[GadgetDon]

The way it's supposed to work, such as for a stand-alone Blu-Ray player, is that standard definition stuff plays as normal on a non-HDCP compliant screen, and Hi-def gets downgraded to standard definition.

All the movies sold through iTunes are standard definition, so by the HDCP spec, it should play the standard definition movies without a problem. (This is now true, if you get the latest QuickTime patch.) High definition movies are only available for rent and only on the Apple TV (that I believe has been HDCP aware all this time). However, you can get HD tv episodes. It would be interesting to see what happens on a patched MacBook if you try to play one of these HD episodes on an external monitor (other than the new displayport Apple Cinema Display).

Why did Apple bother doing this? One reason probably is the steps to blu-ray. But this also may be steps towards selling or renting HD movies. I suspect it'll not do well...only a few computers will handle it...but it's an obvious step.

[mpitogo]

There has to be a fair use clause in all of this. Most of us have larger DVI/VGA monitors we watch content from and even projectors. To suddenly shut out this activity without warning to their iTunes users is a big worm biting in to the users experience of Apple products. I got bitten by that AppleTV HDCP issue. I was running fine with my HDMI/HDCP enabled HDTV then the 2.1 update hit and suddenly I was locked out. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't I had to down grade it to component to get HD content to my TV reliably. Now I have a PS3 plugged into the TV's HDMI and blueray movies play fine with it. What a bad hobby ATV is. Not really worth money I paid for, I have the 160GB after the price refresh. Would have been better spent on an xbox.

[frgough]

Bad analogy. DRM is like putting locks on the door of your own house that lock YOU out of your house and require you to call a policeman to come and open the doors for you so you can get inside, and then the state calling you a burglar if you try to get in without calling the policeman to come unlock your doors for you.

[leicaman]

[quote name='ibeetle']
>

zarchanalin said:

> What everyone needs to do here is stop blaming Apple for this. Have any of you read any of the documentation and contracts on the iTunes store?

Unfortunately, most people will only see the words "Apple" and "can't play". Couple that with Apples Legacy Free ideology and it is easy to jump to the conclusion that this is all Apples, Steve Jobs, Bill Clintons, and the fault of those liberal activist judges out of touch with American values.

Truer words were never spoken.

Someone needs to come up with an interface you plug into your monitor's port that tricks the player, whether it be a computer, disc player or i(device) and lets the signal through. When content owners sue, try a fair use tactic. Find one of those activist judges that believes in equal rights rather than cow-towing to billionaires and movie studios, and we have the moral high ground. FTW.

[palane]

Adobephile - First off, if one cannot play legitimately purchased content, then one will likely be driven to other ways. I would avoid purchasing videos via iTunes as there are restrictions placed on use of the item after purchase. So, if you want to watch purchased videos on an "unauthorized" monitor, the purchaser is likely to take other means to watch. This will also have the parallel effect of driving down sales. Whether or not a user chooses to download pirated material, he/she is unlikely to purchase the content in the first place.

Second, I disagree with your characterization of ripping borrowed content as inherently unethical. We have a Netflix subscription and my wife rips DVDs to watch on her iTouch while commuting. http://Bus or train, not driving. The DVDs are returned and we're not building up a big library of TV shows. The key is keeping with the intent of a rental while being able to watch it. That's simply not unethical.

BB

[PFXFV]

Adobephile said: "I've got Handbrake, and I've used to copy a few movies to my iPhone. But I bought the DVDs originally. That's where I draw the line, though. I wouldn't copy friends' disks or DVDs borrowed from a library. It's an ethical choice."

So, you are a pirate! You are violating the copyright by making your own rules on how the content can be used. The DRM put "locks on the door", but you pried open a window. Sounds like you are one of those "unethical people."

[AdamDZ]

OMFG... Adobephile haven't you learned by now that comparing software, music and video piracy to burglary, car theft, rape, murder, etc is DUMB? And, yeah, by your own standards you are comminting a crime. Shows how dumb your original arguments were...


Adam

[folklore]

mpitogo said:

I was running fine with my HDMI/HDCP enabled HDTV then the 2.1 update hit and suddenly I was locked out. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't I had to down grade it to component to get HD content to my TV reliably.

I've always had trouble with the AppleTV and HDMI on my 32" Sony HDTV. The AppleTV will simply "freeze" for several seconds. It makes the flippin' thing just unusable - navigating the menus takes forever. Some video will start to play, then it doesn't play for 30-45 seconds, then it picks up like nothing ever happened. That would happen intermittently, with it working flawlessly sometimes and not working at other times, even with the same video file. I thought it was bad network performance until I saw an article at Macworld that suggested switching to component cables.

So I switched to component. And all of those problems simply disappeared. I was stunned at the difference. Just stunned. I recently swapped back to an HDMI cable to see if it was all in my head. It wasn't. The AppleTV just hates the combination of HDMI and my TV. And at least on this TV with my content, I can't see a difference between component and HDMI in terms of quality.

I have no idea if my TV is HDCP capable. If I had to guess, I'd say not. None of the video files I've been using were HD, however, and none had DRM, so it shouldn't have been an issue.

[MacCat91750]

Your use of Handbreak is in fact piracy under the terms of the DMCA. Even the breaking of copy protection on a DVD that you have purchased is a violation of the US DMCA and is no longer covered under "fair use" like the copying of record or CD's for backup and use on other devices used to be. Breaking the copy protection on a DVD that only has public domain material on it is still an act of piracy under this terrible bill so you should get out your eye patch every time you move a movie to your iPhone from a DVD and hoist the pirate flag!

[tmedia1]

I have been able to play DVD's on an external monitor for years, not sure what you're talking about???

[Jon Seff]

That update only applies to SD content, not HD.

[Schneb]

iBeetle, ya think you could paint with any wider a brush?

[ibeetle]

Schneb said:

iBeetle, ya think you could paint with any wider a brush?

I am so good I can paint the entire side of a Barn in two strokes. :0)

[Steve_S]

adobephile said:

Steve Jobs once said that pirating (stealing) corrodes the character. So this ambulance chaser, von Lohmann, is saying this HDCP DRM encourages piracy? Hah. That's a little backwards. The character of a would-be pirate is ALREADY corroded if the person has or can justify copying digital IP.

The problem is, these copy protection schemes typically limit the usage for legitimate customers more often than not. I have no moral dilemma with copying a DVD I already purchased and converting it to another format such as h.264 for the iPhone, etc. By your strict definition, I would be described as a pirate or one with corroded character, right?

Quote

I've got Handbrake, and I've used to copy a few movies to my iPhone. But I bought the DVDs originally. That's where I draw the line, though. I wouldn't copy friends' disks or DVDs borrowed from a library. It's an ethical choice.

Ah, I see that I'm in good company then. ;) Is there such a thing as a "good pirate" and a "bad pirate"? Are the rules subject to our own ethical / moral standards?

Quote

No, you can't legislate/enforce/restrict/DRM people into being "good." But you also don't just throw up you hands and say "To h3ll with it!" and do nothing.

Why not? No form of DRM has ever been proven to be effective or to stop piracy. For those who want to steal it bad enough, the DRM protected content is either available unprotected for download or programs exist which will circumvent the protection. It seems to me that companies are wasting and awful lot of resource on what has so far proven to be a worthless effort. Worse, all that has been accomplished is that legitimate customers ending up being the ones who suffer. The music industry seems to be realizing this by allowing non-DRM sales, but they still need to make the leap with iTunes. Fundamentally, the same applies to video.