Re: [gNewSense-users] problem playing DVD's

[Ted Smith]

On Sat, 2009-01-24 at 13:25 +0100, Sam Geeraerts wrote:
> Ted Smith wrote:
> > Well, don't worry -- to my knowledge, DeCSS is illegal in the US as
> > well. :) However, unlike Singapore (I can't speak for Singapore), it
> > almost certainly isn't enforced, and is safe to install and use.
> > 
> > If you think it's rather unjust for a "free" country to ban a piece of
> > software, you should stop buying encrypted DVD's, and write your
> > congresspeople to tell them not to support the Digital Millennium
> > Copyright Act, the law that makes tools like DeCSS criminal. They will
> > probably ignore you, because the money they get from the MPAA (Motion
> > Picture Association of America) is far more than that they could get
> > from you, but hopefully if enough people voice their concern over this
> > truly orwellian law, it will be overturned.
> >  
> Although DeCSS isn't illegal in Belgium, I decided to stop buying 
> encrypted DVDs. At the time I was collecting all of Star Trek (except 
> Enterprise), secondhand because I already felt uncomfortable about 
> companies making a profit off of DRM'ed media. So now I'm about a 
> quarter short of the complete series. I guess those missing seasons will 
> have to wait until DRM will be abolished.
> 
> I also stopped buying CD's partly because it's hard to know for sure if 
> there is any copy protection crap on them. And because of Sony's root 
> kit of course.
> 
> Do you happen to know of a list of DVDs that are not encrypted (and 
> region code free)? Even though there's still the issue of patented 
> formats, I like to buy those DVDs to show my support for the 
> creator/distributor's dismissal of DRM. So far I have Revolution OS, 
> Elephants Dream and Big Buck Bunny.

Sorry, I actually don't know of any. I try not to give money to the
MPAA, so when I do watch movies it's typically on TV. I very rarely buy
CD's as well, mostly because there are no stores around me that have any
of the types of music I want.

However, I think buying CD's would be safe, as they're pretty easy to
rip, and no rootkit could run on GNU/Linux. Are CD's encrypted in the
same sense that DVD's are?

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