Copy Protection Settled For First 4.7GB DVD-R Drives By Terence P. Keegan
Claiming that copy protection issues have been resolved (for now), DVD-R drive supplier Pioneer New Media Technologies told Replication News last month that it expected to have new 4.7GB DVD-R drives in hand for shipment by within days. Andy Parsons, Pioneerís Vice President of Product Development and Technical Support, stated that his company had reached an informal agreement last month with various motion picture studios that version 1.9 DVD-R drives meet the studios1 copy protection requirements. Specifically (and simply), DVD-R drives will not be able to copy CSS-encrypted titles--but Parsons was quick to add that the provision will be transparent to the recording of unencrypted titles, as well as the playback of discs. While there are no effects on already-announced 4.7GB media - to be supplied by such companies as Kodak and TDK in addition to Pioneer- Parsons noted that both media and drives will undergo further copy protection changes when version 2.0 of the DVD-R spec is ratified by the Forum (supposedly in the third quarter of this year). While information remains scant as to what new measures version 2.0 will entail, Parsons stated that there will be ""some changes"" to DVD-R drives and media, adding that Pioneer will ""try to make the changeover as painless as possible"" via upgrade programs when the company begins shipping version 2.0 drives and media (which could come as soon as this December). But recognizing that everyone is chopping at the bit for a 4.7GB unit, Parsons said Pioneer didn1t want to wait any longer. ""We want to do what we said we were going to do,"" he offered, stating that the arrival of 4.7GB recordables is ""good for the DVD format in general."" Source: Replication News