New DVD Copy Protection Unveiled

Macrovision seeks end the reign of DeCSS and usher in a new era of DVD copy protection

Virtually all DVDs that are in your local BlockBuster or BestBuy are copy protected. The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), in its infinite wisdom incorporated a copy protection scheme dubbed CSS (Content Scrambling System.) CSS’s intent was to prevent the average home user from copying a DVD he or she bought or rented onto a computer or mobile device. Worse yet, CSS was designed to prevent DVD movies from making their way on to the Internet.

Well. About 10 years after its implementation, full DVD, DivX and XviDs rips (among other formats) have become well established on the Internet. Whether the network of choice is Usenet, IRC, FTP, BitTorrent or DirectConnect, DVDs and their derivatives are readily available. In addition, simplistic ripping software such as DVDxCopy allows the average user to rent, rip and burn their favorite movie. God Bless America. Or perhaps Norway?

Let us go back to CSS for a moment. While CSS did prevent the average user from copying DVD contents onto their computer, it proved to be a mere cakewalk for 15-year-old cracker Jon Lech Johansen of Norway. At the time, no DVD player existed for Linux machines. In order to play a DVD on a Linux machine, it was necessary to rip the main VOB file. Jon Lech Johansen created a program that allowed him to do just that. With this event, DeCSS was born. From there it has become the staple of DVD ripping technology, with subsequent improvements and refinements over the years.

While CSS makes copy protection virtually a non-concern, Macrovision is betting their new DVD copy protection scheme, dubbed “RipGuard DVD” will represent a new dawn for the movie industry. RipGuard DVD brushes aside the thoughtless and inconsiderate desires of millions of individuals, and righteously places the needs of the few ahead of the needs of the many.

“Macrovision RipGuard DVD is designed to dramatically reduce DVD ripping and the resulting supply of illegal P2P content. For over two decades, Macrovision has provided the premier solution for device-to-device copying using DVD players, VCRs, DVD recorders, digital video recorders, digital set-top boxes and media center PCs,” said Steve Weinstein, executive vice president and general manager of Macrovision’s Entertainment Technologies Group. “Ultimately, we see RipGuard DVD and the ACP framework evolving beyond anti-piracy, and towards enablement of legitimate on-line transactions, interoperability in tomorrow’s digital home, and the upcoming high definition formats.”

In a world where exciting news suffers from the occasional short supply, Macrovision’s unveiling of RipGuard DVD is an important step in assuring that history repeats itself.

You can read the press release here.

Related Posts

1. Macrovision Unveils New Copy Protection Suite
2. State of copy-protection (and how to bypass audio CD locks)
3. Microsoft CD copy protection advances
4. Copyright Office Upholds Copy-Protection Law
5. Getting Around Copy Protection