DRM on microsofts WMV format was hard to circumvent but its has been done. Just love (evil grin) when my copy of FairUse4WM strips the encryption on a movie I downloaded

“If it works, it can be reverse-engineered”

>> “tag id# that is integrated into every frame of a movie and is irremovable”

You mean like raster images with embedded watermarks that are supposedly impossible to remove? Programs are now available (and widespread) that “perfectly” remove those watermarks, by intelligently identifying surrounding pixels and image trends.

As for satellite tv and phone connections… I have satellite tv and no phone connection. The only reason they “want” (not need) you to have one is for the impulse purchases at Pay-Per-View pricing ($50 for a boxing match?). I have a cellphone, and that’s all I need – which is how everyone will be in the future (bring on the Gphone).

I’ll also add my support to the argument that purchased DVD’s, boxes, and bonus features are better than rips of movies… I’m just more selective, and less disappointed than I used to be, because I don’t pay money for tripe anymore.

Kudos to ‘real’ posters on this site… they’ve helped me avoid the tripe too.

How would they ensure that the meta tag is irremovable? Isn’t that the real trick?

The other issue is that consumers are smarter than media companies give them credit for. When Circuit City tried to push Divx on everyone nobody was buying. People are going to be very cautious when it comes to having to hook up your dishwasher or refrigerator to the internet. A lot of people are not using Satellite TV because of the extra phone connection required to the receiver unit. In the future houses will be built with telephone or network cables everywhere, but, most old houses don’t have network wires next to the cable jack and so on.

If it’s digital it’s not safe.

For example in the future when IPv6 is widely implemented and all of the appliances in your home have an IP address and are connected to the internet a media player that cross references a meta tag id# that is integrated into every frame of a movie and is irremovable. It could report the serial# of the media player, the IP address of the LAN, and the meta tag id# and cross reference it with an online database. Once the database has say 100 hits from the same meta tag id# but a different serial# from the media player it could remotely send a “do not play” and either coaster the disc or just refuse to play it once the central database has marked it as a “shared” (and therefore unauthorized) copy of the media.

This honestly is the next logical step in DRM, and is basically the technology that Dish network (or other satellite providers) use to catch some of the service thiefs; all that they have to require is that you maintain an internet connection to use their service and the rest is simple.

So basically the answer is no, nothing is “uncrackable” as far as media goes because it is intended to be viewed in an unencrypted form. However the goal of the entertainment industry is to get as many “white hats” (legit people) as possible and to make it harder and harder to view their property through “black hat” (illegal) means; although it will always be possible.

Me personally i like to stand squarely in neutrality and wear the “grey hat”. I have no qualms with downloading and watching illegal material, but when i find something that i really like i will support it. For example: The Orange box, Transformers HD DVD, the 300 BluRay, etc. I don’t think that karma will bite me in the ass for watching “The Game Plan Telesync” and then deleting it, i mean seriously Hollywood expects me to PAY money to watch that garbage ? LOL i was about to send Disney a f*cking bill for my time for watching that garbage.

1) ..people will continue to pirate material.

2) ..countereasures to any DRM *WILL* be developed.

3) ..it`s their job to make this a difficult as possible.

…in a few months or so someone will develop BD+2a RC1 or something similar and the Hackers will be put to work again and the whole cycle will start again.

All media companies are working toward a busisness model and set of goals that they want. “We”, here are all working towards a business model and set of goals we want. Thiers is to make money and ours is to not pay for stuff.

Let`s get it right folk, we`re not poets, revolutionaries and heroes here we`re just folk who want stuff for FREE!

Apple Logic Pro is protected, well, by a serial number.

If you meant the older versions, probably if Apple had a bigger market share, or Logic was not stopped being made to Windows, it was cracked for sure.

Look at Cubase. It is hard but not impossible. Just crackers don’t have that much time and manpower to break protection; if AiR was paid full time by someone, I’m 100% positive Cubase4 was already cracked long ago.

As soon as buying what you want is cheaper than paying your internet provider, everyone will stop downloading. Quite simple…

And as Bloopie (#24) said, it feels nice to have something original too

Actually, assuming that “we all” know it’s a load of BS is very pretentious.

I would pay a reasonable price for anything I would really like to buy like some of these amazing Kubrick HD releases on here the past few days.

Fact is it always feels nicer to have an original copy with the case and Special Features and Director Commentary.
The sole reason I will not buy them is because they are overpriced.