DVDCCA Sues Maker of Luxury DVD Jukebox

McSpew writes "The DVD Copy Control Association has decided to sue Kaleidescape for violating its CSS license. Kaleidescape's crime? They make a super-high-end (~$27k) DVD jukebox system that caches DVD movies onto a server (3.3TB of disk space). Kaleidescape says they've complied with the terms of their CSS license and they're considering countersuing. I want one, but I'm not a pro athlete, rapper or movie star, so I'll probably have to roll my own."

Legitimate uses forbidden now?

[Overzeetop]

Okay, so instead of going after those evil soccer-mom pirate types, the target is going to be folks who can pay more for a server than the software itself? $27k/(3.3TB/9G) = $74 per title. That a lot of jack compared to a 300 disc Sony changer at $299.

Note: I'm using 9G average, figuring on the odd 2 disc set balancing out the typical 7G on a disc.

Re:Legitimate uses forbidden now?

[r2q2]

I think the thing that irks the DVDCCA is the fact that it creates a permament copy. You could theoretically rent all of those movies and not pay a penny for the content (minus the renting charge which is small).

Re:Legitimate uses forbidden now?

[Anonymous Coward]

it's worse then that. they say in the article that the $27k model holds up to 160 movies. $27k/160=$168 per movie.

and they say CSS was designed to prevent coping. HAHAHA, CSS does nothing to prevent coping. if you copy the files from one dvd to another, it will play. no decoding/encoding required. when does this copy protection kick in?

All my DVDs are "cached" too

[YetAnotherName]

My media server has a ~1TB RAID5 setup, and I've copied each and every DVD I've legally purchased onto it for instant playback on our HDTV. The original DVDs go back into their cases and are stored away for safe-keeping.

Have I exercised fair use? Definitely. Have I broken some laws? Probably. But I'm not going to give up the fair use as a result.

And yeah, I should post this anonymously, in case the MPAA reads Slashdot comments, but dammit, we've gotta stand up!

How long will equipment to "roll your own" exist

[gmknobl]

With this type of goofy draconian suing going on and the supposed implementation of anti-copying hardware going into production on DVD drives for PCs, how much longer can we expect to have equipment available to consumers that will allow us to roll our own without either

• having tons of EE/CE knowledge
• being able to afford doing so comparetively cheaply
• or having some doofus suit-happy corporation suing our A** off?

Exact Copy?

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

The info on their Web site seems to imply that they make an exact copy of the DVD, probably as a disk image. This seems to me that they are missing out on one of the most important benefits associated with ripping a DVD. Can this system skip, the un-skippable commercials that are starting to be added to DVDs? Can it bypass the menus and be configured to just play the movie when you select it, without having to guess what button will play the bloody thing? Has anyone used one of these?

Re:Legitimate uses forbidden now?

[yiffyfox]

I would be more worried about...

"The Kaleidescape Server can serve multiple movies simultaneously to Kaleidescape Movie Players throughout the home. The components interconnect over standard CAT 5 Ethernet cabling." throughout the home, or the internet

Stick this puppy in school or something.. sheesh or better yet on the internet. Thats why they are getting sued.

Re:The problem

[Curtman]

The only "legitimate" software that allowed that was shut down by the DVD consortium

What software is that? Surely you don't mean DeCSS [lemuria.org], they dropped that battle. And there's absolutely nothing stopping you from ripping a DVD to your hard drive now, and burning it to DVD-R with the CSS encryption intact.

Almost double what it should be...

[Anonymous Freak]

So, designing my own version of this system, I've got an Apple Xserve single-proc system with two 80GB hard drives (software RAID-1 for protection of the system,) a Combo Drive and Fibre Channel controller, plus an Xserve RAID maxed out with 5.6TB of space (4TB usable after making it a RAID-50 with hot spares.) This comes to just under $17,000. A few free programs, such as DVBackup or MacTheRipper, and I have the 'backup' capability. Add an Elgato System EyeHome, and voila! (Heck, if the EyeHome could control an EyeTV connected to the server, this setup would be a great DVR as well.)

Or program your own custom interface that uses an iBook or iMac as the client. Add a computer-accessory IR remote, and you're all set.

Total cost $17450 with an EyeHome, and two AirPort Express base stations (one connected to the server, one to the EyeHome, for wireless transmission.) Add $330 or $350 for an EyeTV (SD or HD, respectively.)

Total cost $18190 with an iBook as playback/control and an AirPort Express to connect to the server, and a Keyspan Express Remote to control the iBook. (Custom interface software not provided, and would have to be written.) Again, add $330 or $350 for an EyeTV (which could be connected directly to the iBook, in this setup.)

Real problem

[Anonymous Coward]

a few lazy nitwits renting movies from Blockbuster and making copies of them

I'm going to post anonymously for obvious reasons.

You are overlooking the fact that once enough common citizens have the capability to make perfect digital copies a revolution in the distribution of content is underway. These unauthorized reproducers of content have the power to liberate content from the distribution channels into which it is locked.

Here's my real world example. I have been using several programs--DVDBackup, Miraizon's "Cinematize", DVD Studio Pro, and occasionally Nakasuji Associate's "MPEG Append"--to make full, lossless copies of DVD material. I get the original copyrighted material from my University library, but a public library would do.

Now, I'm not redistributing these copies, yet. But in the future, when bandwidth is cheap and 7GB can be uploaded in say, 5 minutes, you can bet that someone like me is going to upload their cache. These movies are still copyrighted under the interminable Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act, but that Act means nothing when people can make perfect digital copies.

Re:A quote to note

[zapfie]

CSS was meant to prevent unauthorized players from being manufactured and sold, not to prevent piracy. CSS never even comes into play if you are trying to pirate a DVD, as you just need to make a bit for bit copy, and the player you play them on will descramble it for you. DVD piracy hurts them, but not getting any royalties from manufacturers of millions upon millions of DVD players as the years go on.. that hurts a lot more.

Re:All college drop-outs, and Bill too

[corbettw]

Here's a partial list of famous (and rich) college dropouts.

Computers:
Bill Gates (Microsoft) dropped out of Harvard, 1976
Steve Jobs (Apple, NeXT, Pixar) left Reed College in Portland, Oregon, after 1 semester
Steve Wozniak (with Jobs, founded Apple Computer)
Lawrence Ellison (Oracle Computer)
Michael Dell (Dell Computer) dropped out of the University of Texas

Other Business:
David Geffen (Geffen Records, Dreamworks SKG) flunked out of University of Texas, Austin, AND Brooklyn College, NY
H Wayne Huizenga (Blockbuster Video millionaire, owner of Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers and Florida Marlins) attended Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, for 3 semesters
Ted Turner (media mogul) -kicked out, I hear!
Ron Popeil (tv huckster, RONCO)
William Hanna (Hanna-Barbera)

To see the complete list, go to http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/7734/cdoaa.ht ml. Well, it's not complete, in that not everyone who ever dropped out of college is on there, but you'll be surprised by who is!