Last month we reported about the low-tech Print Screen solution to copying next-gen DVDs without having to touch the copy protection.
Well, of course someone has already claimed to have done it - shock horror - according to a German magazine. All it really takes is a bit of code, a fast computer that can handle the 2Mb frames at 30fps in real time without dropping any, a large hard drive, and then some syncing of the audio - easy!
It's been done with both HD DVD and Blu-ray drives, using the WinDVD software which recently achieved accreditation from both camps. WinDVD doesn't actually violate the AACS copy-protection system, presumably because PrintScreen is part of the overall operating system, not the DVD playing software itself.
It will be interesting to see if a similar feat will be possible on the Mac when next-gen drives are added on and work with OS X.
There'll surely be some outcry if software manufacturers start disabling OS functionality in a bid to protect content. Sure, I'm not advocating piracy, but it's akin to webmasters trying to disable right-clicking, or the back button, or disabling the View Source menu. It's not particularly difficult to crack, and just annoys regular users.
Anyway, there'll always be new ways to rip off content.
