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Please note that some, if not many of the links on this page may be broken.
This is just an archived copy of the news for this month. We cannot guarantee
that the links will work because we remove old versions as we update.
For the newest software releases please always refer to the main
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we'll do our best to help.
Date |
News |
6/30 |
Auto
GK 1.44 now has working preview for transport streams, supports
transport streams with two audio streams, fixes audio finding problems
with TS sources and supports two new options via hidden files.
Mpeg2Schnitt 0.6l can cut audio only sources, the chapterlist can
display the 3 allowed formats simultaneously, the cut list also
supports different input formats, open dialogues will automatically
access the next higher directory if a subdirectory is no longer
available, and cutting problems with sources that only have one
sequence header have been fixed.
ProgDVB 4.40
supports the USB module for the Nova cards again and fixes some
small bugs.
I've previously mentioned the ongoing debate in Canada about changes
in copyright law that would benefit copyright holders. So if you
live in Canada, you might want to the CIPPIC's
page on the 2004 election where you can find how candidates
think about copyright law. There are also two more organizations
that are trying to make
copyright law an election issue.
Last but not least, can we expect the same crap on our DVDs as
consumers in Europe have to suffer through with audio CDs: incompatibilities,
software that installs without your consent, playback restrictions,
etc. SunnComm, makers of the infamous audio CD copy protection that
you can circumvent by holding the shift key when you insert a CD,
has promised to make our DVDs incompatible once they release their
MadiaMaxDVD copy protection system to movie studios. While the company
claims that MediaMaxDVD "provides consumer-friendly and unique
value-added functions and features", I'm betting right now
that this is yet another technology the world could do just fine
without.
|
6/29 |
The
Core Media Player 4.01 fixes a couple of bugs, has an MPC decoder
that works in 16 bit color depth environments now and the APE decoder
is based on the latest SDK build.
|
6/28 |
PgcEdit
0.2.1 integrates the find GUI into the main window, supports
region code changes and fixes some bugs.
DVD
Rebuilder 0.54 fixes a few bugs and should work better with
button over video content.
Wilbert and CO have done a complete overhaul of the analogue
capture guide. There's a new introductory section about analogue
video, there are sections on how to determine the active capture
window and use that for resizing, the VirtualDub postprocessing
section has been completed, instructions to remove clicks and cracks
have been added and there's much more.
bb has also been busy extending his DV
guide, which now contains a section on how to transfer video
from your DV cam to your PC.
Last but not least, a while back I ran a story on AMD's NX flag
being used for DRM. As it turned out, my source was wrong and NX
flags actually have nothing to do with DRM. If you care to know
more about NX, check
this HardwareCentral article.
|
6/27 |
The Pirate
Act has taken the first hurdle: The US Senate, with an overwhelming
majority, approved
the RIAA/MPAA sponsored Pirate Act, which forces the Department
of Justice to file lawsuits against alleged copyright infringers.
I wonder if the DOJ will still have time to prosecute the real criminals
should this pass the House. After all, there are tens of millions
of potential legal procedures to be opened. In fact, I once again
have to challenge the RIAAs focus on lawsuits as the only means to
combat piracy. What they're trying to do is just combat the effects
of people not being willing to buy every piece of music they'll ever
listen to. When will they realized that they need to look at the root
cause for piracy as well? You can't cut down a tree by cutting off
a couple of branches, you need to unroot it, and that means dig deep.
|
6/26 |
Yesterday I've raised the issue of politicians being paid off,
and one reader has been nice enough to point me to the right direction:opensecrets.org
is a site dedicated to campaign contributions. But he did better
than that: Here are all
the Induce Act sponsors and how much they got from the entertainment
industry, all on the same page. I really ought to get into politics
myself, looking at those numbers I'm definitely not making enough
money.
On the DMCRA, news.com has an older interview
with its main sponsor, Rick Boucher.
Last but not least, there's a good editorial on bit-tech.net on
DRM. The author ended up having
files on his HD deactivated via the DRM system that protects
them against unauthorized access, because the contract between studio
and retailer ran out. Now imagine your OS license had run out ;)
|
6/25 |
AutoGK
1.42 has keyboard shortcuts for all buttons, has a rearranged
GUI, processes audio files that do not have the delay in the filename,
and uses the sharp matrix for output sized < 700 MB more frequently.
Gordian
Knot 0.31 alpha now allows resolutions up to 1920x, always crops
before deinterlacing and fixes a few bugs.
PgcEdit
0.2.0 can append VTS's from another DVD, can set video aspect
ratio and language codes, can modify PGC menu types, contains some
usability improvements and fixes some bugs.
Now that's an interesting (or weird?) development in HD-DVD: Apple
has issued a press release saying H.264 was adapted for HD-DVD.
Be it definitive or provisional or whatnot (you might remember the
DVD forum's resolution that wasn't quite so clear) was left out,
but the press release also mentions that an upcoming
version of Apple's Quicktime software will include a H.264 codec.
Let's hope it'll be better than Apple's current MPEG-4 implementation.
An updated on the coalition in support of the DMCRA. It is called
Personal Technology Freedom Coalition and Mi2N has a list
of their principles: Freedom, Fairness, Innovation and CyberSecurity.
The Consumer Electronics Association has also joined
the battle on the side of the users. The MPAA seems to have
woken up to this already, and sent their henchmen into battle: Leaders
of the Judiciary committee have issued a statement in
strong opposition of the DMCRA. Does anyone know how much money
they are getting from the entertainment industry?
The HRRC has also woken
up to the threat of the Induce act. It looks like we have a
hot summer ahead of us, if not outside, at least in lawmaking circles.
|
6/24 |
DVD
Identifier 3.4 build3 is a minor maintenance release (but still
a new version ;)
Finally some serious support for the DMCRA (a law that would clearly
exclude fair use backups from the clutches of the DMCA): A coalition
lead by Intel, Sun, Verizon, SBC, Qwest, Gateway and BellSouth are
lobbying
congress to pass the DMCA amendment, as the DMCA not only harms
fair use rights, but also endangers vital computer research (finally
somebody got it).
Until then, Congress has decided to lend
support to DVD censorship. The US Senate has attached a decency
proposal to its annual defense bill, which would enable filters
to remove offensive material (nudity, violence, profanity, etc.).
I wonder how well that flies with freedom of speech...
And if there weren't enough attacking already, a class action suit
has started against the heavyweights that hold DVD licenses. The
suit alleges that DVD
license holders have engaged in a conspiracy to monopolize the DVD
player market.
Last but not least, you might catch some unexpected bug or feature
if you try to play some of the latest CDs. The latest Beasty Boys
Album seems to automatically
install a software that prevents you from making a backup copy
as soon as your drive first accesses the disc. The protection seems
to work for both Windows and Mac. Not that it's particularly hard
to circumvent this (hold shift, insert the CD and wait until the
disc has been accessed then let go of the shift button - that's
the standard technique to disable autorun applications on CDs and
DVDs). However, automatically installing software that I can't help
but consider destructive, without the user's consent, that almost
amounts to unauthorized access to a computing system, which is a
federal crime.
|
6/23 |
DVD
Rebuilder 0.53a no longer "forgets" to copy unchanged
files to the destination directory.
The Home Recording Rights Coalition (write down that name, that's
a 4 letter organization that actually cares about your rights) has
an answer to RIAAs request to the FCC to severely restrict the recording
of digital radio. They see "no
basis whatsoever for the FCC to impair, impede or impose any technical
or legal restraint" on digital radio.
P2P Network operators, grouped together in the Distributed Computing
Industry Association (DCIA), are asking the MPAA to give
up their boycott of P2P networks (I wasn't aware they did, they
just exaggerate and twist the facts and drag P2P technology through
the mud whenever they can) and embrace the commercial possibilities
such networks can offer. It reminds me what Napster could've become
if they re-released it 3 months after it was shutdown, costing a
monthly fee in the area of $20 - $30 as it was considered. I'm pretty
much convinced, alternative P2P networks would've never made the
huge inroads to our homes they have today. But of course, RIAA and
CO are still clinging to their "pay for every song" mantra
and come up with stuff like this: the europe4DRM
website is a lobby cooperation to make you think DRM is good, sponsored
by the BSA and the EICTA (European Information, Communications and
Consumer Electronics Industry Technology Association). Weird, I
thought most CE makers were not too convinced of DRM. It's the ability
to make (private) copies that drives many sales (or did.. thanks
to Universal, Sony and Co. for all the money they took for all my
Mini Discs and now screwing me over by making my MD recorder useless
as copy protected audio CDs have the SCMS flag set to no copy).
And if you're looking for a Europe against digital restriction management
(that's what DRM really stands for) site, I'm happy to serve as
a replacement until such a site comes along ;)
Will "Invasion of the night vision goggles" be the next
movie you watch at the movie theater? It might just be, as the MPAA
now offers a $500
reward to movie theater employees to catch a guy taping a flick
(or was it touching a video camera? ;)
|
6/21 |
ProjectX 0.81.7int4 fixes mpa audio decoding problems, improves
.sup file creation and can extract packets / PIDs out of PVA, PS
or PES streams.
DVD
Rebuilder 0.53 now sets uses the quantization characteristics
in CCE Basic 2.69, doesn't show warning messages in batch mode if
desired and fixes a couple of bugs.
Sorensen has announced
version 4 of their video compression application suite called Squeeze
, which now supports H.264 output and HD WMV9 output.
|
6/20 |
ScenAid
RC3 v0.25 can correct audio delays even if there are files without
delay in the filename, uses the bitrate settings from the ccedata
file, ScenAid now runs idle when encoding, VOB/Cell detection even
works with broken IFOs, the CCE file creation routine has been improved
and a couple of bugs have been fixed as well.
|
6/19 |
I really wish I could report more about great new tools, but it
seems that developers have taken some time off. Instead, we have
lawmakers come up with more and more ridiculous proposals. I don't
know if it's that hot on Capitol Hill, or if they put controlled
substances in foods and drinks, but Senator Orin Hatch of Utah's
Induce act (labeled "Inducement Devolves into Unlawful Child
Exploitation Act of 2004", even though the law text has nothing
to do whatsoever with child exploitation so many suspect a cheap
trick to get more support for an incredibly stupid law) is the most
recent and most blatant attempt by MPAA and RIAA to get their way.
The Inducement
act, makes inducing of copyright infringement punishable by
the same terms as the actual infringer. In words that a reasonable
human being can understand: whatever technology or information could
be used for copyright infringement will be illegal. That means:
your PC, your video recorder, your tape recorder, etc. you have
to throw it all away or you're going away for life. Just imagine
how many copyrighted works you could potentially copy with those
devices.. Also, imagine a whole new area of lawsuits and threats
to webmasters who just want to help you make better use of what
you've paid for (obviously including this site).
Then I came across an interesting
piece on DRM written by an EFF associate. It goes to great lengths
trying to show how DRM is bad for both consumers and producers and
why it'll never work. Also, it contains a lot of historical facts
on copyright law. I really liked the quote from the MPAA's Jack
Valenti. He told congress in 1982 that the "VCR was to the
American film industry as the Boston Strangler was to a woman home
alone". 22 years later, the movie industry is making more money
than ever. What went wrong?
Last but not least, I've brought up patent law a few times in the
past. The EFF has now started a patent
busting project, aiming to rid the world of illegitimate and
economically harmful trivial patents.
And in case you've missed it, Microsoft has released the 2nd release
candidate of their security upgrade for Windows XP (aka SP2).
There are also rumors about MS starting to sell their own virus
scanner. They have bought a prominent maker of Linux virus scanners
last year, but have yet to release anything. Why not put a Virus
scanner with free lifetime upgrades into each version of Windows?
Considering that the large majority of viruses target Windows and
are spread by MS products (either their OS via security flaws, or
their mail program), that would make sense, would it not?
|
6/18 |
There's yet another ProgDVB
version without a changelog. It almost makes one wonder if changelog
doesn't translate into Russian (the programmer may forgive me, it's
a great tool but in order to write news, a changelog is essential
;)
321 is due in court again: As if they didn't have enough dealing
with the MPAA, they've now managed to alienate the BSA, and specifically
game developers Electronic Arts and Vivendi Universal, who have
sued
321 for their Games X Copy utility. I was still under the impression
that making backup of software you legally own was okay, and I'm
still waiting for EA to replace my 2nd CD of C&C Red Alert2
which was packaged that badly that it had to get scratched beyond
reasonable use, but I guess I'm just an unreasonable customer to
expect that I get what I pay for and don't have to buy another game
if my media get scratched for reasons that are really not my fault.
This may well be the last straw for 321 as they seem to be close
to filing for bankruptcy, which would mark a rather sad ending for
one of the most controversial companies to touch our daily business.
321 was on the forefront to fight for fair use, yet they've manage
to alienate many people by selling a package of freeware and a guide
and not really informing prospective customers about the contents
of the package (basically you could get it on this very site for
the incredible price of $0.00).
Last but not least, news.com reports that the MPAA
is stepping up their antipiracy campaign, also known as indoctrination
campaign. I'm not challenging that most countries copyright law
actually forbid the upload of copyrighted material to P2P networks
(and I don't think such laws are unreasonable), but a "code
of conduct" for college students? It hasn't been too long since
I've been at college and I honestly think colleges have better things
to do.. it should be about education, not indoctrination. I don't
think that rights and wrongs should be thought at college, that's
a job for your parents (though I guess the MPAA would argue mine
didn't do such a great job, a fact which my parents would surely
challenge violently and I tend to agree with my own flesh and blood).
Last but not least, I seem to have committed a blunder in yesterdays
news by forgetting that in the US, prices often don't include sales
taxes, thus the price difference between iTunes in the US and Europe
is not that sizable. To my understanding, sales tax only applies
if you buy instate, thus only California residents seem to be eligible
to pay sales tax when shopping at Apple's e-shop, but if you have
a good resource about sales taxes in the US, and/or know how much
the actual price is for a song at iTunes (be it inside California
where Apple is located our outside), please let me know.
|
6/17 |
PgcEdit
is a PGC command editor that's supposed to make command editing
easier than IfoEdit.
Here's yet another H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC codec: mpegable
AVC. A free version of the H.264 baseline profile encoder is
available for testing.
You gotta hand it to him: He's the computer biz' leading DRM proponent:
Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Not only was he the first to get in bed with
the RIAA and create the DRM laden online music store iTunes that
just recently launched in Europe (though with a smaller selection
and considerably higher prices than in the US), now he's encouraging
the MPAA to delay the jump to HD DVD until they can be sure those
discs can never be copied. Perhaps Steve has a HD DVD DRM scheme
up his sleeves? That and Apple's strong-arming of the DRM removal
tool for iTunes should definitely put Apple right there in the evil
big league along with MS, SCO and our favorite 4 letter organizations.
There have been a couple of ProgDVB
test versions now, but the changelog remains the same so I don't
know if there's really anything new.
|
6/16 |
To all those who wouldn't believe that GKnot wasn't dead
yet, here's proof of life: Gordian
Knot 0.30 alpha supports OGM/MKV output and contains a long list
of bugfixes.
|
6/15 |
AutoGK
1.41 uses the latest DGMPGDec, autocrop parameters can be overridden
using yet another secret file, TS input can now contain spaces in
filenames and there's an explicit selector for DVD / file input.
RadLight
4 pre-beta 1 is out. It integrates the RadLight APE / OptimFROG
DirectShow filters, supports a bunch of subtitle formats and contains
some other minor changes.
Are you waiting for dual layer DVD blanks? Verbatim and Ritek will
start
volume production of dual layer discs later this month. But
if you're dreaming about cheap 1:1 DVD copies, you'll keep on dreaming
for a while as Ritek expects the retail price to be around 7 - 10$,
and the top tier Japanese manufacturers will likely charge even
more (but they also tend to offer higher quality discs).
Here's a good idea from down under: change
copyright law to allow fair use, and compensate artists for it via
levies on blank CD and DVD media (as it's being done in a number
of other countries already). Can you guess which organization is
absolutely opposed to this idea?
|
6/14 |
Zoom
Player 4.0 final has been released. Compared to RC3 it contains
some additional bugfixes.
Digital
radio is next on the RIAA's target list: They have (interestingly
many years after digital satellite based radio broadcast systems
were first launched) discovered digital radio as the next "this'll
make us go bankrupt" thing and ask for drastic measures to
be taken: Forget about recording individual songs, editing what
you recorded or use software that would enable you to record a specific
song as soon as it is being broadcast.
Are you interested in Ahead's next AAC encoder? Then you can download
a bunch of samples of the new
and improved AAC encoder that contains improved SBR and parametric
stereo encoding.
|
6/13 |
Zoom
Player 4.0 RC3 supports the VMR7 renderer, has extended TCP/IP
control and contains some bugfixes.
|
6/12 |
So the DVD Forum steering committee had its meeting but the
results are puzzling: HD DVD was approved, the use of HE-AAC
in the ROM zone of DVD-Audio has been approved, and a motion to
retain the provisional approval status of the 3 codecs (MPEG-2/H.264/VC-9
aka WMV9) has been denied. Until this point, there's no official
statement from the DVD Forum on what the denial means... Microsoft
claims this means their codec is approved, but the rest of the world
isn't so sure.
You might remember my comments about US - countryX free trade negotiations
and IP (intellectual property) colonialism. Apparently I'm not the
only one to note this. The library of the Australian parliament
has publishes a research paper looking into the IP
provisions in the US - Australia free trade agreement. It finds
that strengthening IP law is actually goes against the idea of a
free trade agreement as it only benefits the US IP industry.
The EU parliamentary elections are still open until tomorrow, so
if you haven't voted yet, I strongly suggest you do (a working democracy
requires as many participants as possible.. complaining about bad
decisions being made and then not going to vote for the people who
wouldn't make those mistakes again, is about the most stupid thing
you can possibly do in a democracy), and before you do, have a look
at a list
of candidates/parties and their attitudes on IP laws. Let's
give the politicians that sell our rights out to the highest bidder
the boot!
The controversy about the new proposed WIPO treaty continues. More
and more organizations notice that this treaty could have devastating
effects, from making
PCs illegal, to copyrighting
material that is public domain (broadcast it and you have 50
years of copyright on it) and extend
the coverage of the broadcast flag. And as it turned out, the
WIPO
members are not unanimously for that new treaty, there's quite
some opposition.
Last but not least, doubts
arise concerning the IFPI's claims that (music) piracy has gone
back considerably due to their legal actions in various countries.
|
6/11 |
DVD
Identifier 3.4 supports 16x DVD+R discs, can perform a CRC check
for downloaded manufacturer databases and contains some minor tweaks
as well.
ScenAid
RC3 build 24 has improved CC support, names subtitle folders
more clearly, can scan raw MPEG-2 files that haven't been touched
and has an extended CLI interface.
Who is going to make the race to be the official HD DVD format?
As before DVD was finalized, we have two contenders: HD-DVD and
BluRay. The
DVD steering committee, which is currently in session, is supposed
to vote on the final read only specs for HD-DVD, which would
be a big step towards making the race.
|
6/10 |
Microsoft is getting serious on HD WMV9: They've just
signed a deal with STMicroelectronics to develop chips
that can handle HD resolution WMV9 playback. But there's no word
so far on what high resolution content means, and as you might recall,
Sigma Designs already has a chip that can handle WMV9 at HD resolutions
(up to 720p - HD can go up to 1080p).
|
6/9 |
XviD 1.0.1 is a small bugfix release. The list of changes can be
found here.
Most importantly, quality should be slightly improved when trellis
quantization and / or b-frames are used.
ProjectX 0.81.7 int3 contains fixes for SUP export and MPEG ES
demuxing.
Gordian
Knot 0.29 alpha build 1811 has an improved persistent queuing
system, can create OGM and MKV files, has a new save AVS window
and now works with DGIndex (DGMPGDec).
AutoGK
0.35 uses an up-to-date (well, almost) version of DGMPGDec,
supports 50/60fps sources, has preliminary support for transport
streams, contains an improved resolution selector and is bundled
with XviD 1.0.1
Looking to buy one of the upcoming 16x DVD burners? cdfreaks has
a first
review of a 16x unit. The results of the pre-production unit
they've tested are mixed..
Euro-Copyrights.org
is a new law site that aims to give you an overview over the different
EUCD (EU Copyright Directive - AKA the EU DMCA) implementation in
national law.
We've already seen it happen in the US where copyright protection
was extended beyond any reasonable amount of time (do I even have
to tell you who sponsored that change in copyright law?), now the
WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization - the organization
that gave us the basis for the DMCA) plans to
extend copyright protection for broadcast signals from 20 to 50
years. IP Justice has a good take on this: "Unless broadcasting
companies plan on transmitting their signals to Jupiter, a 50-year
term makes even less sense because signals only exist for the short
time they take to travel through the air to reach their point of
reception". And while we're at it, I suggest you go to the
IP Justice site and sign their principles (I just did). I'm sure
if you come to this site, you'll wholeheartedly agree with those
principles (#3 is the right to fair use).
|
6/8 |
DVD
Rebuilder 0.52 fixes certain subtitle problems, has an improved
one pass algorithm and no longer permits accidental abortion of
the encoding phase.
DGMPGDec 1.0.12 has buttons to set PIDs and fixes problems problems
at the end of MPEG streams.
DVBPortal 1.0.9
integrates with myHTPC, supports scripting via VBA and other languages,
supports the VMR9 overlay mixer and comes with the latest SkyAVC
filter.
ProgDVB 4.39
uses a new filter graph that should help a/v synch.
How fast will we eventually be able to write on dual layer media?
At least 8x
speed seems to be possible according to the DVD+RW alliance.
They held a symposium in Taipei on patent licensing and product
certification for 16 DVD+R, 8x DVD+RW and 8x DVD+R DL drives and
discs. They also introduced a new anti-piracy technology dubbed
as Vidi that should work hand in hand with the broadcast flag that
is soon to be introduced on US TV broadcasts.
|
6/7 |
DGMPGDec 1.0.11 fixes freezing when going to the last frame and
stepping back and only uses the first 113 MB for raw PID detection.
mp4UI 1.0 RC1 can export MP2/MP3 audio files, can add encoder info
to MPEG-4 video tracks and fixes a couple of bugs.
|
6/6 |
AutoGK
1.30 no longer handles IFO files as many people would use unsupported
tools that would lead to problems down the road, it supports DGMPGDec
1.0.9, takes video type and aspect ratio directly from the .D2v
file, can open MPEG-2 files directly (VOB, PS and ES streams), can
process all subtitles (in external subtitle mode only) and there
are a couple of bugfixes as well (full changelog here)
BatchUpdateIFO
0.0.0.7a now supports commandline flags.
DGMPGDec 1.0.10 shows stream type in raw PID detection (audio,
video, subs, etc.), and the full PAT/PMT no longer has to be present
to demux AC3 audio.
|
6/5 |
Mpeg2Schnitt 0.6k has more ini options and has an extended cut
search.
Here's the RIAA's latest spin: if they can't buy their ways into
laws, why not fire
enough people and via that pressure on the government get their
laws passed? Today when I picked up a spindle of CD-Rs and a couple
of audio CDs I was once again musing why people buy less CDs. I've
never in my life bought a single compilation or best of CD, despite
owning roughly a 100 audio CDs. Imagine what CD burners did to the
people that used to buy such CDs. Why do you need a compilation
or best of CD that contains no, or just one new song if you can
create your own compilation/best of CDs using the CDs you already
have? I'd really like to hear the RIAA's reaction to that.
Ahead has managed to convince the first chipset maker to support
their NeroDigital codec suite. Upcoming Sigma
EM85xx chipsets will include NeroDigital support. However, the
85xx series isn't exactly Sigma's top of the line offering and players
based on their EM8620L chipset that can handle HDTV resolutions
in MPEG-2/4 and WMV9 will soon be available in the marketplace and
might set the new standard for "more than a simple DVD player"
devices.
|
6/4 |
DVD
Rebuilder 0.51c allows you to add code to the AviSynth scripts
the program uses and fixes a problem that could lead to all subtitles
being removed.
DVD Identifier 3.3
supports DVD+R DL & 16x DVD+R discs as well as DVD-RAM discs,
can look up additional information on discs online, has an improved
recording speed detect and can resolve 3 letter manufacturer codes
into full blown company names.
And all email addresses are back online :)
|
6/3 |
DGMPGDec 1.0.9 fixes hanging at the end of input streams, transport
parsing can be used via the commandline interface, DGIndex can detect
raw PIDs and allows to set the frame resolution.
Computex is an interesting exhibition if you're into recordable
DVDs. A lot of manufacturers are showing their dual
layer discs, and drives. Japanese site PC Watch has an interesting
article on both. The BenQ DW1650 sure looks interesting: SATA,
16x DVD±R, 8x DVD±RW and 4x DVD+R DL. Too bad it won't
be out until the 4th quarter of 2004.
The music industry is at it again: their latest plot is to slap
DRM onto regular audio CDs and restrict
your copying rights similar to DRM'd online music purchases.
Let's hope SunnComm won't come up with anything more effective than
their current system that you can bypass by simply pressing the
Shift button at the appropriate time.
It gets better though: VeriTouch's iVue player could be a possible
DRM future. Not only do you have to deal with digital restriction
management, but your files actually get codec biometrically so only
you can watch them. Wow, I most certainly want to have my thumbprint
taken each time I listen to a song. I suggest an alternative (patent
pending of course): the Doom9 BrainChip. Why bother with DRM? Every
human being is implanted a BrainChip, which through ubiquitous wireless
connection keeps track of each song you listen to, play on an instrument,
hum, think about, etc. Each time the chip records any of those actions,
your bank account will be debited. Similarly, the chip can be made
MPAA friendly and do the same thing for movies, and BSA friendly
for the software industry. How about that?
Last but not least, Microsoft is previewing their latest
Media Player generation. Imho, it doesn't stand a chance against
MPC and looks just as bloated as every MS Media Player since v7.0.
|
6/2 |
DGMPGDec 1.0.7 contains error checking and graceful termination
code for incomplete last frames. It should no longer crash VirtualDub
on exit.
And here's yet another self-destructing DVD system: DVD-D,
just like EZ-D, self destructs after a few hours once you've opened
the shrink wrap. For now they're selling discs that become unreadable
after 8 hours. Well, I guess that still leaves you enough time to
rip the disc, does it not? But EZ-D has not exactly been a success
and the whole ideas is quite environmentally unfriendly.
At Computex, BenQ has officially announced the first 16x DVD burner.
The DW1600 writes DVD+R/W at 16x/4x, DVD+R DL at 2.4x and DVD-R/W
at 8x/4x. The drive will start shipping in the middle of June.
Computex was also an interesting day for other computer hardware:
AMD launched their socket
939 Athlon 64's, finally catching up to Intel in the "outrageous
pricing" department, NVIDIA
and ATI
are promoting their PCI Express offerings (with the proper chipsets
and mainboard just being weeks away), and a lot of manufacturers
are showing Intels upcoming chipset generation that features PCI
Express, and high definition 7.1 audio besides the usual USB2, SATA
RAID and Gigabit Ethernet. I guess PCs will be HD audio capable
before standalone players after all. For a good overview of what's
going on at Computex, check Anandtech's
early bird coverage.
And before you wonder when I'm gonna change the name of this site
to Doom9's PC hardware place, don't worry. But you'll need fast
CPUs and chipset to backup DVDs, process digital TV streams and
your holiday videos, and fast graphics card to play Doom3 (don't
tell me you come here and don't like Doom ;)
Last but not least, the US government has been busy exporting the
DMCA to central America: The signing of the US - Central American
Free Trade Agreement marks THE low point in the history of copyright
law in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Welcome to a brave new world..
P.S. an update on the mail situation: the usual publicly known
email addresses should be functional again as long as you stick
to the addresses mentioned in the contact page (not the ones you
got an answer from!). But for now there's only incoming email, not
outgoing.
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6/1 |
ZoomPlayer
4.0 RC2 can play DRM protected WMV files (requires the ZoomPlayer
WMV Professional version), automatically selects audio and subtitle
streams by country code and text names, supports the VMR7 renderer,
has improved support for external audio tracks and a better customized
media mode. You can find the full changelog here.
MPEG2Schnitt 0.6j supports commandline parameters, supports drag
and drop operations, can automatically be shut down after cutting,
supports setting a fixed bitrate header, supports more chapter file
formats and it can create DVD2AVI project files.
ScenAid RC3
now includes Scenarist automation, integrates with BatchCCEWS, can
fix audio assets so that they match the length of the video, and
ScenAid can now graphically display the layout of IFO files.
DVD
Rebuilder 0.51b fixes a couple of errors in CCE's one pass mode
and now uses the proper maximum bitrate even for interlaced PAL
content.
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5/31 |
Last month's news can be found here.
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