Another reason to pirate: High Definition Content Protection (HDCP)
News is trickling in that the new DisplayPort has a little surprise for unibody MacBook users: High Definition Content Protection (HDCP). Apparently the Apple TV also includes this feature. Technically it works across DisplayPort, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Gigabit Video Interface (GVIF), or Unified Display Interface (UDI) connections so any machines can be governed by this technology.
The technology is meant to block playing on unauthorized displays but it is hard to see how this is supposed to prevent piracy. This is undoubtedly motivated by the studios trying to keep a hold of their content, not by Apple. (don't like? share)
The problem is that VGA isn't one of the technologies that this supports and an Ars reader was projecting using this far from dead technology. The result? He can't play a movie he has purchased that is covered by FairPlay.
So all of you with VGA displays are assed out on iTunes content? We'll see how Apple responds to this "situation". In the meantime, there is always...
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Facebook
Google
YahooLatest Stories on 9 to 5 Mac
- Apple patents the 3D Apple Store - Alice in Avatar-land
- Surprise: Warner admits iTunes sales slow on price hikes
- Apple ships Aperture 3: 64-bit, Snow Leopard/Intel only, 200 features, $199/£169 (demo available)
- What's coming to the Apple Store this morning?
- Apple Store Down. Can we has Core i7 MacBook Pros?
- Apple podcasts Mac advice video clips
- iPhone gains, BlackBerry loses US smartphone marketshare
AAPL Stock Coverage
196.19+2.07
Poll
Recent comments
- Could also mean that Apple
15 min 34 sec ago - Actually the £ makes a lot of
38 min 50 sec ago - You know why Warner didn't
57 min 12 sec ago - Why would Apple do this?
1 hour 33 min ago - Cocoa is 64bit, Carbon (old)
1 hour 37 min ago - I don't believe in
1 hour 42 min ago - Sounds like hell to me. One
2 hours 5 min ago - This is going to hurt:
99¢ is
2 hours 24 min ago - what is source?
2 hours 34 min ago - Bazzinga!
2 hours 38 min ago
Who's online
There are currently 0 users and 0 guests online.
Comments (25)
Does this prevent me from playing DVD's or bought movies from the iTunes store on my projector at home ? That would really suck - luckily I will keep one of my old MacBookPro's just in case ...
how Apple will respond to this "situation"?
my guess: simply by telling you that it has a new fancy Display out that supports exactly all the formats that you really ought to play......that's what apple is going to say!
and I think bought DVDs still can be played....at least here it works....
however, when I read about the new DisplayPort this is exactly what came to my mind as the very first thing: they only come with some sort of copyright protection thingy.....
For real?
The studios need a firm kick up the arse is what I think. This is beyond ridiculous.
JW
DO NOT BUY
I have to agree with the post title. Pirate, pirate, pirate.
DRM does one thing and one thing only: frustrates end users who just want to watch the film they've paid money for.
Don't quote any of that tripe about 'buying a licence to watch the film' either. If I've paid for the film, I'll watch it on any display I bloody well want to.
So here's the easy solution: download the film, illegally, for free. You won't get any of the problems that legitimate purchasers face.
The studios will never give up this war. But here's the great thing: they'll never win either! By stealing their content, we'll make it more and more expensive for them to push this useless technology.
Go steal.
I agree. The harder it is to do what I want, when I want it, where I want to watch it the more I pirate.
DRM and stupid Big Content tricks will only hurt the paying customers. For instance, I happened to watch this show "Life" and I ended up enoying it, so I wanted to watch the first season and the beginning of the second season. Well, Hulu and the network's site both had full first season episodes and even current ones - but for some reason (read: Money) the first 4 episodes of the second season were not available. So I had to download them from a BitTorrent tracker. I ended up downloading all of the second season because the quality was just 100,000x better.
If anyone from any networks, big content or even advertisers are reading: We are smarter than you. We always have been and always will. Give us what we want or we'll just crack your overexpensive protection schemes and cost you millions of dollars at no personal cost to us.
"Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but..." - Dennis Miller
:(((
first DRM then this...
when apple will learn?
The more you supress something, the larger it gets.
So if you have a DVI Monitor/TV/Projector it works?
In theory, it could, yes. But it suddenly stops working when the studios decide that they want more beefed up security and demand Apple stop it from working on your preferred display.
And there's the problem right there with DRM: they've got you by the bollocks. As soon as they decide to change the 'rules', Apple have to wrap up the content in a new flavour of DRM that locks YOU out of the content YOU'VE paid for.
But with movies downloaded from the net illegally, you get none of those problems! Feel free to enjoy pristine quality on any device you choose. Feel free to keep that perfectly fine VGA monitor you have.
Those who want to put up with the DRM will continue to line the studio's pockets with more cash, and will also have to toss that old monitor out and buy a shiny new one.
DRM: It's a crime.
Only if your DVI monitor/tv/projector supports HDCP... And I'm pretty sure a lot of them do not support HDCP.
Pirating movies only validates their decision to use more and more DRM and/or charging higher prices. I don't agree with their reasoning, but we've seen the same lame excuses over and over. "Look how much stuff is downloaded illegally - we NEED to use DRM."
Now, I don't think it's wrong to download a movie from a torrent if you've already purchased it, like the person that stumbled across this problem in the first place. I'm talking about those who say "because they use DRM, I will not give them money and steal from them." That's a lame rationalization. It's their product, they can put whatever stupid DRM on it that they wish. You don't have a right to their products no matter how badly you want it.
If you really want to send them a message, just go without the movie. Tell them you're willing to forgo their product all together because you disagree with their DRM. Nothing else will wisen them up faster.
Hey guys I am not a fan of DRM BUT to be fair to Apple this has been standard on things like the HDMI ports on projectors and other devices for years.
The scum-bag movie and other content companies just dont wave a flag about advertising that fact.
So nothing new here but yes would be very very annoying if you have a projector or other device that wont let you watch your content.
WHEN will the movie companies get their head out of their arss and see that when they treat people fairly the majority are happy to pay fair prices for content.
and apple is their scumbag bitch. i'm not going to make any apologies for them-- they're becoming just like sony. that's right: i said it! and it's true!
we shouldn't forget that apple wasn't forced to eliminate the non-protected display ports. they did it all on their own, to protect their itunes store profits. they care more about their new media business than the rights of their paying customers. if you think otherwise, you've been brainwashed by clever marketing. boycott the itunes store: that's the thing to do. f#%@ 'em. if you're really angry, boycott their computers and ipods.
If you'd be the content owner of, let's say, a movie, wouldn't you try everything you can to prevent people from illegally copying and distributing it? I would indeed! That's the reason the industry gave us HDCP and AACS. Buy it, not steal it, please!
http://xkcd.com/488/
if that doesn't work anymore that really would suck.
I pay for the rented movie and it is my decision if I want to watch it on mice-cinema format aka MacBook display or full frame projected on a wall 3 x 5 meters.
Okay, okay....I know this is stupid...but what exactly does DRM stop you from doing??? I'm sort of...lost.
Stealing.
Ok the reason Blu-ray on PC is a problem is this very same DRM. Sooooo why again is Blu-ray a bag of pain? Steve you have some splainin to do.
I don't even care about that HDCP...
Hollywood Studios and in general content providers are beyond lame. In Europe we don't even have the possibility to purchase ANY content on iTunes whatsoever, let alone be hassled by these DRM matters.
Studios will never learn. Unless the big crysis in the US and worldwide starts to hurt them badly too. But then again, they will blame it all on "pirates" and not on the real problem... UNAVAILABILTY of content.
I pay roughly 380.- USD a year for cable connection (live in Switzerland) and all I get is mostly useless TV channels. Some of them are good though (a small minority). I would be more than happy to pay it all directly to the content providers in exchange of movies and TV shows without commercial breaks.
But they won't let me. So I keep my cable connection for some tv shows that are only available here, and grab the rest of it from the internet. Why?
Because I am not prepared to spend 120 USD/year more just to view 2 HD channels (one in german and one in 3 languages) where there are no TV shows or movies available.
Blu-ray? Not an option. Too high costs and too little content available.
So...
Do I really have a choice besides reading books? (Yeah I do and believe me... I read a lot of books).
This is just stupid. In the end the one following the law (i.e. downloading legally) is screwed, while does downloading for free can do whatever they want.
If the industry would actually insert their brain before each meeting about DRM they might actually see that the legal user wants to be able to do whatever he wants when he legally buys e.g. a movie. But no, they take the money and restrict them. The user is becoming upset and then discovers illegal downloading => one user less to give money to the industry.
I say: download for free and screw the industry.
HDCP stands for High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection, not High Definition Content Protection.
they updated to fix this