Affordable DVD copy protection? at DVinfo.net

Brian Farris · October 6th, 2005, 02:41 PM

I work for a small video production place in town and we want to be able to protect the DVD's we make in DVD Studio Pro. I've read that it is impossible to copy protect DVD-R's, so the next step seems to be to send it to a DVD duplication company that supports copy protection. This seems expensive, and unnessesary, considering that occasionally, we would only need to produce 3 or less copies of the DVD.

By affordable, I mean a permanent solution less than $10,000 or to be able to produce a DVD for less than $5-$6 each.

Thanks.

Christopher Lefchik · October 6th, 2005, 03:32 PM

In this day and age of software easily obtainable for free on the Internet that will crack DVD copy protection without breaking a sweat, I don't know if it would really be worth the money to invest in such a solution, if there is even one available in your price range. If your viewers want to copy your DVDs, they will be able to do it, even with copy protection.

John DeLuca · October 6th, 2005, 03:41 PM

You can't copy a double layer disk if you have a single layer burner. Most people dont have them, and since HD DVD/blueray burners are around the corner it's likely people wont invest in outdated double layer dvd technology.

John

Kyle Ringin · October 6th, 2005, 04:50 PM

People have been using the above mentioned free software to copy commercial dual layer dvds to single layer dvd-r's for ages. All dvd drives will read dual layer discs.

Copy protection does make it harder for people to copy your work - they have to know what they are doing and have the right software. If there is no copy protection at all you can just copy the disc like any data dvd you've burnt, ie open Nero->disc copy->burn.

This kind of copy protection is extremely expensive and frankly I don't think there is a solution to your problem, let alone a cost effective one. I don't think there is much you can do to protect yourself from this - the major studios spend millions on it and they still can't stop it.

Cheers,
Kyle

Christopher Lefchik · October 6th, 2005, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John DeLuca

You can't copy a double layer disk if you have a single layer burner. Most people dont have them

Actually, you can copy a double layer disk with a single layer burner, you just can't write the image back if it is larger than 4.7 GB. Even then, there is free software that can recompress the video to make it fit a single layer DVD.

I don't know what percentage of computer uses have double layer DVD burners, but they are certainly dirt cheap now days. You can get one on NewEgg for $37. At that price I imagine most DVD burners included on new computers are double layer capable.

The sad fact is, people who want to copy our DVDs can do it fairly easily, so long as they are willing to invest a little time and effort in locating the software and learning how to use it. Copy protection just means that commercial CD/DVD software (Nero, Easy Media Creator) won't copy it, but it has no effect on the other free software easily obtainable on the Internet.

Matt Howell · October 7th, 2005, 07:59 AM

Copy protecting DVD's is a complete waste of time and lots of money. You can accomplish the same thing with your money by making a "donation" to the copy protection company, setting it on fire, or flushing it down a toilet.

Anyone who wants to copy a DVD can do so easily with a tiny 1mb free program and normal burning software. Commercial DVD's sometimes deviate from the DVD standard with intentional DVD authoring errors, unreadable sectors, etc. Even these tactics are not working against currently maintained copy programs. I expect the High Definition DVD formats to come will be locked down tighter than an NSA blackops server personnel list. "No more fair use for you".

Giroud Francois · October 7th, 2005, 12:00 PM

microsoft has done a nice job with DRM (digital rights management), so you can produce a CD or DVD containing a .wmv ou .avi file that you can freely copy. The problem is when you try to play it, you are asked for the license and if you do not get it it stops
This is not really a protection against copy, but it can defeat the proliferation of a video, since playing it becomes a lot more difficult.
DRM tools are free and almost easy to implement.

October 6th, 2005, 02:41 PM	#1
Brian Farris Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 99	Affordable DVD copy protection? I work for a small video production place in town and we want to be able to protect the DVD's we make in DVD Studio Pro. I've read that it is impossible to copy protect DVD-R's, so the next step seems to be to send it to a DVD duplication company that supports copy protection. This seems expensive, and unnessesary, considering that occasionally, we would only need to produce 3 or less copies of the DVD. By affordable, I mean a permanent solution less than $10,000 or to be able to produce a DVD for less than $5-$6 each. Thanks.

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October 6th, 2005, 03:32 PM	#2
Christopher Lefchik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: US Posts: 1,152	In this day and age of software easily obtainable for free on the Internet that will crack DVD copy protection without breaking a sweat, I don't know if it would really be worth the money to invest in such a solution, if there is even one available in your price range. If your viewers want to copy your DVDs, they will be able to do it, even with copy protection.

October 6th, 2005, 03:41 PM	#3
John DeLuca Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Akron, Ohio Posts: 496	You can't copy a double layer disk if you have a single layer burner. Most people dont have them, and since HD DVD/blueray burners are around the corner it's likely people wont invest in outdated double layer dvd technology. John

October 6th, 2005, 04:50 PM	#4
Kyle Ringin Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 241	People have been using the above mentioned free software to copy commercial dual layer dvds to single layer dvd-r's for ages. All dvd drives will read dual layer discs. Copy protection does make it harder for people to copy your work - they have to know what they are doing and have the right software. If there is no copy protection at all you can just copy the disc like any data dvd you've burnt, ie open Nero->disc copy->burn. This kind of copy protection is extremely expensive and frankly I don't think there is a solution to your problem, let alone a cost effective one. I don't think there is much you can do to protect yourself from this - the major studios spend millions on it and they still can't stop it. Cheers, Kyle

October 7th, 2005, 07:59 AM	#6
Matt Howell Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: Raleigh, N.C. Posts: 26	Copy protecting DVD's is a complete waste of time and lots of money. You can accomplish the same thing with your money by making a "donation" to the copy protection company, setting it on fire, or flushing it down a toilet. Anyone who wants to copy a DVD can do so easily with a tiny 1mb free program and normal burning software. Commercial DVD's sometimes deviate from the DVD standard with intentional DVD authoring errors, unreadable sectors, etc. Even these tactics are not working against currently maintained copy programs. I expect the High Definition DVD formats to come will be locked down tighter than an NSA blackops server personnel list. "No more fair use for you".

October 7th, 2005, 12:00 PM	#7
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	microsoft has done a nice job with DRM (digital rights management), so you can produce a CD or DVD containing a .wmv ou .avi file that you can freely copy. The problem is when you try to play it, you are asked for the license and if you do not get it it stops This is not really a protection against copy, but it can defeat the proliferation of a video, since playing it becomes a lot more difficult. DRM tools are free and almost easy to implement.