SlySoft has just released the latest AnyDVD version which beats the latest 4th generation HD-DVD and Blu-ray copy protection MKBv4, which was lauded as being unbreakable.

From Slysoft’s press release:

All that AACS-LA has to offer now is BD+, but even that is on the verge of being circumvented and a release is expected by the end of this year. James Wong, Head of development at SlySoft: “We already found a way to crack BD+ and we have just turned to fine-tuning…”

I honestly do not see a point in time when people are downloading enough HD-DVDs and Blu-ray discs to make an impact the overall market. It makes me wonder what the point is in all this DRM. Especially if someone is able to make a profit off of providing software that cracks it.

Update: Slysoft is currently offering AnyDVD HD at a 20% discount through April 20. Now is a great time to get a copy.

Slysoft has updated AnyDVD HD, with apparently some type of “artifical intelligence.” From the press release that has been sitting in my inbox for a couple of days:

With today’s release of AnyDVD 6.1.8.4, SlySoft has once again delighted its customers with the delivery of another masterpiece in the never-ending battle with manufacturers of DVD copy protection systems. The new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scanner analyzes the entire DVD within just a few seconds and through the utilization of voluminous rules and exceptions “decides” dynamically exactly how to circumvent the copy protection on this particular DVD.

AnyDVD is one of two tools I know of to rip the latest generation of high definition DVDs. I tend not to like when a computer program attempts to do things in a black box but I have yet to test the new version of this software.

Being able to rip movies to a hard drive is, in my opinion, a necessity for any home theater, especially with cool plugins like My Movies. AnyDVD is a tool that can help you do just that.

Spiralfrog, the ad-based music download service, has finally opened its doors for business. The music industry has been trying different ways to increase revenues, especially online.

Spiralfrog boasts over 800,000 tracks and 3,500 music videos available at launch. Although 800,000 sounds impressive, it has a long way to go to catch up to iTunes and even Emusic.

SpiralFrog is able to offer songs for free by requiring the user to view ads in order to download the music, and has a revenue-sharing deal with the labels. The music catalog right now revolves around Universal Music Group. EMI also is offering songs with SpiralFrog, as are a number of independent artists and music labels. Big name artists like Gwen Stefani and Fergie are available for download so that is a good sign.

I tried out the service to see how it performs. Overall, I think it works fairly well. Spiralfrog does make you download their own “download” software, which is kind of annoying but I guess pretty standard. You need to use Windows Media Player 10 or higher. Mac users need not apply.

The service requires the user to log in and view ads at least once every 30 days. On the front page, there is a counter that tells you how many days you have left before you have to “renew” for free. You also cannot burn the songs to CD or transfer it to an iPod.

Sprialfrog has two things not working in its favor right now: 1) a limited catalog of songs and 2) no iPod compatibility. New songs apparently are right around the corner but the iPod issue might be a deal breaker for the college crowd.

Following on the heels of EMI, Universal Music Group has decided to test the DRM-free marketplace. Starting August 21, Universal will offer its most popular music DRM-free as MP3 files. Songs will sell for 99¢ each. This DRM-free music will be available at Amazon, RealNetworks, and retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

One notable exception to this experiment is the lack of DRM-free music at the iTunes Music Store. There is no way this is an oversight. Universal has been looking to get out of their current contract with Apple and get more favorable terms, like a portion of iPod sales. Universal is definitely trying to get their point across to Steve Jobs. I think the music industry is beginning to realize that they only way to tame the iTunes juggernaut is to offer DRM-free music at lots of music e-tailers.
DRM-free music is gaining momentum. With the success of Emusic and the Barenaked Ladies, this should come as no surprise. Hopefully the bitrates will begin to increase as well.

• DRM & Copyright Destroying Internet Television? - DRM could stifle internet video.
• Watch CinemaNow movies on an Xbox 360 - More ways to watch video on the Xbox 360.
• BBC iPlayer facing DRM issues - BBC wants DRM too.
• EU Rejects Consumers Concerns About DRM - Not surprisingly, the EU says DRM is a good thing.
• NFL Limits Online Video Clips to 45 Seconds - NFL aggressively protects its product.
• VeohTV Video Software Challenged by NBC and YouTube | Copyright Concerns - More copyright issues for internet video.
• The 2007 Future Of Media Report | How Will Internet TV Change & Evolve? - DRM will definitely have an impact on internet TV.

Take DVD ripping as an example. As noted above, it’s an issue that Peters hears about without fail every three years as users seek a DMCA exemption to the anti circumvention protections that extend to DVDs. Why has the Copyright Office rejected the proposed exemption at each triennial rulemaking to date? In her words, it’s because the widely-hacked CSS encryption on DVDs does not actually prevent fair use at all, and those who think otherwise don’t understand exactly what rights fair use grants them.

Basically, the Copyright Office, with Ms. Peterson at the helm, will never provide DVD ripping an exemption from the Digital Millenium Copyright ACT, which prohibits consumers from making copies of their own DVDs. What is frustrating to me, is that there are legitimate reasons for people to want to copy their own DVDs. For me, I want to be able to put all of my DVDs on one computer and then place my actual DVDs in a box in my closet. Of course, I can still do this using one of the many programs available on the internet, but doing so is illegal. I would love to see what products would be developed by software companies if you DVD collection could be managed through a media center computer.

One light at the end of the tunnel, at least for the next generation of high definition DVDs, is the concept of Managed Copy, which allows consumers to place a copy of a movie on a computer legally. However, Managed Copy has yet to be implemented, even though the second generation of HD-DVD and Bu-ray players are now available.

I am all for music without digital rights management locking you into hardware and software so I figured I would check out We7.com and see what music is available. After a short registration process, I was able to log in and view the pretty small catalog totaling only 20 songs. The artists did include Dave Mathews, Hall and Oates (I cannot believe they are still around), and Coolio. I downloaded “American Baby” by Dave Mathews, which had a brief advertisement at the beginning of the file.
WE7.com is clearly a work in progress. From its website:

Eventually, our MediaGraft engine will also deliver the power for our downloaders to choose the type and style of ads that are attached to their music choices so the ads are increasingly relevant.

This will increasingly lead to the tuning of ads so that they are personalised and localised to the requirements of each advertiser and downloader.

Also the downloader has the choice after a period of time (4 weeks) to remove the ad/message. As We7 gathers momentum we will also be increasing the choice of what style and type of ads/messages gets linked to the music that is downloaded.

Basically, We7 is going to provide targeted advertising for free music. The artists get half of the ad revenue from their songs being downloaded. The ads were not too annoying. I think people will be willing to tolerate ads on a mp3 player but not on a home stereo system.

The Blu-ray Disc Association has announced that following breaches of the security of the high-definition format’s AACS security technology, it has brought forward the planned release date of the BD-Plus (BD+), a more advanced anti-copying system.

BD+ would apply digital rights management to individual disc instead of per movie. This seems like a short-sighted idea for the Blu-ray Disc Association. What is the best way to promote new technology? Add more digital rights management of course. At what point is it pointless for a company to add more copy protection to their product? That is the question that the Blu-ray Disc Association will eventually have to answer. The movie studios have lost sight of the ultimate goal of selling Blu-ray discs: to make money. Right now it seems the studios are focusing n protecting their content.

From a media center perspective, more DRM is always a bad thing. It can cause all types of compatibility issues for the honest consumer. I am curious to see if HD-DVD follows suit and stiffens their content protection as well. Less DRM could eventually become a selling point to the public, giving HD-DVD the advantage in the format war with its rival, Blu-ray discs.

Daybreak, ABC’s canceled serial drama with Taye Diggs, has resurfaced at ABC.com with new episodes every Monday. Daybreak, originally planned as 13 episodes, stepped into the time-slot left vacant by “Lost” when that popular show went on hiatus. Following in a recent trend of streaming episodes of cancelled television series online, ABC started streaming unaired episodes of Daybreak at the end of January. The episodes are shown with brief commercials interspersed throughout. The only drawback with ABC’s website is that the the episodes cannot be viewed in a full-screen mode. If you are a fan of the show like me, ABC.com is worth checking out.

My ideal media center is an open source system, without any remnance of digital rights management. I try and keep aware of the latest open source options, even if I am currently not using such a system. I have been meaning to build my own Ubuntu system but other things just keep eating all of my time (like this blog!). Besides running Linux from a CD, I have had very little experience with the open source operating system. TVease.net can “ease” your transition to a Linux system by offering open source media centers, a niche in the media center market that few other companies have looked to fill. Using MythTV and Ubuntu, they offer relatively cheap media centers yet they do not have to skimp on features. MythTV has every major feature currently available through Windows XP MCE.

Tvease.net recently expanded their product line to include 4 other “high-end” media centers, ranging from $1299 to $3499. The new systems have a 7″ touchscreen LCD in the front, which in my opinion is definitely high-end. If you are looking for an open source HTPC solution, definitely check out TVease.net