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Duplication thread, part 2
Re: the “Know what you’re duplicating” thread, but on a slightly different topic…
What experience(s) do any of you have with copy protecting DVD’s? How expensive are the various services and what do the minimum quantities have to be for it to be realistic? In the days of VHS it seemed to be around 1,000 or more copies before it made any sense at all.
Any vendors you recommend?
Also, do copy protection measures endanger which players/computers can handle the disks without problems?
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27 Replies
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Well, let me say that copy protection doesn’t work. I rip DVDs (ones I bought) to my iPod all the time for when I travel…copy protected movies too. Copy protection is easily thwartable, so I would say save your money.
Copy protection on music is easily thwartable too.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
BUT…I know that several clients might not know this and want that copy protection as added piece of mind. But really, the people who want to copy protect things will figure out how to get past it. A quick google search is all you need.
Sad really. Especially for those Event guys who shoot recitals and want to sell multiple copies. People always say “I’ll buy one and just copy it…”
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
We have never used copy protection on a VHS or DVD replication job. As is common knowledge, DVD-R cannot use copy protection – only replicated discs. Thus for small runs we are usually limited to DVD-R. And for larger runs, even if we do replication, the numbers are usually so large that every person who would ever want the DVD will get one.
Recently we have been getting requests for Thumb Drives, rather than DVD. While the cost per unit is slightly higher than a DVD with Amaray case, the obvious “green” appeal is the reason. No case, no slip art, no disc, no shrink wrap. However something weird happens during the data transfer to the chip. The data appears as a CD volume on a Windows desktop, separate from the available space on the chip, as a separate disk volume. I guess this is a form of copy protection. I have not determined if the data in the CD volume can be deleted. However on Mac OS the data is not always playable. This needs further investigation.
Mike Cohen
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[Mike Cohen] “The data appears as a CD volume on a Windows desktop, separate from the available space on the chip, as a separate disk volume.”
Very curious. Is the “DVD” being copied onto the flash drive as a disk image, or as a Video-TS folder?
Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
https://www.arniepix.com/ -
My core business is duplication and replication and I offer short-run DVD copy-protection. I am one of the few duplication services that I know of to offer this.
It is an encryption method called Rimage Video Protect (RVP) from Rimage Corporation. It is fairly expensive, but works pretty well. It requires Rimage Producer 7100 or 8100 equipment to use as well. I have a section on my website about it at https://www.mstproductions.com/services/cdanddvd/copy-protection.php. Im sure Rimage has more information about it as well on their site.
I won’t go into too much detail about it here for space sake, but if you read about it on my site I go into quite a bit of detail about how it works.
Of course, RVP, just like any copy-protection method, is not 100% secure, but it certainly offers far greater protection from ripping and copying than CSS or any other method I have seen.
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Nick, I just re-read your post. Sorry I did such a poor job of actually answering your questions!
I do not have a minimum quantity for copy-protection for DVD’s. I’m not sure about other vendors or how they handle this. As for cost, it is dependent on volume. Rimage licenses the RVP on a per disc basis and makes i a pain to get the dongles needed to activate the encryption. Perhaps thats why it works well? 🙂
I hope that helps……
Cheers!
Matt -
We had a really official sticker made that said “This program is protected by the Interpol Copy Protection System. We are not responsible for any damage to your VCR during any attempt to copy this program”.
Worked like a charm.
Macrovision had a minimum quantity and then ended up around a buck a copy to use. We could just run the signal through an MX-50 switcher and it stripped the Macrovision away.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
Matt
What would it take to get a sample disc? I have people ask about copy protection quite often, and I also get requests for closed captions on HDCAM feature films.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
Hi Nick,
Late last year, I subbed out a 2-disc DVD set replication job with CSS copy protection on both discs. My preferred vendor, Great Lakes Media Technology out of Mequon, Wisconsin, did a great job. I only paid for a “copy protection” set up and a minimal price-per-disc charge. There were no glass mastering costs.
Yes, this process is for replication/pressed discs (versus burned discs). I usually find the magic number of copies is usually 500 pieces in order to do this feasibly/economically.
The DVD masters had to be burned a “special way” in which my editor understood how to easily provide.
As far as people “breaking the code” to copy the discs… I figure the vast majority of people/consumers are using their “pre-installed” or demo/lite copy software, which cannot copy CSS protected discs. If they have software that can break the code and copy, there’s not much we can do about it, but then again, it will be a very small amount of people/consumers.
Bruce
Bruce Bennett
Bennett Marketing & Media Production, LLC -
That’s it. After the supervisor advice, this one has pushed me over the edge. I’m ready to place my advance order with Amazon.com for the “Book of Wargo-isms.” When does it come out, Steve?
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