The Pirate Bay are tired of sailing the same seas. After years of turning a blind eye to content mavens across the globe, Fredrik Neij and co. have launched what appears to be a legitimate file-sharing site -- one that's "respectful of copyrights." For all intents and purposes, BayFiles is yet another alternative to RapidShare and MegaUpload, acting as a cyberlocker that allows anyone with a web browser to upload files to share via a unique URL. Unregistered users will be limited to a 250MB upload, while standard members get bumped to 500MB and paying 'Premium' members can share up to 5GB per link. According to the terms of service, content that "violates third-party copyrights" cannot be uploaded, and folks who routinely ignore said words could face account termination. Head on down to the source to get started, and if you fall in love, you can pony up €5 a month, €25 for six months, or €45 for 12 months to claim your membership.

Pirate Bay founders launch 'copyright respecting' BayFiles sharing site, still dream of a life on Sealand originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BayFilesBitTorrentcopyrightDRMfile hostingfile sharingFileHostingFileSharingillegallegalMPAAp2ppeer to peerpeer-to-peerPeerToPeerpiracyPirate BayPirateBayRIAAThe Pirate BayThePirateBayThu, 01 Sep 2011 15:43:00 EST<![CDATA[Zediva puts the brakes on its streaming service, soothes your fears with monkeys]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/11/zediva-puts-the-brakes-on-its-streaming-service-soothes-your-fe/http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/11/zediva-puts-the-brakes-on-its-streaming-service-soothes-your-fe/http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/11/zediva-puts-the-brakes-on-its-streaming-service-soothes-your-fe/#comments Zediva fought the law and the law shut it down. The unique DVD rental service, sued by the MPAA and Hollywood studios for running afoul of licensing and distribution agreements, has temporarily closed shop. A statement on the outfit's website optimistically refers to the court-ordered injunction as an "intermission," pointing to a hopeful future resumption of operations, and guaranteeing customers a solution for unused credits. The company's promised to fight back against Judge Walter's decision, and is in the process of appealing the ruling that could see it facing a permanent service blackout. We hope for the sake of its "DVD-changing monkeys" that all parties involved can work this out. Make sure to head past the break for Zediva's full explanation.

Continue reading Zediva puts the brakes on its streaming service, soothes your fears with monkeys

Zediva puts the brakes on its streaming service, soothes your fears with monkeys originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcopyright infringementCopyrightInfringementCopyrightsdvd rentaldvd rentalsDvdRentalDvdRentalshdhdpostcrosslawsuitmonkeysmotion picture association of americaMotionPictureAssociationOfAmericamovie streamingMovieStreamingmpaaonline videoOnlineVideopreliminary injunctionPreliminaryInjunctionrentalsservice interruptionServiceInterruptionzedivaThu, 11 Aug 2011 20:37:00 EST<![CDATA[Zediva's DVD rental service ordered to close shop, Hollywood pops celebratory bubbly]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/zedivas-dvd-rental-service-ordered-to-close-shop-hollywood-pop/http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/zedivas-dvd-rental-service-ordered-to-close-shop-hollywood-pop/http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/02/zedivas-dvd-rental-service-ordered-to-close-shop-hollywood-pop/#comments Zediva's loophole-exploiting DVD rental service has just been dealt a lethal blow by Judge John F. Walter. The recent court-ordered preliminary injunction effectively halts the company's ability to rent its library to users across the internet's great streaming divide. Citing irreparable damages to both the nascent video on demand market and Hollywood's bottom line, the federal judge found Zediva's business in violation of studios' exclusive right to public performance of copyrighted works. The bizarro Netflix alternative had been operating without the normal licensing restrictions required by the industry and despite its claims of imminent ruination, will have to close shop. For its part, the unique startup has vowed to appeal the ruling, but if that doesn't work, at least its creators can watch No Strings Attached ad nauseum.

Zediva's DVD rental service ordered to close shop, Hollywood pops celebratory bubbly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcopyright infringementCopyrightInfringementCopyrightsdvd rentaldvd rentalsDvdRentalDvdRentalshdhdpostcrosslawsuitmotion picture association of americaMotionPictureAssociationOfAmericamovie streamingMovieStreamingmpaaonline videoOnlineVideopreliminary injunctionPreliminaryInjunctionrentalszedivaTue, 02 Aug 2011 19:41:00 EST<![CDATA[PROTECT IP Act called unconstitutional by bipartisan group of law professors]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/11/protect-ip-act-called-unconstitutional-by-bipartisan-group-of-la/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/11/protect-ip-act-called-unconstitutional-by-bipartisan-group-of-la/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/11/protect-ip-act-called-unconstitutional-by-bipartisan-group-of-la/#comments Letter against PROTECT IP Act Turns out Eric Schmidt is not alone in his vehement opposition to the PROTECT IP Act, and the resistance is hardly partisan. A group of over 100 law professors signed a letter (jointly authored by Mark Lemley, David Levine, and David Post) arguing that the legislation working its way through congress is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that speech can't be suppressed without the speaker being given an opportunity to defend his or her actions. Yet, under the bill being advocated for by the RIAA the MPAA, a judge can issue a temporary restraining order that will essentially shutdown a site based only on evidence presented by the government. The letter warns that, not only could overseas domain owners be cheated of the right to due process but, plenty of protected speech could be censored based a single piece of infringing material. As we warned, this can only get nastier and this nascent battle is still only just getting started. Check out the full letter at the source.

PROTECT IP Act called unconstitutional by bipartisan group of law professors originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>censorshipconstitutionDavid LevineDavid PostDavidLevineDavidPostfree speechFreeSpeechlawMark LemleyMarkLemleyMPAAprotect ipprotect ip actProtectIpProtectIpActRIAAsupreme courtSupremeCourtunconstitutionalMon, 11 Jul 2011 22:19:00 EST<![CDATA[ISP's agree on Copyright Alert System, plan to notify you to death for piracy infringements]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/isps-agree-on-copyright-alert-system-plan-to-notify-you-to-dea/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/isps-agree-on-copyright-alert-system-plan-to-notify-you-to-dea/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/isps-agree-on-copyright-alert-system-plan-to-notify-you-to-dea/#comments Too little, too late, we're afraid. For the past decade or so, the RIAA (amongst others) have spent every waking hour figuring out how to best sue and frighten every internet-connected human that even dares think about an illegal download. Now that said practice has failed miserably, it's finally resorting to something sensible. The entity announced today that AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision have teamed up with the RIAA and MPAA in order to agree upon a six-stage notification system that'll electronically alert internet users whenever their account is used for wrongful downloading. It's actually not all that much different than the systems that have been in place at Suddenlink for what feels like eons, but at least this creates a standard protocol that the whole lot can adhere to. Oh, and before you ask -- under no circumstances will any of these notices result in termination of your broadband connection. There's no way an ISP would agree to such a thing, and indeed, they haven't here. The full run-down can be delved into below, but it's worth noting that no extra "watching" procedures are being put into place; your ISP will only drop you a line if a content overlord asks 'em to. Good times, no?

Continue reading ISP's agree on Copyright Alert System, plan to notify you to death for piracy infringements

ISP's agree on Copyright Alert System, plan to notify you to death for piracy infringements originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>attbittorrentbroadbandCablevisionComcastcopyrightcopyright alertcopyright alertsCopyrightAlertCopyrightAlertsdownloaddownloadingdrmfile sharingFileSharingfiosillegalillegal downloadsIllegalDownloadsinternetispmpaap2ppiracyriaaTime Warner CableTimeWarnerCableu-verseVerizonwarningFri, 08 Jul 2011 09:12:00 EST<![CDATA[The Protect IP Act: Google's Eric Schmidt squares off against RIAA and MPAA]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/22/the-protect-ip-act-googles-eric-schmidt-squares-off-against-ri/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/22/the-protect-ip-act-googles-eric-schmidt-squares-off-against-ri/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/22/the-protect-ip-act-googles-eric-schmidt-squares-off-against-ri/#comments The Protect IP Act: Google's Eric Schmidt squares off against RIAA and MPAA Protecting intellectual property sounds like such a noble cause that you'd have to be a anarchistic free-market extremist to be against the idea, right? Actually, we don't think Google CEO Eric Schmidt is particularly extreme in any definable way, yet this past week he spoke with gusto, railing against the proposed Protect IP Act, which was designed to "prevent online threats to economic creativity and theft of intellectual property." If passed into law, it would give the government the right to shut down any "Internet site dedicated to infringing activities" -- "infringing activities" largely being of the sort that allows dude A to download copyrighted item B from dude C when it's unclear whether dude C has legal rights to be distributing B in the first place.

So, you know, it's targeting the Pirate Bay and its ilk, giving government officials greater power to sweep in and snag the domains of such sites. Schmidt calls this approach a set of "arbitrarily simple solutions to complex problems" that "sets a very bad precedent." The precedent? That it's okay for democratic governments to go and kill any site they don't like, something Schmidt says would only encourage restrictive policies in countries like China. While we don't think China really needs any sort of encouragement at all to keep on building up its Great Firewall, we tend to agree that this is a much more complicated problem than the Act makes it out to be. That said, one must admit that Schmidt's opinions are necessarily somewhat swayed by the knowledge that any such law would also have a negative impact on the business of search engines in general.

But of course no such volley of words could go unanswered from the two shining knights of copyright protection, the MPAA and RIAA, which mounted up their corporate blogs, rode down from twin castles full of lawyers, and collectively told Schmidt he's full of it. The MPAA spun Schmidt's comments into some sort of act of civil disobedience, saying that "Google seems to think it's above America's laws." Meanwhile, the RIAA called the statement "a confusing step backwards by one of the most influential internet companies." Obviously it's only going to get nastier from here, so buckle your seatbelts, place your bets, and hang on to your BitTorrent clients.

The Protect IP Act: Google's Eric Schmidt squares off against RIAA and MPAA originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcopyright protectionCopyrightProtectioneric schmidtEricSchmidtgooglegovernmentinternetlawmpaapiracypirateprotect ipProtectIpriaaSun, 22 May 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MPAA sues Zediva for streaming DVDs, no one is surprised]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/04/mpaa-sues-zediva-for-streaming-dvds--no-one-is-surprised/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/04/mpaa-sues-zediva-for-streaming-dvds--no-one-is-surprised/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/04/mpaa-sues-zediva-for-streaming-dvds--no-one-is-surprised/#comments We told you to get through that 10 pack of rentals quickly didn't we? As pretty much anyone could have predicted, the Motion Picture Association of America (in case you've forgotten, that's these guys) doesn't think Zediva has the right to rent access to DVDs for streaming across the internet. Specifically, the MPAA calls Zediva for not being the traditional rental service it claims to be, and claims streaming the output of a DVD player across the internet even to one user amounts to public performance of the movie. There's no response yet from Zediva, but in the meantime armchair lawyers can check out the MPAA's statement in PDF form at the source link.

MPAA sues Zediva for streaming DVDs, no one is surprised originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>lawsuitmotion picture association of americaMotionPictureAssociationOfAmericamovie streamingMovieStreamingmpaaonline videoOnlineVideorentalszedivaMon, 04 Apr 2011 17:56:00 EST<![CDATA[LG Revolution using 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8655, not NVIDIA's Tegra 2]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/lg-revolution-dumps-tegra-2-chooses-1ghz-snapdragon-msm8655-ins/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/lg-revolution-dumps-tegra-2-chooses-1ghz-snapdragon-msm8655-ins/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/lg-revolution-dumps-tegra-2-chooses-1ghz-snapdragon-msm8655-ins/#comments Consider it a mystery solved. Throughout the week here in Barcelona, we've spent an inordinate amount of time chasing down suits from LG, Qualcomm, NVIDIA and Verizon Wireless to answer one simple question: "What's up with the processor in the Revolution?" If you'll recall, NVIDIA actually sent one of its own to Verizon's LTE press event at CES 2011, specifically to bust out a Revolution and gloat about the Tegra 2 chip within (video's after the break if you don't believe us). As it stood, it seemed as if the Thunderbolt and Revolution would be butting heads from a CPU standpoint, with the former definitively sporting a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8655. And then, came the confusion. We showed up at Qualcomm's booth here at Mobile World Congress to see which phone it was using to demonstrate the recently unveiled Netflix-on-Android support -- lo and behold, LG's Revolution was the handset of choice. Obviously, there had to be a new Snapdragon processor within, as only the newest of the new will have the necessary DRM libraries at a hardware level that are necessary to pass muster with the MPAA.

After venturing over to LG's booth, we were also able to confirm that the only Revolution it knew of was boasting a Qualcomm CPU, and the shot above (which was sourced from there) proves it. We also confirmed with Verizon Wireless' paperwork that the version it's expecting in the next month or so will ship with Qualcomm inside. Finally, NVIDIA refused to comment on the matter, simply suggesting that we contact LG for more details. Put all of that together, and we're able to come to two main conclusions. First off, it seems as if LG yanked support for the Tegra 2 at some point between CES and MWC -- right around four weeks. Hard to say if there were reliability issues, an unsatisfactory amount of power drain, or just irreconcilable differences between the two CEOs (joking, of course). Secondly, it's reasonably safe to assume that Verizon's Revolution will be the first Android handset on Big Red to stream Netflix directly, which may please those who were planning on buying one but weren't looking forward to going without Netflix thanks to the Tegra 2 that was (presumably) slated for inclusion. Qualcomm 1, NVIDIA 0.

Update: NVIDIA finally saw fit to drop us a line and clarify a bit. Turns out, the confirmation in the video below was a gaff to begin with, as the Revolution was never going to be outfitted with NVIDIA innards. Go figure, right?

Vlad Savov contributed to this report.

Continue reading LG Revolution using 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8655, not NVIDIA's Tegra 2

LG Revolution using 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8655, not NVIDIA's Tegra 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidcpudrmexclusivegooglegoogle androidGoogleAndroidLGLG revolutionLgRevolutionmpaamsm8655mwcmwc 2011Mwc2011netflixnvidiaprocessorqualcommrevolutionsmartphonesnapdragontegrategra 2Tegra2verizonverizon wirelessVerizonWirelessvideovzwWed, 16 Feb 2011 10:17:00 EST<![CDATA[Android-powered LG Revolution caught streaming Netflix at MWC (video)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/android-powered-lg-revolution-caught-streaming-netflix-at-mwc-v/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/android-powered-lg-revolution-caught-streaming-netflix-at-mwc-v/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/android-powered-lg-revolution-caught-streaming-netflix-at-mwc-v/#comments Well, well -- what have we here? That up above is LG's Revolution, a Snapdragon-powered Android superphone. What's inside is no normal Snapdragon, though. It's actually a newfangled chip that isn't shipping to consumers just yet, which includes DRM libraries at a hardware level that serve to satisfy paranoid movie execs. The good news is that Qualcomm has actually whipped up a solution that'll finally bring Watch Instantly to Android; the bad news is that existing smartphones -- even existing Snapdragon devices -- will not be able to utilize the app. Without new hardware, the Android version of the Netflix app simply won't function, and no one at Qualcomm was willing to tell us when these Netflix-friendly Snapdragon chips would begin to ship out.

Whenever that fateful day arrives, though, Snapdragon devices with HDMI sockets will be able to beam that content right to their HDTV -- the company's hardware is HDCP-approved, so there's no sweat when it comes to watching content on the big screen. On-site representatives made clear that both the phone and the app were for demonstration purposes only, but we'd be shocked if LG's handset shipped without this compatibility. The demo we saw was smooth as butter, and the app itself looked glorious on the Revolution's 4.3-inch touchscreen. See for yourself in the video just past the break.

Gallery: LG Revolution streams Netflix at MWC 2011

Continue reading Android-powered LG Revolution caught streaming Netflix at MWC (video)

Android-powered LG Revolution caught streaming Netflix at MWC (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 07:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androiddemoDRMgooglegoogle androidGoogleAndroidhands-onlglg revolutionLgRevolutionmoviemoviesMPAAmwcmwc 2011Mwc2011netflixqualcommrevolutionsecuritysmartphonesnapdragonstreamstreamingvideowatch instantlyWatchInstantlyTue, 15 Feb 2011 07:53:00 EST<![CDATA[Unstoppable: the first Blu-ray film with Android-compatible Digital Copy]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/unstoppable-the-first-blu-ray-film-with-android-compatible-digi/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/unstoppable-the-first-blu-ray-film-with-android-compatible-digi/http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/unstoppable-the-first-blu-ray-film-with-android-compatible-digi/#comments It's a little shocking that it's taken this long to get a Digital Copy that's compatible with Android, but clearly it's the week of shackles being broken. Just yesterday, Qualcomm announced that all future Snapdragon devices would be cleared for Netflix streaming, and now Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is announcing that its impending Unstoppable launch will allow Android users to watch the flick on the go. By enabling the transfer through BD Live, it marks the first time that this has been possible with Google's mobile OS, though it should be noted that consumers will need the disc itself, a WiFi-connected BD player, Android 1.6 or higher and the free PocketBLU app to make the magic happen. Both the movie and app can be downloaded starting today, but here's the real question: are you willing to invest in a movie just to experience Digital Copy... on Android?

Continue reading Unstoppable: the first Blu-ray film with Android-compatible Digital Copy

Unstoppable: the first Blu-ray film with Android-compatible Digital Copy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidappBDbd liveBdLiveblu-raydigital copyDigitalCopyDRMfoxgooglegoogle androidGoogleAndroidmoviemoviesMPAAPocketBLUsecurityunstoppableTue, 15 Feb 2011 07:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Google begins censoring autocomplete results for BitTorrent, RapidShare and other Big Media profanity]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/27/google-begins-censoring-bittorrent-rapidshare-and-other-big-med/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/27/google-begins-censoring-bittorrent-rapidshare-and-other-big-med/http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/27/google-begins-censoring-bittorrent-rapidshare-and-other-big-med/#comments Tried searching for "BitTorrent," "RapidShare," "uTorrent," "MegaUpload" or even "Ubuntu torrent" lately? Good luck finding a Google domain that'll autocomplete those results for you. Presumably caving to pleading from the MPAA and / or RIAA, El Goog has quietly begun to censor the results it shows when typing the above terms. Needless to say, the aforesaid companies aren't too keen on the new procedures, and strangely enough, a number of other sites that would typically be grouped into this same category -- MediaFire, 4shared and HotFile -- remain on the cleared list. Hit the source link if you're looking for loads of responses from companies angered with Google's move, and feel free to reset your homepage to Bing, Yahoo or any other search engine who has yet to bend. You know, if you're feeling rebellious.

Google begins censoring autocomplete results for BitTorrent, RapidShare and other Big Media profanity originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bittorrentcensorcensorshipdrmgooglelegalmpaap2ppeer to peerPeerToPeerradipdshareriaasearchtorrentutorrentThu, 27 Jan 2011 10:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Google spends a few more million, picks up Widevine DRM software firm]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/05/google-spends-a-few-more-million-picks-up-widevine-drm-software/http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/05/google-spends-a-few-more-million-picks-up-widevine-drm-software/http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/05/google-spends-a-few-more-million-picks-up-widevine-drm-software/#comments Two acquisitions in as many days? Say it ain't so! Prior to even unboxing Phonetic Arts, Google has now snapped up Seattle-based Widevine. Truth be told, you're probably taking advantage of the company's technology without even being aware of it -- it's used in over 250 million web connected HDTVs and streamers around the globe, and it's primarily designed to thwart piracy attempts while enabling consumers to enjoy content on a wider array of devices. As these things tend to do, neither outfit is talking prices, but it's fairly obvious why El Goog would want a firm like this in its portfolio. Moreover, it's borderline comical that Viacom's pushing an appeal in order to pit Google as an anti-studio, pro-piracy monster while it's spending hard-earned cash on a DRM layer. At any rate, Google's not getting into specific plans just yet, only stating its intentions to maintain Widevine's agreements, provide support for existing and future clients as well as "building upon [the technology] to enhance both Widevine's products and its own."

Google spends a few more million, picks up Widevine DRM software firm originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acquireacquisitionanti-piracybusinesscontentdrmgoogleindustryinternet videoInternetVideoiptvmergermpaapiracyprogrammingseattlestreamstreamingtvwidevineSun, 05 Dec 2010 13:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Sony, TiVo, NCTA and others chime in on CableCARD's replacement]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/sony-tivo-ncta-and-others-chime-in-on-cablecards-replacement/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/sony-tivo-ncta-and-others-chime-in-on-cablecards-replacement/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/sony-tivo-ncta-and-others-chime-in-on-cablecards-replacement/#commentsAllVid IP Gateway The FCC has been unsuccessful in spurring competition in the set-top box market since Congress passed a law requiring changes in 1996. The current situation is exactly why we don't see some of our favorite companies making cable compatible devices -- remember when just about every electronics company made a VCR? CableCARD is a failure because, among other reasons, it is expensive to implement and requires the customer give up certain aspects of their service, like video-on-demand and guide data; on top of that it is a cable only solution and some people prefer satellite TV. And so after giving the market all this time to work out a solution, the FCC issued an Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in an attempt to devise a new mandate that would make give you as many options for a DVR as you have for something like a smart phone. An NOI is just one of the first of many steps on the way to new rules, but the comments do give us a great picture of where each party stands.

Two sides are clearly forming with Sony, TiVo and the Consumer Electronics Association leading up one side and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), its members, and satellite providers on the other. To sum it up the consumer electronics companies make suggestions for an IP video gateway nick named AllVid, which they hope will bring consumers choice in both hardware and software without having to change providers or sacrifice features. And on the other side, they believe that things are just great the way they are and that innovation is happening. They go on to describe how the plans in the NOI will not only fail to spur innovation, but will actually be detrimental to providers and consumers. Then just for good measure, they explain why the FCC doesn't even have the authority to mandate such things.

The entire thing is an interesting perspective into how the Executive Branch of our government works, and while it'll be some time before we are impacted by the outcome, we went ahead and laid out the highlights of a number of the comments after the break so you can play FCC commissioner at home.

Continue reading Sony, TiVo, NCTA and others chime in on CableCARD's replacement

Sony, TiVo, NCTA and others chime in on CableCARD's replacement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AllVidCableCARDCEAFCCGoogleMotorolaMPAANCTAPanasonicSonyTiVoVerizonThu, 15 Jul 2010 19:16:00 EST<![CDATA[Movies could be available as a VOD rental before DVD, Blu-ray -- for $20 to $30 each]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/24/movies-could-be-available-as-a-vod-rental-before-dvd-blu-ray/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/24/movies-could-be-available-as-a-vod-rental-before-dvd-blu-ray/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/24/movies-could-be-available-as-a-vod-rental-before-dvd-blu-ray/#comments The MPAA has often stated its desire to offer movies through video on-demand ahead of their release on DVD or Blu-ray -- provided the analog hole was closed -- and now that it has been, the Wall Street Journal reports Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. are considering a pitch from Time Warner Cable to do just that. The price for cutting the usual four month wait for home viewing to just 30 days? As much as $20 to $30 for a rental. Sony's already tried experimenting with a higher price point on early delivery of Hancock and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to BRAVIA HDTV owners, but at least they threw in a free Blu-ray copy with the former. So far the studios have only agreed that their current release strategy needs some sort of change, but unless they add some sweeteners we don't see this one shifting us from our current rental/purchase habits.

Movies could be available as a VOD rental before DVD, Blu-ray -- for $20 to $30 each originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>30 day window30DayWindowfoxhdhd vodHdVodmpaaparamountrelease windowrelease windowsReleaseWindowReleaseWindowsrentalrpemiumsocsonytimewarner cableTimewarnerCableuniversalvodwarner brosWarnerBrosMon, 24 May 2010 14:57:00 EST<![CDATA[FCC will let the MPAA disable analog outputs, kind of]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/07/fcc-will-let-the-mpaa-disable-analog-outputs-kinda/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/07/fcc-will-let-the-mpaa-disable-analog-outputs-kinda/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/07/fcc-will-let-the-mpaa-disable-analog-outputs-kinda/#commentsDown with DRM logoThe Motion Picture Association of America has been trying to get a waiver for the FCC Selectable Output Control (SoC) ban since it went into effect -- the ability to only allow content to flow from a HDCP protected HDMI port. Up until now there has been lots of debate and no action. The bad news is that the MPAA can now use SoC to protect high value content, the good news is the FCC really locked down exactly when it can be used. Basically any movie that's never been released on disc (DVD or Blu-ray) can be protected with SoC for 90 days. The reason the FCC granted this partial waiver was because the content affected isn't currently available to cable and satellite anyways -- in other words consumers who own older HDTVs, without HDMI ports, don't currently expect access to these movies. So for those with older hardware nothing changes, and for those with the latest and greatest, you'll be able to rent newer movies from home. And for everyone else there's the HDfury2 -- no, they'll never learn that DRM is a big waste of time and money. Full waiver after the jump.

Continue reading FCC will let the MPAA disable analog outputs, kind of

FCC will let the MPAA disable analog outputs, kind of originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DRMFCCHDCPMPAASelectable Output Controlselectable output controlsSelectableOutputControlSelectableOutputControlsSoCFri, 07 May 2010 16:59:00 EST<![CDATA[RealNetworks to stop selling RealDVD, your copyrights are safe -- for now]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/04/realnetworks-to-stop-selling-realdvd-your-copyrights-are-safe/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/04/realnetworks-to-stop-selling-realdvd-your-copyrights-are-safe/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/04/realnetworks-to-stop-selling-realdvd-your-copyrights-are-safe/#comments Remember when RealNetworks said it wasn't giving up on RealDVD, that it would fight the good fight and appeal the August ruling finding its DVD copying application wasn't quite legal. Well, a lot of things can change in five months and now it seems Real is caving in to the inevitable crush of the movie industry, setting the lawsuit filed by the MPAA for $4.5 million and instantly turning existing copies of RealDVD into collectors items. (Hope you kept those boxes in mint condition!) What's next for Real remains to be seen, as the company just spun off Rhapsody to be its own thing, but surely whatever it comes up with will not involve the copying of copyrighted things onto other things.

RealNetworks to stop selling RealDVD, your copyrights are safe -- for now originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcopyright infringementcopyright lawsuitCopyrightInfringementCopyrightLawsuitlawsuitlitigationmotion picture association of americaMotionPictureAssociationOfAmericampaarealrealdvdrealnetworksrealnetworks realdvdRealnetworksRealdvdThu, 04 Mar 2010 07:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Selectable Output control is bad, but not worth lying about]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/20/selectable-output-control-is-bad-but-not-worth-lying-about/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/20/selectable-output-control-is-bad-but-not-worth-lying-about/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/20/selectable-output-control-is-bad-but-not-worth-lying-about/#commentsThere's been an unbelievable amount of internet chatter about the MPAA's petition to the FCC to allow cable companies to turn off the component inputs on cable boxes on certain content. And while we don't think this is a good idea on so many levels, we aren't willing to lie to garner support. But evidently others are, as you see headlines and online petitions with subjects like, don't let the MPAA turn off your home theater. We really aren't that surprised, but the facts are that Hollywood wants to use this to offer new programming and the plan is to not change existing offerings, so for those out there using analog, nothing would change, nothing. So you wouldn't be able to watch these new release movies that you can't watch now, big deal. Many times we give the FCC a hard time for caving to corporate interests -- encrypted basic cable, CableCARD's, tru2way, we could go on -- but in this case if you don't like it, just don't watch the movies. And before you post a comment saying how this is only the beginning and it will lead to the end of the world as we know it, then perhaps you should go back and review our favorite of the logical fallacies: Slippery Slope.

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Selectable Output control is bad, but not worth lying about originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>FCChdMPAAselectable output controlsSelectableOutputControlsSoCFri, 20 Nov 2009 09:37:00 EST<![CDATA[MPAA still trying to close the analog hole: Now with new, more inane arguments]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/04/mpaa-still-trying-to-close-the-analog-hole-now-with-new-more-i/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/04/mpaa-still-trying-to-close-the-analog-hole-now-with-new-more-i/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/04/mpaa-still-trying-to-close-the-analog-hole-now-with-new-more-i/#commentsThe MPAA can't stop, won't stop trying to cut out that pesky analog loophole, and it has returned to the FCC's gates once again requesting permission for selective output control: the ability to disable consumers unprotected (read: HDCP-less) video outputs at its discretion. According to Ars Technica the new argument is that the Consumer Electronics Association and everyone else who hates this idea are simply holding back technology, which the studios would love to use to provide a glorious utopia of early release films available via video on-demand. The request has been smacked down more than once before, but this is the first time it's come up with the new administration so it's anyone's guess what will happen, but we'd keep those petition signing fingers at the ready, just in case. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via Ars Technica]

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MPAA still trying to close the analog hole: Now with new, more inane arguments originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analog holeAnalogHolefcchdhd vodhdcphdmiHdVodmpaaselective output controlSelectiveOutputControlsocFri, 04 Sep 2009 16:04:00 EST<![CDATA[Kaleidescape gets in line behind RealDVD for rough treatment]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/kaleidescape-gets-in-line-behind-realdvd-for-rough-treatment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/kaleidescape-gets-in-line-behind-realdvd-for-rough-treatment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/kaleidescape-gets-in-line-behind-realdvd-for-rough-treatment/#commentsDVD lawsuitWhen it rains it pours -- right on the heels of the punishing blow dealt to RealDVD, the money-laden Kaleidescape crowd suffered its own setback at the hands of the law. You just know that the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association) appealed the 2007 ruling that allowed Kaleidescape owners to rip DVDs to their media servers, and yesterday a California Appeals Court overturned that ruling. Next stop -- the Santa Clara Superior Court, which could place an injunction on Kaleidescape if the appeal is upheld. It's not over yet, but we're prepping the soundboard with ominous music, boos and noisy hand-wringing. Whatever (and whenever) the outcome, we can only hope that Blu-ray's Managed Copy comes to the scene sooner rather than later and settles this issue for our beloved HD content

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Kaleidescape gets in line behind RealDVD for rough treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appealccacourtDMCAdrmdvddvd ccadvd copydvd copy control associationdvd ripperdvd rippingDvdCcaDvdCopyDvdCopyControlAssociationDvdRipperDvdRippingfair useFairUsehollywoodillegalkaleidescapelawsuitlegalmpaarippingsuesuitThu, 13 Aug 2009 19:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Kaleidescape gets in line behind RealDVD for rough treatment]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/kaleidescape-gets-in-line-behind-realdvd-for-rough-treatment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/kaleidescape-gets-in-line-behind-realdvd-for-rough-treatment/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/kaleidescape-gets-in-line-behind-realdvd-for-rough-treatment/#commentsDVD lawsuitWhen it rains it pours -- right on the heels of the punishing blow dealt to RealDVD, the money-laden Kaleidescape crowd suffered its own setback at the hands of the law. You just know that the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association) appealed the 2007 ruling that allowed Kaleidescape owners to rip DVDs to their media servers, and yesterday a California Appeals Court overturned that ruling. Next stop -- the Santa Clara Superior Court, which could place an injunction on Kaleidescape if the appeal is upheld. It's not over yet, but we're prepping the soundboard with ominous music, boos and noisy hand-wringing. Whatever (and whenever) the outcome, we can only hope that Blu-ray's Managed Copy comes to the scene sooner rather than later and settles this issue for our beloved HD content

Filed under: , , ,

Kaleidescape gets in line behind RealDVD for rough treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appealccacourtDMCAdrmdvddvd ccadvd copydvd copy control associationdvd ripperdvd rippingDvdCcaDvdCopyDvdCopyControlAssociationDvdRipperDvdRippingfair useFairUsehdhollywoodillegalkaleidescapelawsuitlegalmpaaother formatsother hardwareotherformatsotherhardwarerippingsuesuitThu, 13 Aug 2009 18:44:00 EST<![CDATA[Court injunction puts sales of RealDVD on ice, hopes and dreams in purgatory]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/12/court-injunction-puts-sales-of-realdvd-on-ice-hopes-and-dreams/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/12/court-injunction-puts-sales-of-realdvd-on-ice-hopes-and-dreams/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/12/court-injunction-puts-sales-of-realdvd-on-ice-hopes-and-dreams/#comments
Something tells us Kaleidescape has a man (or woman, to be fair) on the inside, else United States District Court Judge Marilyn Patel is just downright trifilin'. In every visible way, RealNetworks' proposed RealDVD player was exactly what Kaleidescape was, but for people with annual salaries far less than $9,854,392,220. Regardless of our opinion, a preliminary injunction has just been passed down from The Almighty in the robe, which blocks the sale of the RealDVD software here in the US. The six major movie studies filed the suit last September, alleging that it "illegally violated their right to restrict the use of their movies in digital form." Evidently those that matter agree. A RealNetworks spokesperson took the time to vent their feelings on the whole ordeal, and since we know you're curious, we've pasted it below for your convenience.
We are disappointed that a preliminary injunction has been placed on the sale of RealDVD. We have just received the Judge's detailed ruling and are reviewing it. After we have done so fully, we'll determine our course of action and will have more to say at that time.
[Via Electronista]

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Court injunction puts sales of RealDVD on ice, hopes and dreams in purgatory originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>courtDMCAdrmdvddvd ripperdvd rippingDvdRipperDvdRippingfair useFairUsehdHollywoodillegalinjunctionlawsuitlegalmpaarealreal networksRealDVDRealNetworksrippingsalessuesuitWed, 12 Aug 2009 02:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Court injunction puts sales of RealDVD on ice, hopes and dreams in purgatory]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/12/court-injunction-puts-sales-of-realdvd-on-ice-hopes-and-dreams/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/12/court-injunction-puts-sales-of-realdvd-on-ice-hopes-and-dreams/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/12/court-injunction-puts-sales-of-realdvd-on-ice-hopes-and-dreams/#comments
Something tells us Kaleidescape has a man (or woman, to be fair) on the inside, else United States District Court Judge Marilyn Patel is just downright trifilin'. In every visible way, RealNetworks' proposed RealDVD player was exactly what Kaleidescape was, but for people with annual salaries far less than $9,854,392,220. Regardless of our opinion, a preliminary injunction has just been passed down from The Almighty in the robe, which blocks the sale of the RealDVD software here in the US. The six major movie studies filed the suit last September, alleging that it "illegally violated their right to restrict the use of their movies in digital form." Evidently those that matter agree. A RealNetworks spokesperson took the time to vent their feelings on the whole ordeal, and since we know you're curious, we've pasted it below for your convenience.
We are disappointed that a preliminary injunction has been placed on the sale of RealDVD. We have just received the Judge's detailed ruling and are reviewing it. After we have done so fully, we'll determine our course of action and will have more to say at that time.
[Via Electronista]

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Court injunction puts sales of RealDVD on ice, hopes and dreams in purgatory originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>courtDMCAdrmdvddvd ripperdvd rippingDvdRipperDvdRippingfair useFairUseHollywoodillegalinjunctionlawsuitlegalmpaarealreal networksRealDVDRealNetworksrippingsalessuesuitWed, 12 Aug 2009 02:02:00 EST<![CDATA[MPAA suggests teachers videotape TVs instead of ripping DVDs. Seriously.]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/07/mpaa-suggests-teachers-videotape-tvs-instead-of-ripping-dvds-se/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/07/mpaa-suggests-teachers-videotape-tvs-instead-of-ripping-dvds-se/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/07/mpaa-suggests-teachers-videotape-tvs-instead-of-ripping-dvds-se/#comments
So the Copyright Office is currently in the middle reviewing proposed exceptions to the DMCA, and one of the proposals on the table would allow teachers and students to rip DVDs and edit them for use in the classroom. Open and shut, right? Not if you're the MPAA and gearing up to litigate the legality of ripping -- it's trying to convince the rulemaking committee that videotaping a flatscreen is an acceptable alternative. Seriously. It's hard to say if we've ever seen an organization make a more tone-deaf, flailing argument than this.

Take a good look, kids. This is what an industry looks like right before it dies. Video after the break.

[Via BoingBoing]

Continue reading MPAA suggests teachers videotape TVs instead of ripping DVDs. Seriously.

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MPAA suggests teachers videotape TVs instead of ripping DVDs. Seriously. originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 May 2009 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcopyright officeCopyrightOfficedmcadmca rulemakingDmcaRulemakingdvddvd rippingDvdRippinglawlegallibrary of congressLibraryOfCongressmpaarippingThu, 07 May 2009 14:46:00 EST<![CDATA[RealDVD ripping software heads to court, fair use advocates on pins and needles]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/27/realdvd-ripping-software-heads-to-court-fair-use-advocates-on-p/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/27/realdvd-ripping-software-heads-to-court-fair-use-advocates-on-p/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/27/realdvd-ripping-software-heads-to-court-fair-use-advocates-on-p/#comments
Let's face it -- quite a lot is resting on the outcome of this case. For months now, RealNetworks has been unable to legally sell its RealDVD movie ripping software after a court issued a temporary restraining order that remains valid until it's decided if the application violates the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Now, the software is finally having its day in court, and the outcome could shape the future of the DVD player (for better or worse). You see, Real has already assembled a prototype Facet device that hums along on Linux; essentially, this DVD playing machine would sell for around $300 and could store up to 70 movies internally. On the surface, this sounds entirely like a poor man's Kaleidescape, but only time will tell if The Man agrees. Cross your fingers folks, we get the feeling fair use advocates are going to need the luck.

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RealDVD ripping software heads to court, fair use advocates on pins and needles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcourtcssdmcadrmdvdfacetfair useFairUsehdhollywoodillegalmpaaother formatsotherformatspiracyrealreal dvdreal networksRealDVDRealNetworksriaariprippingstudiotrialMon, 27 Apr 2009 05:08:00 EST<![CDATA[RealDVD ripping software heads to court, fair use advocates on pins and needles]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/27/realdvd-ripping-software-heads-to-court-fair-use-advocates-on-p/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/27/realdvd-ripping-software-heads-to-court-fair-use-advocates-on-p/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/27/realdvd-ripping-software-heads-to-court-fair-use-advocates-on-p/#comments
Let's face it -- quite a lot is resting on the outcome of this case. For months now, RealNetworks has been unable to legally sell its RealDVD movie ripping software after a court issued a temporary restraining order that remains valid until it's decided if the application violates the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Now, the software is finally having its day in court, and the outcome could shape the future of the DVD player (for better or worse). You see, Real has already assembled a prototype Facet device that hums along on Linux; essentially, this DVD playing machine would sell for around $300 and could store up to 70 movies internally. On the surface, this sounds entirely like a poor man's Kaleidescape, but only time will tell if The Man agrees. Cross your fingers folks, we get the feeling fair use advocates are going to need the luck.

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RealDVD ripping software heads to court, fair use advocates on pins and needles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcourtcssdmcadrmdvdfacetfair useFairUsehollywoodillegalmpaapiracyrealreal dvdreal networksRealDVDRealNetworksriaariprippingstudiotrialMon, 27 Apr 2009 05:08:00 EST<![CDATA[Sonic shoves Qflix DVD burners into more Dell desktops]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/23/sonic-shoves-qflix-dvd-burners-into-more-dell-desktops/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/23/sonic-shoves-qflix-dvd-burners-into-more-dell-desktops/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/23/sonic-shoves-qflix-dvd-burners-into-more-dell-desktops/#comments
We know you're struggling to believe your eyes, but those Qflix burners actually are still hanging around. For those who missed all the action last year, these devices enable users to download a DRM-laced film onto their PC and burn it onto a specially-keyed DVD for playback. In other words, you can forget about toasting flicks to that dusty stack of DVD-Rs you've got laying around from late '05. For whatever reason, Dell has seen fit to extend its partnership with Sonic Solutions by offering internal Qflix drives on the Studio XPS Desktop, Studio XPS 435, Studio Desktop and Studio Slim Desktop. The wild part? Its actually charging more for having you clean out its inventory.

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Sonic shoves Qflix DVD burners into more Dell desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>435CinemaNowcssDataPlaydelldesktopdrmdvddvd burnerdvd writerDvdBurnerDvdWritermoviemoviesmpaaoptical driveOpticalDriveqflixslimsonicSonic SolutionsSonicSolutionsStudiostudio slimStudio XPSStudio XPS 435StudioSlimStudioXpsStudioXps435towerXPSxps 435Xps435Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:22:00 EST<![CDATA[The Pirate Bay founders sentenced to prison, website soldiers on]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/17/the-pirate-bay-founders-head-to-prison-website-soldiers-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/17/the-pirate-bay-founders-head-to-prison-website-soldiers-on/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/17/the-pirate-bay-founders-head-to-prison-website-soldiers-on/#commentsIn what's being described as a landmark verdict, four men responsible for assisting throngs of dubious internet users to download all sorts of copyrighted material are being ushered off to prison cells for twelve whole months. The Stockholm district court in Sweden found the defendants guilty not of hosting materially illegally, but of "providing a website with sophisticated search functions, simple download and storage capabilities, and a tracker linked to the website [that helped users commit copyright violations]." As expected, the foursome seems unaffected by the ruling, with Peter Sunde (shown) tweeting that "it used to be only movies, now even verdicts are out before the official release." After jail, the crew will be forced by pay 30 million kronor ($3.56 million) to a number of entertainment companies, which is far less than those firms were hoping for. Curiously, we're told that the verdict didn't include an order to shut down The Pirate Bay website, and you can pretty much bank on an appeal being filed in record time.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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The Pirate Bay founders sentenced to prison, website soldiers on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copyrightcourtguiltyillegaljaillawlawsuitlegalMPAAmusicpiracypirate bayPirateBayportable audioportable videoportableaudioportablevideoprisonRIAAStockholmsuesuingsuitswedenThe Pirate BayThePirateBayFri, 17 Apr 2009 07:12:00 EST<![CDATA[DoubleTwist nets $5 million in funding, debuts Windows version]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/doubletwist-nets-5-million-in-funding-shows-windows-version/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/doubletwist-nets-5-million-in-funding-shows-windows-version/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/08/doubletwist-nets-5-million-in-funding-shows-windows-version/#comments
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise -- money's out there if your idea is good enough. Hot on the heels of Fusion-io's grabbing of Series B funding comes this: news that doubleTwist has just acquired a solid $5 million to push forward on its all encompassing media venture. If you'll recall, the project is being headed up by the notorious DVD Jon and DRM expert Monique Farantzos. In essence, the idea is to create a multi-platform media browser that can take media from just about anywhere and place it just about anywhere else, all without forcing you to figure out messy calculations like encoding and native resolutions. In related news, doubleTwist now shows screenshots and a video (after the break) of a Windows version, which is available today for download.

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Continue reading DoubleTwist nets $5 million in funding, debuts Windows version

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DoubleTwist nets $5 million in funding, debuts Windows version originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>diyDoubletwistdrmdvddvd jonDvdJonhackhackslegalmodmodsmpaapiracypirateWed, 08 Apr 2009 16:26:00 EST<![CDATA[DVD region code blocks British Prime Minister from enjoying Obama's gift]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/20/dvd-region-code-blocks-british-prime-minister-from-enjoying-obam/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/20/dvd-region-code-blocks-british-prime-minister-from-enjoying-obam/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/20/dvd-region-code-blocks-british-prime-minister-from-enjoying-obam/#comments
"Oh, bollocks." No, we can't definitively prove that Gordon Brown said that after witnessing a "Wrong Region" code when inserting a DVD given to him by Barack Obama, but we're sure something of the sort was uttered. You see, the ridiculous DVD region coding system recently prevented the British Prime Minister from viewing a set of 25 "American classics" on DVD, all of which were bestowed upon him by President Obama during a recent visit to Washington, D.C. We hate to bludgeon a dead mule, but seriously, when will the DRM madness end? Er, on second thought, maybe this is precisely what's necessary to keep those region-free player outlets in business, and thus, the economy strong.

[Via techdirt, image courtesy of AmericaLives]

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DVD region code blocks British Prime Minister from enjoying Obama's gift originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>barack obamaBarackObamaDRMDVDhdmPAAobamaother formatsotherformatspoliticsregionregion freeregion-freeRegionFreeFri, 20 Mar 2009 05:43:00 EST<![CDATA[DVD region code blocks British Prime Minister from enjoying Obama's gift]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/20/dvd-region-code-blocks-british-prime-minister-from-enjoying-obam/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/20/dvd-region-code-blocks-british-prime-minister-from-enjoying-obam/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/20/dvd-region-code-blocks-british-prime-minister-from-enjoying-obam/#comments
"Oh, bollocks." No, we can't definitively prove that Gordon Brown said that after witnessing a "Wrong Region" code when inserting a DVD given to him by Barack Obama, but we're sure something of the sort was uttered. You see, the ridiculous DVD region coding system recently prevented the British Prime Minister from viewing a set of 25 "American classics" on DVD, all of which were bestowed upon him by President Obama during a recent visit to Washington, D.C. We hate to bludgeon a dead mule, but seriously, when will the DRM madness end? Er, on second thought, maybe this is precisely what's necessary to keep those region-free player outlets in business, and thus, the economy strong.

[Via techdirt, image courtesy of AmericaLives]

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DVD region code blocks British Prime Minister from enjoying Obama's gift originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>barack obamaBarackObamaDRMDVDmPAAobamapoliticsregionregion freeregion-freeRegionFreeFri, 20 Mar 2009 05:43:00 EST<![CDATA[Audio watermarks let the MPAA know where a recording was taken, but not by whom]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/audio-watermarks-let-the-mpaa-know-where-a-recording-was-taken/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/audio-watermarks-let-the-mpaa-know-where-a-recording-was-taken/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/audio-watermarks-let-the-mpaa-know-where-a-recording-was-taken/#commentsAudio watermarks let the MPAA know where a recording was taken, but not by whomWe've heard of some crazy audio watermark plans in the past, designed to prevent people from making copies of Hollywood blockbusters, and despite the audio industry finally moving away from its protective restrictions, the film industry seems to just keep working on more. The latest, created by Professor Noboru Babaguchi and his colleagues at Osaka University in Japan, is a means to apply spread-spectrum audio waveforms to a film's multi-channel soundtrack, enabling pirate seekers to determine exactly (well, to within 44 centimeters) where the bootlegger was sitting when he or she committed his or her felonious deeds. Interesting, sure, but unless all theaters worldwide start assigning seats by name it's useless. Beyond that, there's nothing stopping an intrepid recorder from stashing a mic a few feet to the left or the right, thus implicating an idle popcorn-muncher. Will these flaws keep this technology from being implemented? Don't count on it.

[Via Slashdot]

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Audio watermarks let the MPAA know where a recording was taken, but not by whom originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audio watermarkaudio waveformAudioWatermarkAudioWaveformmpaawatermarkMon, 09 Mar 2009 08:18:00 EST<![CDATA[Audio watermarks let the MPAA know where a recording was taken, but not by whom]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/audio-watermarks-let-the-mpaa-know-where-a-recording-was-taken/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/audio-watermarks-let-the-mpaa-know-where-a-recording-was-taken/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/audio-watermarks-let-the-mpaa-know-where-a-recording-was-taken/#commentsAudio watermarks let the MPAA know where a recording was taken, but not by whomWe've heard of some crazy audio watermark plans in the past, designed to prevent people from making copies of Hollywood blockbusters, and as the audio industry finally moves away from its protective restrictions, the film industry seems to just keep working on more. The latest, created by Professor Noboru Babaguchi and his colleagues at Osaka University in Japan, is a means to apply spread-spectrum audio waveforms to a film's multi-channel soundtrack, enabling pirate seekers to determine exactly (well, to within 44 centimeters) where the bootlegger was sitting when he or she committed his or her felonious deeds. Interesting, sure, but unless all theaters worldwide start assigning seats by name it's useless. Beyond that, there's nothing stopping an intrepid recorder from stashing a mic a few feet to the left or the right, thus implicating an idle popcorn-muncher. Will these flaws keep this technology from being implemented? Don't count on it.

[Via Slashdot]

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Audio watermarks let the MPAA know where a recording was taken, but not by whom originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audio watermarkaudio waveformAudioWatermarkAudioWaveformhdmpaawatermarkMon, 09 Mar 2009 08:09:00 EST<![CDATA[SlySoft takes down BD+ DRM once more]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/29/slysoft-takes-down-bd-drm-once-more/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/29/slysoft-takes-down-bd-drm-once-more/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/29/slysoft-takes-down-bd-drm-once-more/#comments
A fresher, probably completely unbreakable version of BD+ isn't even expected until February, but SlySoft's making sure you have plenty to watch on your non-HDCP compliant display over the holidays. The newest refresh of its AnyDVD HD software (v.6.5.0.2 at last count) reportedly "decrypts copy protection on all current Blu-ray movies." In conjunction with the celebration, the outfit is also reminding everyone that it will be moving to a subscription-based update program starting in the New Year, so you've got T-minus two days and counting to buy now and secure that 20% discount.

[Thanks, Erie]

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SlySoft takes down BD+ DRM once more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aacsanydvdanydvd hdAnydvdHdBDBD plusBdPlusblu rayblu-raybluraycrackcrackedDRMhdMPAASlySoftMon, 29 Dec 2008 13:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Chinese pirates offering cheap AVCHD Blu-ray rips on disguised DVD-Rs]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/chinese-pirates-offering-cheap-avchd-blu-ray-rips-on-disguised-d/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/chinese-pirates-offering-cheap-avchd-blu-ray-rips-on-disguised-d/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/chinese-pirates-offering-cheap-avchd-blu-ray-rips-on-disguised-d/#comments
Just last week we heard that Warner Bros. was ending its home video / DVD business in South Korea due to rampant piracy, and now we've got a report from China suggesting that sophisticated pirates are duping buyers with faux Blu-ray Discs that are actually DVDs. As the story goes, movie pirates in select parts of Asia are ripping bona fide BDs and then burning them in AVCHD format (which uses 720 horizontal lines of resolution compared to Blu-ray's 1,080) on writable DVDs. Word on the street has it that these discs are being offered for around $7 each, and they even boast the BD hologram and the iconic blue hues on the packaging. Reportedly, none of the discs have made it outside of Asia just yet, but stay sharp should you ever get the urge to snag a discounted BD title while traveling abroad.

[Image courtesy of UberGizmo]

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Chinese pirates offering cheap AVCHD Blu-ray rips on disguised DVD-Rs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1080p720pasiaAVCHDbdblu-raychinaDRMglobalhdtvhong kongHongKongMPAApiracypirateMon, 17 Nov 2008 06:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Chinese pirates offering cheap AVCHD Blu-ray rips on disguised DVD-Rs]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/chinese-pirates-offering-cheap-avchd-blu-ray-rips-on-disguised-d/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/chinese-pirates-offering-cheap-avchd-blu-ray-rips-on-disguised-d/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/17/chinese-pirates-offering-cheap-avchd-blu-ray-rips-on-disguised-d/#comments
Just last week we heard that Warner Bros. was ending its home video / DVD business in South Korea due to rampant piracy, and now we've got a report from China suggesting that sophisticated pirates are duping buyers with faux Blu-ray Discs that are actually DVDs. As the story goes, movie pirates in select parts of Asia are ripping bona fide BDs and then burning them in AVCHD format (which uses 720 horizontal lines of resolution compared to Blu-ray's 1,080) on writable DVDs. Word on the street has it that these discs are being offered for around $7 each, and they even boast the BD hologram and the iconic blue hues on the packaging. Reportedly, none of the discs have made it outside of Asia just yet, but stay sharp should you ever get the urge to snag a discounted BD title while traveling abroad.

[Image courtesy of UberGizmo]

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Chinese pirates offering cheap AVCHD Blu-ray rips on disguised DVD-Rs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1080p720pasiaAVCHDbdblu rayblu-raybluraychinaDRMglobalhdhong kongHongKongMPAAother formatsotherformatspiracypirateMon, 17 Nov 2008 04:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Warner Bros. ends home video / DVD business in South Korea, piracy to blame]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/15/warner-bros-ends-home-video-dvd-business-in-south-korea-pira/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/15/warner-bros-ends-home-video-dvd-business-in-south-korea-pira/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/15/warner-bros-ends-home-video-dvd-business-in-south-korea-pira/#commentsThose guys look pretty passionate, wouldn't you say? It's folks like that (we presume) that have forced Warner Brothers' hand, and now the studio will end its home video and DVD business in the nation of South Korea. According to an unnamed official at Warner Brothers Home Video Korea, "one of the reasons for the pullout is a slump in the video and DVD market, resulting from online piracy and illegal downloading," and amazingly enough, Warner Bros. is actually the last remaining Hollywood company to pull out of the region. Instead, the firm will focus on "digital distribution," and given that just about everyone and their grandmother has access to the internetz in South Korea, we'd say that's probably an intelligent move.

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Warner Bros. ends home video / DVD business in South Korea, piracy to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hdillegalkoreaMPAAother formatsotherformatspiracypiratesouth koreaSouthKoreastudiowarnerwarner bros.warner brothersWarnerBros.WarnerBrothersSat, 15 Nov 2008 22:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Plextor reveals PX-Q840U / PX-806SA Qflix-enabled DVD burners]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/03/plextor-reveals-px-q840u-px-806sa-qflix-enabled-dvd-burners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/03/plextor-reveals-px-q840u-px-806sa-qflix-enabled-dvd-burners/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/03/plextor-reveals-px-q840u-px-806sa-qflix-enabled-dvd-burners/#comments
Hot on the heels of Pioneer's latest Qflix-enabled duo comes a fresh pair from Plextor. The PX-806SA (internal) and PX-Q840U (external) both feature Sonic Solution's sophisticated burn technology that enables users to imprint CinemaNow movies onto specially-keyed blank DVD media. Yes, you actually need proprietary media for this to work -- fun, right? Anywho, the drives come bundled with Roxio Venue / Creator 10 CE software alongside a pair of recordable Qflix discs, and both should be available right now in North / South America for $89.99 and $149.99, respectively. Full release after the break.

Gallery: Plextor reveals PX-Q840U / PX-806SA Qflix-enabled DVD burners

Continue reading Plextor reveals PX-Q840U / PX-806SA Qflix-enabled DVD burners

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Plextor reveals PX-Q840U / PX-806SA Qflix-enabled DVD burners originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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