Macrovision to stem DVD copy with RipGuard

RipGuard is the name of Macrovision's product aimed at stopping users from copying DVD discs. Macrovision says that studios are loosing about a Billion dollars each year, due to DVD piracy.

In their Press Release, they say: "Macrovision's goal in designing RipGuard DVD was to give studios back the majority of this lost revenue, quarter-over-quarter. RipGuard DVD does this by blocking ripping among the majority of real-world DeCSS ripper market share. Implemented today, RipGuard DVD gives studios back 97% of this lost revenue."

Basically, they have a two front war: Digital and Analog. One can copy the DVD by recording the analog signal with a camcorder for example, that's the "Analog hole". A more fancy way of copying is to digitally copy a perfect duplicate of a DVD: the "Digital hole". Macrovision claims to have plugged both. Most digital copy-protection schemes are cracked at some point in time, so I wonder how long this one will last. The Analog protection has been there for a while, and its weakness is that it relies on DVD player manufacturers to implement it. While most have it, a lot also have a way of de-activating it, opening the "analog hole". It's an endless fight.

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