DIGITAL DIGEST - http://www.digital-digest.com
DIGITAL DIGEST | LiveUpdate Newsletter - Issue 52
21 June, 2006

**************************************************************

TOP NEWS SUMMARY:

1. Introduction

2. News in Brief

3. History of ARccOS - Part 2

4. How to cancel/change your subscription email address/settings
- how to maintain the subscription to this newsletter even
if your email address has changed

5. A simple thank-you and some concluding words

*******************************************************

1. Introduction

In this issue, we have the second part of Jonathan's "History of
ARccOS" article, which details some current solutions to cracking
the ARccOS puzzle.

-- DVDGuy


*******************************************************

2. News in Brief

Analysts say the PC's will have a dramatic effect on who wins the HD
war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. However, most PC makers are refusing
to take sides.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60008.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apple has released a new version of the iPod. It is called the "U2"
version; U2 iPod customers will receive a coupon for $50 off the
purchase of "The Complete U2" available exclusively on the iTunes
Music Store

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60009.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The entertainment industry and Hollywood have had talks about a new
machine that will copy DVD's and TV shows for you on a DVD or other
device such as your iPod etc. These machines would be placed in well
known stores like Wal-Mart and are %100 legal.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60010.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you buy a PS3, you're actually getting a PS2 with it. Sony has
decided to include PS2 hardware inside your PS3.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60011.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
America's top rated browser, Mozilla Firefox has released a
software update. According to the Mozilla website, the update fixes
some security issues to provide you with a safer internet experience.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60012.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Windows Vista Beta 2 edition is now publicly available to download.
Will your PC run Vista smoothly though? Some say you need a high
end PC to fully take advantage of Vista's capabilities.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60013.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slysoft, the makers of the popular DVD backup driver has released a
new version. Any DVD 6 is now out and ready to download. It is now
sporting a new user interface as well as some other needed options.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60015.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Verbatim will be the first to sell 30GB dual layer HD DVD-R media.
This new media is supposed to have great compatibility with all
drives, stable read capacity, and have a very long life expectancy.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60016.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Microsoft has released Windows Genuine Advantage. This program will
automatically scan your PC every time you do a windows update to see
if you have a legitimate copy.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60018.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kingston has released their new Media Player. The Kingston K-PEX
(Kingston Portable Entertainment eXperience) comes in 1 and 2GB
models with a 4GB to follow late in the year.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60019.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, the RIAA can sue you if you have KaZaA installed on your PC.
Even if the files you have shared are legal obtained files.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60020.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Microsoft is still releasing security updates. June 13th they
released about a dozen security updates, in which some carrying the
highest risk rating of "critical".

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60021.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An honest review of Windows new operating system Vista. They say
installing the new OS was a piece of cake; however the rest was a
different story.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60022.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~

nVIDIA is now jumping on the HD band wagon by releasing PureVideo.
PureVideo delivers high definition video with minimal CPU load.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60023.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RIAA and Hollywood both say they aren't doing very well against
piracy. Sony even admits they aren't doing very well in regards to
music piracy.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60024.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ex CEO of the RIAA speaks out on the recent actions of the RIAA.
She doesn't agree with them totally cause when she was there, the
main objective was to pursue people who were building commercial
businesses on other peoples hard work.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60025.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DVD sales have declined considerably since 2 years ago. The high
definition DVD was supposed to compensate for that until Sony and
Toshiba had to have a petty war between the official format of high
definition DVD's.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60027.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samsung will lead the way in Blu-Ray players. Samsung announced June
25th to be the big release date of their new Blu-Ray DVD players.
What is Samsung doing that Sony and Pioneer are having a hard time
with?

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60028.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BS.Player has released a new version of their popular media player.
It now supports a massive list of valid input formats, making it the
best media player on the market?

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60029.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DivX has released an update to their infamous DivX 6 codec. It
promises faster decoding and sharper video results.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60034.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HD-DVD is already cutting back the prices of their HD movies. DVD/HD
DVD hybrid
discs will still be US$34.95.

http://www.digital-digest.com/news-60037.html

-- jmet


*******************************************************

3. History of ARccOS - Part 2

In the last issue of the newsletter, we explained what ARccOS was,
who uses it and earlier methods to break the copy protection. We
conclude now with the second part of the article, which talks about
current ways to handle ARccOS ...

As DVD Decrypter is not updated any more - we need to give it
a 'help file' to be able to rip the latest released ARccOS™ copy
protected DVDs.
* There are some ARccOS™ protected sectors on your DVD that DVD
Decrypter version 3.5.4.0 can't read due to the fact that the
original DVD has a form of copy protection using unreadable sectors
that will show up as I/O errors (=read errors - your reader/burner
can't read the sectors).
* Seems the ARccOS™ protection also uses some badly formatted
cells to confuse the programs. The fake last VTS of the DVD is there
for the same purpose.
* To get those sectors over to your hard disk - they are
replaced with dummies (empty sectors/space). The PSL2 file tells DVD
Decrypter where to insert those dummies.
* If you play your original disc - your player will not notice
those "can't read sectors" because the references in the IFOs makes
the player not use those sectors.

The plugin automatically analyses the DVD and makes a PSL file that
you import into DVD Decrypter so that it can read the dummy sectors
where the intentional bad sectors are. It also patches the IFOs to
make them good. And it finishes by nicely loading the project into
DVD Shrink.

Here is the current list of known methods/programs that can handle
ARccOS™ copy protected DVDs:
* DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0 + PSL2 Plug in - **Recommended** - This
is the method a lot of people use. There is not a DVD that the PSL2
Plug-in method can't rip. Please check for updates all the time and
make sure you are using the latest version. It is FREE.

* DVDFab Decrypter - Good basic ripper which can usually rip
most if not all ARccOS™ protected DVD's. The makers of DVDFab are
excellent about updating the program to overcome new types of
protection. Usually within a few days they will release a new
version. It is also FREE.

* Magic DVD Ripper - Pretty good ripper/converter. The author of
this program also stays on top of the new protection. It will update
frequently as well. It costs $34.97.

* AnyDVD - AnyDVD works in the background to automatically
remove the copy protection of a DVD movie as soon as it's inserted
into the drive, allowing you then to backup the movie using a DVD
backup tool such as DVD Shrink or Nero Recode. It costs $39.00.

* CSS Region Free - DVD Region Free works automatically in the
background to make a DVD appear unprotected to any DVD player and
DVD copy software. I'm not real familiar with CSS Region Free
software, so I can't really comment. Although I have had a few
reports with ARccOS™ protected DVD's where CSS Region Free worked on
them. It costs $39.95.

* DVD43 - Much like AnyDVD and CSS Region Free, DVD43 is an "on-
the-fly" driver that will make windows and your drive think the DVD
is unprotected. DVD43 only works on Win2K and WinXP. It is FREE.

-- jmet

******************************************************

4. How to cancel/change settings/email address for your subscription
to this newsletter

Changing subscription status for this newsletter is pretty easy.

To un-subscribe:
- Send an email to liveupdate-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com using the
email account that receives this newsletter.
- Or go to the Yahoo My Groups page to edit your group
subscriptions. More information here:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/groups-32.html

To change the email address that receives this newsletter:
- Un-subscribe using your current one, and sign up using a new email
address


*******************************************************

5. A simple thank-you and some concluding words

Just a note to thank all the thousands of people, including you, who
joined the Digital Digest LiveUpdate list. I've spent quite a bit of
time developing this site, and making it what it is today, and
really do appreciate your continued support.

I hoped you enjoyed another issue of the LiveUpdate newsletter.

Thanks!!

======END OF LIVEUPDATE NEWSLETTER======