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Sony Fixes Problems With New DVDs
Posted by
kdawson
on Wed Apr 18, 2007 03:43 AM
from the DRM-again dept.
from the DRM-again dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Following up on reports that DVDs for some Sony titles were causing problems, Video Business is reporting that Sony has fixed the copy-protection problem on recent DVD releases, and will provide replacement discs to customers. The problem was with the ARccOS DRM system. The company issued the following statement: 'Recently, an update that was installed on approximately 20 titles was found to cause an incompatibility issue with a very small number of DVD players (Sony has received complaints on less than one thousandth of one percent of affected discs shipped)... Since then, the ARccOS system has once again been updated, and there are no longer any playability problems.' Customers can call 800-860-2878 to inquire about replacement discs."
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New Sony DVDs Not Working In Some Players 651 comments
An anonymous reader writes "It seems that the most recent DVDs released by Sony — specifically Stranger Than Fiction, Casino Royale, and The Pursuit of Happyness — have some kind of 'feature' that makes them unplayable on many DVD players. This doesn't appear to be covered by the major media yet, but this link to a discussion over at Amazon gives a flavor of the problems people are experiencing. A blogger called Sony and was told the problem is with the new copy protection scheme, and they do not intend to fix it. Sony says it's up to the manufacturers to update their hardware."
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So few complaints? (Score:5, Interesting)
*crosses fingers and hopes my maths is right*
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
If a DVD was not working, I would just bring it back to the shop, the second time I would exchange it for another DVD (not the same movie).
My 2 cents on what probably happened is that they did not count all the returns for these titles, they just counted the people who sent emails complaints or called their hot-line and who told specifically about the DRM problem so they could minimize the problem, which is alot better for them from a marketing point of view.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
There's another thing too. They seem to be talking about a large number of dvd's. Have they all actually been sold yet? I doubt it. I reckon there's some large scale behind the scenes recalls going on.
This is yet another PR blow for sony involving DRM, that makes how many? Well I don't know, if you include mp3 players its barking huge is it not.
So who was i
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
If a client of ours had failed to register their software, we would still process their claim but label it as an "external client." I never trust numbers anymore...
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Hey...maybe they're doing consumers a favor by not letting them watch said movie.
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I know that with CDs, crippled discs (with deliberate data errors to defeat computer copying) cannot carry the official CD digital audio logo.
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
DVD standards seem to be set in jello
Parent
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Informative)
CD standards are defined and policed by one organisation.
DVD standards are the product of a large collaboration between double-figures of large businesses originally, one of them being Sony themselves. There are now hundreds involved, and AFAICS there is no single group with the authority to take enforcement action is someone is abusing the "DVD" description.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Does anybody believe that Sony sold 10 million copies of Casino Royale? Personally, I have a hard time believing they even pressed 10 million copies of that.
This is like their inflated Blue-Ray numbers as well.
You can't trust what Sony says. They are a bunch of
learn to count (Score:5, Insightful)
Or one out of a hundred thousand. Your argument still stands, though.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:So few complaints? (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
A lot of companies wouldn't do? Just off the top of my head, I can think of two examples: When Back to the Future was released on DVD, the panning for the full screen version was messed up. The discs were recalled and re-released. People who purchased copies of it got a replacement. The Twilight Princess for the Wii had a bug in it that could cause a player to get stuck. Nintendo's now offering free replacements of the game. I'd bet that if I hopped on Google, I'd find more examples of that. But is that really the issue? I don't think so. They twiddled with copy restriction, which in reality has a harder effect on legit users than pirates, and some of their own players couldn't even handle it. Then they went on to claim there were dizzyingly few complaints about it. Bit the bullet? They're still using the scheme and claiming virtually nobody was really affected.
"Is everybody just so firmly strapped to the Anti-Sony bandwagon that it's impossible for anything sony does to be met with anything but derision and petty insults?"
*Sigh* Anti-Sony bandwagon. I love it. Sony racks up numerous complaints over the course of a year, but really it's just a fad. Right? You would think with all the bad PR, especially surrounding copy restriction, they'd pull back a bit. Instead they just keep getting into mischief. Yet there's always somebody who says "I don't understand, so you must be some group of crazy people." Whatever. The next time you stay up late one night pondering Sony's predicament, at least try to give everybody a little credit and assume they weren't born with S0N3 SUXX0Rs tattooed to their forehead.
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
But who complains to the publishers? I tried to find a number or email address ro anything to complain about the stupid anti-piracy ad at the start of DVDs but the contact details are pretty hard to find (Which is strange. I'd have thought they'd like to know when they're irrritating their customers). It's a lot easier to just take it back to the shop.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
They might have shipped 100gazillian disks but if they are sat in a distribution warehouse in each respective country then that could explain the difference.
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Interesting)
This will make them see light of day.
Parent
I got a more reliable fix for such problems... (Score:2, Insightful)
I have the solution! (Score:5, Insightful)
Have a great day Sony.
Re:I have the solution! (Score:5, Funny)
Don't download the ISO though, otherwise you'll be straight back to square one...
Parent
Sony... (Score:4, Funny)
Contradiction? (Score:2, Interesting)
So, the update consisted of removing the DRM? Not even Sony can deny that the soul point of DRM is to create playability problems...
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Contradiction? (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Contradiction? (Score:5, Interesting)
As a fan of "The Simpsons" who buys the series boxed sets when they're released, I emailed Fox about the logic of putting their "Piracy Is A Crime" video at the front of every DVD (a video which is impossible to skip through) when the first thing any pirate will do is remove that same video on any copied disks.
I also told Fox that I considered it fair use to rip those DVDs to AVI format to store and watch on my media PC and that the anti-piracy video was contrary to what I bought that product for - namely the ability to use the "Digital Versatile Disk" format as and when I chose to watch Simpsons episodes, without having that blasted video popping up every time.
That was over a year ago and despite two follow-up emails, I have never even got any acknowledgements from them, let alone a reply.
Parent
PGCEDIT (Score:3, Informative)
I wouldn't be too sure... (Score:5, Informative)
Look at the way their DRM [wikipedia.org] currently works:
Which really, really makes me wonder exactly what players it was intended to kill...
I think I've seen these before, incidentally. But it seems that the whole point is to fuck up their disks exactly enough that they won't play on certain players (God knows which ones, if mplayer can play it), but not enough that they won't play on real players. Thus, it's based not at all on actual standards (like CSS), and entirely on existing DVD players.
They could be calling it an "update" meaning an actual removal, as a marketspeak word. Or it could really be an update, basically figuring out exactly how the cheap DVD players play discs, and making these DVDs playable in that, but still a PITA for something like dd.
Parent
Cynical? (Score:2, Insightful)
If the disc plays... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm not quite sure what the improved DRM does to protect them. Maybe it means that if someone does a bit-for-bit copy it isn't going to work or something but cracking these is so easy I'd be surprised if anyone does that. Most of the pirate DVDs I've seen are either cheap DVD-R copies, or are so well presented that the extra work of decrypting them would be trivial.
Re:If the disc plays... (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
It must suck to be a DRM engineer (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Most DRM technology providers so far were clueless idiots capitalizing on the greed of the media companies.
Granted AACS is actually well designed (but due to implementation flaws and nature of DRM, not perfect), but everything else I've inspected is just hack upon hack creating the illusion of
I have a simpler fix..... (Score:5, Insightful)
One lesson here: Vote with your Wallet and don't give your money to prick companies.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
It's not a case of "forgive and forget" - far too many people are too damned lazy to keep themselves well informed which is precisely what the DRM-supporting corporations are banking on to get DRM in quietly through the back door.
Re:I have a simpler fix..... (Score:5, Insightful)
And what else should I be keeping myself informed about? The latest proposed abuses of drivers to extort more money, and the latest stupid "pro-cycling" legislation that makes cycling more dangerous? The relative morality of the food sourcing policies of the four major supermarket brands with stores near my home? The levels of customer service of my ISP and telephone company? The details of the different extortionate charges levied by all the banks with branches in my city?
There are two big problems with your argument. Firstly, no consumer has the time and experience to know about everything. Secondly, even if they did, since it's common for most or all of the big name businesses to cut the same corners in the name of increasing profits while keeping competitive prices, while the smaller or more ethical businesses can't compete on price and are essentially a niche market for dedicated "ethical consumers".
This is why a completely free market is often not a good idea, and government should intervene with regulation/legislation where markets fail to act appropriately without such incentives. No-one else has the time and resources to monitor diverse consumer markets and keep the big boys in line.
Parent
Re:I have a simpler fix..... (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
You can say a lot about Sony (Score:4, Insightful)
On the other hand, this fix would not have been necessary, had they not used DRM in the first place.
And it doesn't leave the fact, that I'm still not buying anything that Sony makes.
Re:You can say a lot about Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
Therein is the reasoning that still eludes Sony, even after this event and the rootkit. When the security feature is designed to guard against the customers, and the real security threat can get around the security feature anyway, then we're all wasting time and money. Sony is probably still looking at this as a PR issue, rather than as a bad security and technology decision.
Awaiting arrival of clue ... error: clue still absent.
Parent
ARCcOS DRM? (Score:5, Insightful)
Think about this (Score:2, Informative)
Vote with your
Sorry seems to be the hardest word (Score:3, Insightful)
Sony's PR department really don't seem to understand that they have a monumental image problem. A bit of humility in their press releases could have won back some respect for free, but instead they sent out something that reeks of arrogance.
Re:Sorry seems to be the hardest word (Score:4, Insightful)
Many Slashdot posters really don't seem to understand that most consumers don't care about DRM and company image. They just want to watch Casino Royale or whatever, and as long as it works, they'll be happy.
Sony, however, do understand this, which is why they keep trying this sort of crap without much fear of the consequences. Until DRM becomes a high-profile issue with the general public (which basically means until the majority have been directly and adversely affected by it) Sony's PR department probably don't much care.
Of course, when DRM does become socially unacceptable, which may finally start to happen as a result of the major changes in the on-line music market over the past few days, Sony's history of abuse may well become a PR headache for them. But it's rare for any corporate PR group to think that far ahead, because often consumers just forget or don't care enough by the time the issue comes up.
Parent
Are Sony people morons ? (Score:2)
At this rate, sony is going to be the first mega corp to bite the dust out of arrogance.
SONY: Time to take your medication (Score:4, Informative)
Customers ordered to only watch movies in cinemas.
"Recently, an update that was installed on approximately 20 titles was found to cause an incompatibility issue with a very small number of DVD players"
"(Sony has received complaints on less than one thousandth of one percent of affected discs shipped)..."
We've put this sentence to you in brackets as subtle acknowledgment that this a lie. Our public relations disaster recovery team wanted to use a
"Since then, the ARccOS system has once again been updated, and there are no longer any playability problems.'
'Or else!' sneered the SONY spokesliar, shaking his fist and the audience,
" Customers can call 800-860-2878 to inquire about replacement discs."
Customers can also call the same number for replacement rootkits.
War is peace. Ignorance is strength. Freedom is slavery. SONY are a respectable and much-loved corporate citizen.
Could SONY be any more unpopular? Why don't they branch out into genocide and sell ballistic missiles to North Korea?
I can honestly say it wouldn't hurt their stock price.
They should dig up Morita-san and prop him up at the boardroom table. He couldn't do a worse job that Howard "Eat your damn Rootkit and love it" Stringer
Warning Label (Score:5, Funny)
No, Sony has the math right (Score:4, Insightful)
They sold 200,000 discs. Complaint #1 was from Wal-Mart, and #2 was from Best Buy.
You didn't really think they include what consumers think in any of their decisions, do you?
Great attitude... (Score:3, Interesting)
Sony global boycott (Score:2, Insightful)
After the PS2 class action, the rootkit DRM fiasco, and now this DVD DRM fiasco, how many more times will it take for the public to wake up and realize they have ALL of the power in this situation?
Check out http://defectivebydesign.org/ [defectivebydesign.org] for details on how DRM hurts consumers.
If you don't buy ANY of their stuff, including movies, you can't get hurt. The last Sony product I purchased was a movie ticket to a showing of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
As for Microsoft avoidance, that's what G