[plug] Open source DVD playback

[John Knight]

>All of the usual problems associated with closed source software,
>coupled with the anti-competitive side-effects on the content market.

This is what has me confused. Everyone is mentioning the 
anti-competitiveness of it all, does this mean that there are competing 
decryption standards and formats for DVD video?

I assume this is what you mean or otherwise it would be like saying that a 
browser released by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) would have 
anti-competitive side effects.

Otherwise if there is only one standard, which is released by the DVD 
consortium, where's the 'anti-competition' (to give it a term)? If the 
executable was released by THEM, which is FREE TO ALL and people can simply 
use the executable as a framework for their player (no licensing at all), 
what's bad about this?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be stubborn, I simply don't quite see 
what you mean.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>On Thu, 4 Oct 2001, John Knight wrote:
> > What I meant by 'release' is a publicly released executable that
> > can be used by anyone and is available freely. If there's only one way 
>to
> > playback DVDs (codewise) that are encrypted and we could get it freely 
>nad
> > base players around it, what's the problem
>
>All of the usual problems associated with closed source software,
>coupled with the anti-competitive side-effects on the content market.
>
> > If those in charge wouldn't want to release a free-to-public executable,
> > then they're smelly bastards, aren't they? ;)
>
>They are, but that's well-established.
>
>-Greg
>
>


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