DVDFab Decrypter 2.9.6.2 beta 3 supports the US release of War of the Worlds.

Here's one tidbit that has gone forgotten until now in the HD DVD war: BluRay discs are harder to make and cost more. Of course the BluRay camp claims that the actual price difference is yet to be determined and that whatever difficulties BluRay currently faces can be overcome, but as I previously pointed out, one of the reasons Sony needs BluRay is that they're going to use the old MPEG-2 standard for their HD movies, rather than the more space effective MPEG-4 AVC or VC-1, which require less capacity.

Where is DRM headed after the Sony fiasco? Businessweek points out a steep drop in sales for the affected CDs - and thus artists - and that this time not only a few concerned usergroups, but even musicians are growing concerned with what the record studios do in the name of "protecting the artists".

VideoLan 0.84 has improved DVB support, supports the Musepack audio codec, includes various streaming improvements and fixes a bunch of bugs.

With iTunes making the top 10 music retailers for the first time, is anybody really surprised why the music industry wants to significantly increase the price of online music?

As if the EU ministers weren't going big brother enough with the proposed data retention directive, now the content industry is stepping in and wants to access to the data the EU wants to gather. So, now we not only have our own ministers wanting to keep tabs on us at all times (does anybody remember East Germany, the Soviet Union, etc.? they kept tabs on all of their citizens as well, and that kind of overbroad invasion of privacy is unfitting for any democratic and free country), now the entertainment industry wants to get in as well. So, all those claiming that the data gathered will only be available to government agencies and won't be abused, do you smell the bacon now? The changes to give the entertainment industry access to data they should never have access to, will be on December 13th, so start writing letters and calling your representatives now, before it is too late. And keep in mind, the same industry that wants to put you in jail, is violating copyrights of their own if it fits their purposes (Sony's DRM), but do you really think any of the data gathered could be used against powerful industry conglomerates?

Media Player Classic 6.4.8.7 is out, again without a changelog.

Haali's latest Media Splitter contains some improvements in the Matroska muxer, contains a shell extension to display information in Windows Explorer and there are some improvements in the OGM parser.

After all the fuss Macrovision made about their RipGuard technology, the first DVD to make use of it, Dreamworks' Madagascar, can still be ripped without hassle.

Last but not least, is this where P2P is heading, with search filters being placed in Kazaa. How long will it take until terms like DVD Decrypter, DVD Shrink, etc. will be outlawed as well? Then do the same for search engines, and ban the use of "Doom9" in google?

The Core Pocket Media Player 0.71 has enhanced podcast and H.264 support, is available as a regular Windows version along with Windows Mobile and Palm OS versions, supports H.263 and Speex, has a faster MP3 decoder and improved HTTP handling.

ProgDVB 4.62.5 comes with an updated SkyStar2 module and fixes a couple of bugs.

HDTV2MPEG 1.11.77 fixes a bug that would prevent you from typing letters in the output and extension boxes.

I've previously reported on companies abusing the DMCA for their own ends (other than the media industry, which crafted the legislation for their own purposes). Now there's a study looking at a large number of DMCA takedown notices, and one of the findings is that a large number of those takedown notices are questionable, if not outright fraudulent. That should come as a wakeup call to those that claimed the overbroad legislation wouldn't be abused for unintended purposes.

DVDFab Decrypter 2.9.6.0 fixes freezes with certain ARccOS titles introduced in the previous release.

It doesn't end with the recall: the Texas Attorney General has filed a civil lawsuit against Sony for violation of the Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act.

The RIAA is getting their ridiculously high prices for songs after all. The first music store for cellphones, powered by Sprint, charges $2.49 per song. The Wall Street Journal seems to think this is a giant mistake and that it'll never work out that way. The music industry is hoping that since people pay ridiculous amounts for ringtones (yes, there are people like that and as an owner of a cellphone that plays MP3 and AAC files, and owner of a Roland SB16 midi daughterboard I'm dumbstruck why anybody pays anything for ringtones).

HDTVtoMPEG2 1.11.76 allows disabling TRI file creation, has new commercial scanning code, uses the first stream with a horizontal size of larger or equal than 1280 pixels as the default channel, outputs transport streams by default and fixes a few bugs.

MyTheatre 3.33.3 should use less CPU power for IVR frame synchronization and fixes a few bugs.

What does the RIAA think of the Sony DRM debacle? Would it surprise you to hear the RIAA chief to say Sony did nothing wrong? Well, here's where you go wrong: if you ever get into town, I'll be happy to show you just how easily you can make a copy of ordinary software. Even with copy protected games, there's no malware that violates copyright, spies on you and exposes your computer to security risks. And here's another thought: suppose for a second we accept what the RIAA is trying to make us believe, that they're really losing money for each song downloaded, regardless of whether the person in question would've bought the CD if the song wasn't available free of charge. So, all those billions they claim for themselves go to them. People won't magically have more money to spend, so they'll have to save some money elsewhere. Can you hear the MPAA and BSA clamoring about movie and software piracy because now that the RIAA is getting what they think they should, other organizations will get less? The pie is only so large..

Last but not least, last Saturday, UK's Guardian has an interesting take on where copyright law has taken us.

DGMPGDec 1.4.6 beta 2 increases the maximum number of input files to 512 and contains bugfixes in DGDecode and DGVfapi.

While I was busy with other matters, Sharktooth was so kind as to fix a few GUI related bugs in MeGUI. You can get the latest version here.

AVI Mux GUI 1.17.4 supports header stripping, as well as SimpleBlocks for Matroska files and fixes a few bugs.

An interesting tidbit from the latest meeting of the DVD forum: It is yet to be decided if the upcoming HD DVD format will use region coding or not. A specially established subcommittee will look into the merits of region coding, but I wouldn't expect too much from it, after all, region codes are a nice way to keep a global market segmented.

With a number of discs already available for demonstration, the HD DVD camp has the lead over BluRay when it comes to having content ready. Now Sony has completed the first feature length disc and set it out for player testing. I wouldn't mention this except for the fact that the disc uses MPEG-2 compression. So, no wonder the BluRay camp is singing praise on the larger capacity of their format, if they're going to use the most space wasting compression format, when you could use MPEG-4 AVC at DVD like bitrates and get the same quality...

DVDFab Decrypter 2.9.5.8 can handle the US version of Madagascar (yet another disc made corrupt in an attempt to stop you from making use of your Fair Use rights).

Windows Media Encoder x64 edition is Microsoft's new 64 bit encoder. On top of what the previously known WME9 offers, the 64 bit edition also includes the specs compliant VC-1 codec and has a DRM tool (do I hear you say 'doh').

In yet another example of how yesterday's biggest enemy and downfall of the industry turns out to work to the advantage of the industry, NBC is beginning to offer on-demand movies that are distributed via P2P. In the end, it's always the same: a new technology emerges. The entertainment industry feels threatened, screams bloody murder, paints doom scenarios, finally embraces the technology and makes a ton of money with it.

The Sony - NEC disc unit merger may bring Sony into the HD DVD camp. A Sony spokesperson told eWeek that the merged unit could sell both Blu-Ray and 'the other format'.

Finally, if you're worried that you might be affected by the Sony DRM rootkit, here's a list of all CDs that contain this malware.

Rejig 0.5f contains the latest update of the new transcoding engine, has a redesigned IFO mode window and includes some tweaks in the old engine as well.

DVD2One 2.0.1 allows the selection of the maximum burning speed, has an improved DVD writer detection, contains some small internal improvements and fixes a problem with audio track selection in full disc copy mode.

Sony and NEC are merging their optical drive business. It will be interesting to see what kind of influence this has on the HD DVD battle as both partners are in opposing camps.

And speaking of that battle, another one of Blu-Ray's PC backers is speaking out for managed copy and HD DVD's interactive feature format iHD: HP. And HP's Blu-Ray partners are apparently willing to concede in the managed copy part but want to stick to the Java based interactivity featureset.

In what might just be a move to put even more pressure on Apple to abandon the "one price fits all" scheme for iTunes, EMI is going on record stating that it expects the iTunes pricing scheme to change within a year. The labels want more money for popular songs. Interestingly though, where I shop (not music but that's beside the point), they sell popular items (be it CDs, DVDs or games) for a lower price - at least in the first few weeks after a product is first introduced. So, is the music industry trying to reap even more outrageous profits from online music?

Last but not least, there appears to be more and more information that Sony's rootkit DRM is also violating copyright law, specifically the (L)GPL. Check this and this site for more info.

HC 016 fixes playback issues on Pioneer players, fixes pulldown problems and allows pulldown for PAL and NTSC GOP lengths, replaces the autoq2 matrix with two new ones and the 1 pass CQ_MAXBITRATE run should result in better prediction. Currently, only the commandline encoder is available, there will be an updated GUI in the near future.

PgcEdit 0.6.2 beta 1 contains some enhancements in the PGC editor and fixes a few bugs.

The new DivX Radium player includes burning functionality (what that does in a player is beyond me), as well as download and media management.

In what may just be a move to put more pressure on the Blu-Ray camp to cave in on the excessive copy protection issues, Microsoft has announced that their upcoming Windows Vista will support HD DVD, or may shortly after its release and that there are technical difficulties when it comes to Blu-Ray and Vista. But with about a year from its release, many things can still change.

Daemon Tools 4.0 is a major redesign of the freeware CD/DVD drive and copy protection emulator. Beware though and make sure you uncheck the adware when installing.

MPEG2Schnitt has been updated many times since the latest official release. Version 0.7.10 fixes many bugs, contains many improvements in handling and GUI and allows copying and pasting of cut points.

MyTheatre 3.33 allows the tuning of the channel scanning process, supports full DiSEqC with the WinTV Nova series cards, MTRemote supports the remote controls of the Nova 88x series, the OSD EPG shows channel numbers and the BDA driver for the Twinhan StarBox is supported on USB 1.1 as well.

Under public pressure, Sony is now pulling CDs with their rootkit DRM software from the shelves. Those that already have the malware installed, should stay away from Sony's removal software, which opens additional security holes, and instead use an up-to-date virus scanner. Even Microsoft plans to enter the DRM removal business. Could we get that removal software with a MS DRM-10 option as well please?

Last but not least, in the current big brother climate, the UK police are already planning for the next best thing: forget about putting cameras in all places, here comes pervasive vehicle tracking. Driving a bit too fast, crossing a red light? Gotcha. How about we combine that with a GPS chip so we know when you're parking where you're not supposed to, and driving across lines you're not supposed to cross and automatically deduct it from your bank account? And why not put a microphone in every car as well, with an uplink to RIAA central so they can sue you the minute you're playing a song that is only licensed for your PC and not your car.

Haali's latest Media Splitter now supports packet bitstream streams with multiple b-frames as input to the muxer, reads more tags from AVI, OGM and Matroska file and can display the muxer name as a rating tag.

TV shows as downloads seem to be catching on. Now Warner is making 100 classic TV shows available for download, even for free. The only drawback is a 1-2 minute commercial break per episode. The episodes themselves will be available on a closed P2P network to cut down the distribution costs.

Sony's DRM fiasco might also finally lead to some raised eyebrows over other DRM software that's playing in the same league. Suncomm's DRM cannot be properly removed and is installed even if you don't accept the EULA. Furthermore, it also phones home and there's no way to stop it from doing so.

YAMB 1.3.2 supports tracknames, tags, PAR and interleaving for the import settings and fixes a few bugs.

DVBPortal 1.6 allows the selection of your preferred audio track and sorting of your favorite channels, supports MCE extenders and includes a default channel database.

SubtitleCreator 1.9.2 allows resizing of the main window, has an edit window and an option to remove all line breaks that would result in the resulting subtitles not fitting in the subtitle window and fixes a few bugs.

Robot4Rip 0.6 supports automatic Force Film for DGIndex, a feature which was previously only available for the outdated DVD2AVI.

After all the bad press about Sony's DRM kit, they've now pulled the DRM software from any further releases. And those that have installed it, may want to think about uninstallation, as they've pretty much signed over their soul to Sony by agreeing to the a license agreement that strips you from pretty much every right you have when it comes to music. And sticking with the subject, there's actually a Mac part on the disc as well, and it installs two kernel extensions that certainly won't do you any good either. And even the US government is weighing into the debate now.

Last but not least, the entertainment industry has now made some allies in the government itself, as the Department of Justice is proposing a new bill, the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2005 (IPPA), which would impose heftier fines and even jail time for copyright infringement.

It didn't take long: The first Trojan to use Sony's DRM kit to hide itself from prying eyes is already on the loose. And Sony is facing a lawsuit over this in the US as well, with a second one already looming. And anti virus programs get updates that recognize this form of DRM as malware and remove it.

Meanwhile, other music studios are falling over themselves trying to point out that their DRM is safe and not evil. Well, guess what, no DRM is any good for paying customers so try again.

On the HD DVD front, MGM announced that it'll support Blu-Ray.

Last but not least, DRM is going PlayStation: Sony recently filed a patent over technology that would allow them to tie video games to the console it was first played on.

First there was iTunes, now CBS and NBC will begin selling TV shows outside their DVD offering as well. For $0.99, you can get a commercial free episode of some of the station's prime time offering if you're a subscriber of Comcast or DirecTV. What compression standard and what kind of recording rights you'll get for the price is still to be determined.

Tonight, the Champagne will be flowing at RIAA central as P2P providers Grokster, and South Korean operator Soribada have both closed their doors under legal pressure. Dare I ask who the RIAA will blame next for not making as much money as they think they should? Oh wait, of course, it's private copies. A bit back I came across a new item (unfortunately I no longer have the link), which was a industry supported study showing how much of a threat private copies are. Of course, they'll gladly take the levies we have to pay on blank media anyway..

Sony's DRM ends up in court in Italy as the Italian EFF is suing Sony for software that is alike to a virus.

Last but not least, if you want to join MeGUI development and need a free IDE, Microsoft is making their Visual Studio Express series available free of charge.

MeGUI 0.2.3.1c disables RDO for B-frames when no B-frames are used and won't let you move jobs beyond the edges of a queue anymore (this resulted in a crash before).

DVD2One 2.0 has a completely new GUI, has an improved compression engine supporting SMP as well as a "fast" mode to trade in quality for speed, writes images and burns them and it has an audio remaster functionality as well.

The latest Haali Media Splitter comes with an Ogg parser.

Last but not least an update on the Sony DRM story: Not only does it contain mechanisms similar to a rootkit that can compromise your system, it also phones home. While this is (supposedly) to load new content that may be available, it also gives Sony nice statistics when when and where a CD is being listened to.

ProjectX 0.90.2 can load a chapterpoint file from the commandline, speeds up audio decoding and normalization, sets the maximum bitrate to 9mbit when demuxing video streams, has a simple cut feature in the pidfilter and contains a few bugfixes.

I have previously reported on video decoding and encoding acceleration in GFX cards. So far, everything turned out to be a big disappointment in my book. A few days ago, ATI first sent out an encoding program making use of their latest generation of Radeon GFX accelerators. The numbers look impressive, but without any comparison as far as quality goes, I would advise against breaking out the Champagne just yet. Also, if the APIs rest proprietary, it is unlikely that many codecs will actually be able to make use of the acceleration a GFX card can provide.

In a few days, the world wide web turns 15. The Financial Times has an interesting article on its birthday and raises the question how the web would look like if it were conceived today.

MeGUI 0.2.3.1 supports x264's trellis and RDO for B-frames, support AVC levels, has an option to not open the progress window when a job starts, and fixes a few bugs.

ProgDVB 4.62.4 has an updated module for nexus cards and contains some changes in the DirectShow part.

DVD Rebuilder Free 0.96 performs a more aggressive detection and removal of layer breaks, should work more reliably with the output of DVDFab Decrypter, uses less CPU time, distributes the bits more accurately over the source, contains some improvements in the OPV code and fixes a few bugs.

In the Netherlands, you'll soon have to pay a hefty levy on MP3 players, to compensate artists for losses due to private copies. You see where this is going... losses due to private copies. In other words, they expect you to buy the music once for your MP3 player, once for your stereo, once for your car, bedroom, etc. But, since the music industry is also releasing more and more CDs (or pieces of plastic because they don't correspond to the audio CD specs and thus cannot have the CD logo) with copy protection mechanisms, we have a situation where people have to pay for what they cannot do - at least in the eyes of the industry which see circumvention of copy protection as something illegal. So, does that now mean that as a customer, in order to compensate for your losses (you pay for something you may not do), you can download music from a P2P network for the amount of the levies you paid?

ProgDVB 4.62.3 has been released (does anybody know where they publish their changelogs?)

HDTV2DVD 0.4 now also supports 4:3 input and has an improved progress bar.

In yet another piece of news on the upcoming DVD formats, the HD DVD camp seems to be encouraging Chinese manufacturers to produce HD DVD players. China currently turns out some of the cheapest DVD players and if the Chinese industry gets into the game at an early point, it could mean HD DVD hardware will quickly become cheap as well.

More on the HD copy protection madness: The HD DVD camp plans to put an audio watermark in theatrical releases and circuits into your HD DVD player that will recognize such a watermark. Consequently, if you manage to tape a movie in the theater despite night vision goggles and stiff prison sentences, your player won't play the recording or any HD DVD you make from it. But the best part is just about to come: they plan to also watermark regular HD DVD releases. Now imagine your camera running while a HD DVD is playing. You don't even need to record the movie, but then once you make a HD DVD from your DV tape, your player won't play it. Now we just need the onscreen menu to send a couple of bucks to the MPAA to unlock your home movie...

And this story about the MPAA suing a granddad because his grandson downloaded 4 movies (3 of which the kid's family already owns on DVD) contains some interesting math: the MPAA is asking for $600'000 and claims they're losing $5.4 billion a year. So, distributing that amount over $600'000 damages, there should be only 9000 people sharing movies worldwide, shouldn't there? Or, $150'000 per movie. I have no idea on how many movies are being downloaded a year, but if one is worth $150'000 that's only 36'000 copies. Assuming an average price of $23 per DVD, the MPAA would only make $828'000 if all those copies were legitimately bought. Then how would the make up the missing almost $4.5 billion? Or do those MPAA provided numbers simply don't make any sense?

MeGUI 0.2.2.9a allows you to configure a default profile for the one click mode, allows manually entering negative audio delays, contains auto force film code that is compatible with the latest DGDecode and fixes a GUI issue in the x264 configuration.

ProgDVB 4.62.2 has been optimized for intel's Pentium 4.

avi.NET 1.4 no longer uses RemoveGrain and contains sizing and autocrop parameters.

Nero 7 has finally been released to the web.

And they're trying again: next Thursday, the US Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property will hold a hearing on protecting content in the digital age. Topics of discussion will contain the infamous broadcast flag, high definition radio (how to make you stop from recording it), and locking down analogue equipment. The MPAA is going to present yet another law that we're better off without: the Analog Content Security Preservation Act. As if mandating Macrovision weren't enough, now they want every recording to contain DRM, watermarks and limit the number of copies you can make.

And the scary news just keeps coming in: Sony's latest "copy protection" on audio CDs actually installs a hidden service that you cannot get rid of anymore unless you're skilled with a kernel debugger. The process keeps eating away your CPU time even if no CD is in a drive, and the cloaking resembles a rootkit (that's a piece of hidden software giving other people access to your machine without you knowing about it). Bottom line: browse to shoutcast.com, listen to Internet radio and don't give Sony any more of your money. And thanks to all the concerned readers who forwarded me this link (I got quite a bit of mail yesterday).

Last but not least, we have both Fox and Warner opposing the introduction of any guaranteed copying mechanism into the Blu-Ray specs. Obviously, it's more profitable to sell you another copy each time a disc gets scratched (doesn't happen to you? wait until you have kids ;)....

Last month's news can be found here.