RSSSome Blu-ray BD+ Equipped Discs Now Duplicable, But For How Long?
by Scott M. Fulton, III
A mere five months after the initial specification for the long-awaited BD+ copy protection system for Blu-ray Disc was formally released, the manufacturers of the media disc backup utility AnyDVD HD released a beta that has apparently been proven capable of copying BDs equipped with BD+ protection.
The beta of version 6.1.9.6 is apparently not without problems or exceptions, as indicated by a check of manufacturer SlySoft's forums today. Users reported problems copying Fantastic Four, Live Free or Die Hard, Sunshine, The Hills Have Eyes, and Spiderman 3 - which collectively constitute the bulk of all BD+ titles currently available. 20th Century-Fox was the first label to produce BD+ titles, and continues to be a principal champion of the system.
In the meantime, the AACS LA licensing body has invoked its revocation key system, which is a way of making updated hardware and software incapable of playing copied media. Users can try to avoid updating, although newer HD DVD discs may include revocation key code that trips an update sequence even without users' authorization. Nonetheless, even updated software can be defeated using techniques devised by homebrew hackers, with the result being a tug-of-war going on inside users' consoles and PCs between content providers and software authors.
All of this while Congress has been making legal so-called "transformative uses" of purchased or licensed content, by way of issuing exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
But Congress can't yet stop content providers from engineering their own means to protect their media anyway. For Blu-ray, BD+ was intended to be a second layer of protection atop AACS. It utilizes a virtual machine which constantly runs in a protected environment, unscrambling the entire software environment in which typical AACS encryption takes place. If the virtual machine cannot verify the integrity of the environment in which it's running, supposedly it shuts down.
Exactly how BD+ equipped content knows it's being decrypted by a validated BD+ VM, though, is a little mystery. Apparently copied content from a BD+ equipped disc (when SlySoft works out all the kinks) is playable on a PC with both AnyDVD HD and PowerDVD player software installed, without the BD+ VM being present. Presumably AnyDVD HD acts as though it's the VM without actually having to be the VM - a feat which, if the details are ever divulged, may be far simpler to pull off than originally purported.
One of the reasons Blu-ray exists separately from HD DVD in the first place was the desire among studios, especially 20th Century-Fox, to implement multiple layers of copy protection rather than just one. To that end, the Blu-ray Disc Association implemented its own version of the revocation system, which in June 2006 it described (albeit with very poor grammar) as sensitive to the introduction of hacked content through the deployment of countermeasures.
"When a hack is suspected, content provider can enter into a hack study," as an early BDA document on BD+ and BD-ROM Mark watermarking explained. "Once a hack is confirmed by the manufacturer of suspected Player, then Content Provider can have developed and release BD+ Content Protection code that detects and responds to the hack."
So even if SlySoft perfects its current beta - and there's no reason to presume it won't - the same tug-of-war that now afflicts HD DVD users on one level could soon afflict BD users on two.
Taking advantage of the spotlight this development would inevitably cast on the product, its authors saw fit to insert a little open letter of sorts into its change log text file:
[*]Note to people considering to invest in HD media: Please buy HD DVD instead of Blu-ray. HD DVD is much more consumer friendly (e.g., no region coding, AACS not mandatory). Don't give your money to people who throw your fair-use rights out of the window.
22 Comments
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http://www.managingright...11/is-bd-using-a-h.html
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NOTHING is hack-proof.
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well i have to say, the big companies are going to have to consider there position very carefully now concerning BD+, they were spouting that it will take 10 years or more to crack, clearly this has been a lie, and they have failed in there delivery of truth, time and time again sony has lied in so many ways it unraveling and hard to count,
the fact is, there was massive amounts of PR going on With BD+, and yet it's already being beat (i should add, by a amazing company with astonishing skill "Slysoft", and credit has to be given to them for keeping out fair rights intact, and of course sending out the most important message of all to companies, and that of course is, consumers have the right to have fair rights)
BD+ was suppose to be crack proof, and already showing signs of weakness and yet there is still no statement from the relevant companies to this affect, where's the apology for lying outright saying that BD+ won't be beet for 10 years, we and many others deserve an apology for that outrageous lie,
it's hard to not see the fact that people supporting Blue ray are quick enough to spout facts, and propaganda, and what not, but never retract or apologize for those which turn out to be LIES, LIES, LIES, if one gets caught for lying, then that person, or persons should apologize, this is something we all learn as a child growing up and being taught about ethics, and morals, and yet there still has not been any kind of retraction to some of the statements that have been given out over the last year concerning blue ray,
even there size of there disc is in jeopardy now, as HD DVD is trying to get there tripple layer trough to specs,
HD DVD isn't perfect, nothing ever is, but it seems all in all, blue ray is showing no significant advantage over HD-DVD any longer, but still has extra cost,
as they say "there now playing on a level field"
but i for one hope they apologize for there false quote stating about BD+ not being beat for TEN YEARS, an apology from them now would actually do them good, apologizing takes courage, and shows good morality,
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Sony admits Blu-Ray format is dead...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/...oARj4Yn9A7vRz0DZPojtBAF
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Ouch.... that's pretty damning for Blu-Ray.
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Doesn't seem like they're admitting defeat at all, in that link; only lamenting the stalemate.
This is the line that got me: "...saying it was mostly a matter of prestige whose format wins out in the end."
With that comment, it almost seems like this is just a corporate pis$ing match at this point.
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Maybe Sony can add 12 different types DRM to their next high definition format in an attempt to sweeten things for studios, and yet still fail to become the dominant format! Trying to cater to studios by adding extra layers of DRM may seem like a great way to ensure acceptance of your format, but luckily it's still not the studios who decide which format wins. In the end, it's still the consumers making that decision.
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I think with those last two notes you made, made Dave cry. Maybe that's why he hasn't responded yet.
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Something tells me that Davey finally committed suicide. It's been well over 10 hours and still no response to those 2 comments :'( Davey sadly, you will be missed, I've always looked forward to showing everyone how retarded you are. I feel as I've been robbed :'(
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RIP Dave. "Bring out your dead !!!! ....."
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Making the customers wait for firmware updates all for nothing.
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I applaud SlySoft in their efforts, if only because it points out that all the millions of dollars that are invested in DRM measures are wasted.
DRM doesn't benefit the consumer one bit, and all it does is drive up the price of the media and annoy paying customers.
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Yup.
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do mpeg4 divx files look better if they come from bd source?
no ones is interested in duplicating a Blu-Ray disk. physical media = doa.
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And how do you think you pirate your movies?
It comes from a physical source.
The day physical sources die is the day I will be annoyed.
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Why ??
The physical source could be a hdd..
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As far as I know Hollywood doesn't release movies on hard drives yet. :P
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I love the two last notes. +1
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Is Sony still pushing this 'skynet' protection? So even when I buy a PS3, I will HAVE to plug it to the internet just be able to play at 1080p. Someone correct me if I'm wrong (Davey), and please provide proof of any statements.
I remember this being the biggest reason I didn't go for blu-ray. But alas it hasn't been a big issue lately so I semi-forgot about it.
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Wow, I cant believe the comments arent flooding in yet. Anyway, as its been said before, if you can lock it, someone else will be able to unlock it.
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Your right, but why go through the extra hassle on blu-ray when HD-DVD is so much easier.
To bypass BD+ I think in the end you'd have to MOD your player, just like it's necessary to black box Directv and cable receivers.
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