Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"In October of 1998, the US Senate passed an amendment to United States copyright law criminalizing the production and distribution of technology that would allow consumers to thwart technical copy-restriction methods. Essentially, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, as it is known, makes it a crime to circumvent anti-piracy measures and outlaws the manufacture, sale, or distribution of code-cracking devices used to illegally copy software. This amendment forms the basis for all that has followed. And there has been a lot to follow."

All you have to do is see or hear the words "Copy Protection" and your mind starts to wander. What can you do and not do? What type of copy protection is in place? What are the legal implications of breaking it? No question, this is complex subject matter that has greatly influenced the handling of digital and analog media. That complexity often tempts some people to ignore the issue and try and circumvent it. A little understanding of the issue would provide some insights as to how copy protection arose in the first place, how it has progressed, and what the future might hold. Fortunately, MaximumPC has provided just such an understanding in a nicely written history of the issue and mechanisms used to achieve it. It's a great primer and a nice weekend read.

"Film studios that have switched to Blu-ray may have crowed a little too early because the much-praised BD+ copy protection is an ad absurdum affair now, too. With today's release of version 6.4.0.0 of AnyDVD HD it is now also possible to make backup security copies of Blu-ray discs protected with BD+. Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group will have to revise his statement from July, 2007 regarding BD+: "BD+, unlike AACS which suffered a partial hack last year, won't likely be breached for 10 years". It is worth mentioning that since he made that statement only eight months have gone by."

If you're looking for a way to backup your DVD and Blu-ray Discs, AnyDVD may be the software you need. It runs in the background on your PC, and when inserting a DVD or Blu-ray disc, it automagically removes the copy protection, which then allows you to use a DVD backup tool to make a copy of your disc. Now through March 30th, when you purchase directly from Slysoft [Affiliate] and use the coupon code "easter" you can receive 20% off AnyDVD (and any other SlySoft product)!