Sony fakes Blu-ray playback

[BJ_M]

In this rather embarassing episode, Sony was showing off high definition movies on their new Blu-ray equipped Vaio laptop when some troublemaker presed the eject button to reveal...a quite bootleg looking DVD R? Ouch. Sony's movies are still scheduled to hit in June with the Samsung Blu-ray player, no word on if they will also feature handwritten titles.


http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/16/sony-announces-vaio-ar-laptop-with-blu-ray/









update - turns out it was a hoax somewhat - or rather a case of mistaken identity of laptops .... see next page for an update

[edDV]

See this one ?
http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/16/sony-wont-be-able-to-meet-blu-ray-demand/

[CubDukat]

And the hits just keep on comin'...

[rumplestiltskin]

Actually, I believe Sony -will- be able to meet the demand. After all, there are maybe...30 or 40 geeks who will have to have this worthless POS just because it's new.

Truly an answer to a question no one has asked.

[Faustus]

hahaha oh sony what will you do next?

[SatStorm]

Amazing!

[thecoalman]

LOL... not even a Sony disc.

[irongang]

I've got to wonder if this is real - that's a Verbatim DVD+R. I seriously doubt that Sony would bring that to a demo, even if they didn't think anyone would see it.

Also, if they were demoing BlueRay video it's just higher res, higher data-rate MPEG-2, right? As long as a DVD drive in a laptop could keep up with the data rate it'd still be a valid demo of the video quality if not the actual discs.

That being said, I lost faith in Sony years ago and I'll not be buying a BluRay player. I'm sure it will lose out to HD-DVD and I'll eventuallly end up with that but I'm no bleeding-edger and I'll wait to see how things shake out.

[Faustus]

I've got to wonder if this is real - that's a Verbatim DVD+R. I seriously doubt that Sony would bring that to a demo, even if they didn't think anyone would see it.

You are talking about the same company that was Pushing DVD+R only as a drive manufacturer while installing DVD-R drives into their Sony Brand computers for a time.

Believe.

[BJ_M]

I've got to wonder if this is real - that's a Verbatim DVD+R. I seriously doubt that Sony would bring that to a demo, even if they didn't think anyone would see it.

Also, if they were demoing BlueRay video it's just higher res, higher data-rate MPEG-2, right? As long as a DVD drive in a laptop could keep up with the data rate it'd still be a valid demo of the video quality if not the actual discs.

That being said, I lost faith in Sony years ago and I'll not be buying a BluRay player. I'm sure it will lose out to HD-DVD and I'll eventuallly end up with that but I'm no bleeding-edger and I'll wait to see how things shake out.

it is very much real ..... and thy had the BR "cover" sitting there to infer that it was indeed a BR disk inside --

should have just played it off the HD

[ROF]

Did Sony use DVD Fab Decrypter to create that backup?

[BobK]

I've got to wonder if this is real - that's a Verbatim DVD+R. I seriously doubt that Sony would bring that to a demo, even if they didn't think anyone would see it.

I find it very easy to believe that any employee at any company could do something stupid at any given time. If you think that the board of directors at Sony had a meeting and decided on this, then I would doubt that.

[jntaylor63]

BJ_M,

where did you get the picture of the DVD+R?

Can you post a link?

[thecoalman]

Did Sony use DVD Fab Decrypter to create that backup?

I was thinking the same thing, probably just a rp from their library but it would be funny if they had used something like that.

[SCDVD]

I think someone should sue Sony's pants off for DRM violation. This isn't some poor smoe who ripped a Blockbuster rented movie. It's Sony Corporation who is using it as part of their product promotion TO MAKE MONEY! The fact they were caught faking it makes it hilarious. Who in the hell do these guys thing they are!? Their execs stay awake at night trying to figure out how to nail some poor sucker for DRM violations but they act like they live above it all.

[Snakebyte1]

I'm surprised something this good hasn't made more of a splash in the media yet. These kind of public blunders are usually repeated all over.

[KBeee]

I think someone should sue Sony's pants off for DRM violation. This isn't some poor smoe who ripped a Blockbuster rented movie. It's Sony Corporation who is using it as part of their product promotion TO MAKE MONEY! The fact they were caught faking it makes it hilarious. Who in the hell do these guys thing they are!? Their execs stay awake at night trying to figure out how to nail some poor sucker for DRM violations but they act like they live above it all.

Sony own the rights to House of Flying Daggers

[edDV]

I think someone should sue Sony's pants off for DRM violation. This isn't some poor smoe who ripped a Blockbuster rented movie. It's Sony Corporation who is using it as part of their product promotion TO MAKE MONEY! The fact they were caught faking it makes it hilarious. Who in the hell do these guys thing they are!? Their execs stay awake at night trying to figure out how to nail some poor sucker for DRM violations but they act like they live above it all.

Sony own the rights to House of Flying Daggers

I bet the Vaio operation never obtained the proper clearance for trade show or PR use of the material from the Sony Pictures subsidiary. Was such blanket license granted to all affiliates of the Sony and joint ventures and did this license grant extend to DVDR blanks?

I think there should be a Congressional investigation and all affected executives need to explain their compliance with copyright and whether any attempt to break copy protection was done in any of the said actions.

Just because SONY has an ownership interest in Sony Pictures (formerly Columbia Studios) does not mean that they are exempt from federal copyright and the DMCA.
http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

I see no exemption for subsidairy or joint venture companies in the DMCA. Maybe I missed it. Congress needs to act and the FBI should be called to investigate. A possible felony has been exposed.

Those of us mortals that license movie clips for use in promotion or trade shows must jump through numerous legal hoops and pay enormous license fees and proctect every copy. Goons are hired to patrol trade shows for illegal use of protected material. Did the goons turn in the VAIO division?

[jman98]

There has been much discussion at Slashdot (http://www.slashdot.com) about this. All are not convinced that the disc in question is really the HD demo disc.

However, it is theoretically possible to burn HD video to DVD+-R discs. Sony would not have to have done the whole film. I would guess that a 30 minute excerpt set to loop would have been possible on a blank DVD disc.

Please take a chill pill all of you "Let the Feds get Sony!" people. It's NEVER going to happen. They'll leave it up to Sony Pictures or the MPAA to handle this and they won't do anything about it.

[edDV]

I think someone should sue Sony's pants off for DRM violation. This isn't some poor smoe who ripped a Blockbuster rented movie. It's Sony Corporation who is using it as part of their product promotion TO MAKE MONEY! The fact they were caught faking it makes it hilarious. Who in the hell do these guys thing they are!? Their execs stay awake at night trying to figure out how to nail some poor sucker for DRM violations but they act like they live above it all.

Sony own the rights to House of Flying Daggers

Are you sure of that?
Sony is only listed as a distributor.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385004/companycredits

[lenti_75]

LOL... not even a Sony disc.

[edDV]

There has been much discussion at Slashdot (http://www.slashdot.com) about this. All are not convinced that the disc in question is really the HD demo disc.

However, it is theoretically possible to burn HD video to DVD+-R discs. Sony would not have to have done the whole film. I would guess that a 30 minute excerpt set to loop would have been possible on a blank DVD disc.

Please take a chill pill all of you "Let the Feds get Sony!" people. It's NEVER going to happen. They'll leave it up to Sony Pictures or the MPAA to handle this and they won't do anything about it.

If the said VAIO is as claimed a BD player, then H.264 and VC-1 compression must be supported and both allow HDTV bitrates well within standard DVDR sustained transfer rate.

[KBeee]

So Sony would sue Sony? Or the MPAA sue Sony on behalf of Sony?
Or is there another outside body that defends the legal rights of poor Corporations?

[edDV]

So Sony would sue Sony? Or the MPAA sue Sony on behalf of Sony?
Or is there another outside body that defends the legal rights of poor Corporations?

You are missing the point. The DMCA makes breaking copy protection a felony (criminal offense). A civil suit would require the owner of the material (apparently NOT Sony) to file a civil action.

It is the responsibility of the Attorney General (FBI) to investigate and prosecute a felony such as breaking the copy protection under the DMCA. If the VAIO division did not have specific license, they possibly committed a felony under the criminal law.

I hope one of the local attorneys can take it from here.

[ROF]

I say that MPAA sues Sony. Sony in turn sues the MPAA for false litigation since they own the picture in question. The lawyers get richer. The taxpayers money gets wasted. Everybody is happy in the entertainment industry. The MPAA and Sony put together a major gala event and every spends hundreds of dollars a plate just . . . well just because . . . does there really have to be a reason to throw a million dollar fund raiser when Sony and the MPAA are the only ones to benefit.

[adam]

House of flying daggers is owned by Elite Group Enterprises, a Hong Kong company. But Sony is the US distributor. The DVD itself, or in this case the Blu-ray disc, is literally their product. I'm sure they have the rights to demo it. Yes I know this DVD is some sort of mock up or approximate version of what the actual blu-ray disc will be. I really don't see why that would matter though.

As far as bypassing any protection and violating the DMCA, my guess is that they of course wouldn't have to since they are the distributor. I mean they are the ones that are actually adding the protection aren't they? But even assuming they did, the DMCA actually does allow circumvention as long as its authorized by the copyright holder. I'm guessing that if asked, Elite Group Enterprises would say they gave permission whether they actually did or not. In the end its an embarrasing leak that probably just shows laziness more than anything. I don't think Sony has actually done anything wrong here.

Its pretty damn hilarious they used a Verbatim disc though.

[InXess]

Bunch of hopeless amateurs... wishing to impress unsuspecting public (thank God not entirely.... ) The outcome is exactly what they deserve.

When it comes to permission to copy and demo rest assured it's been taken care of. One phone call suffices even if it's never been made.

[irongang]

I find it very easy to believe that any employee at any company could do something stupid at any given time.

You've got a point there - I used to work for a company that had FedEx and UPS as clients. After seperate meetings, the shipping people used FedEx to send UPS's materials back to them and UPS to send FedEx's stuff back. One of them (UPS, I think) refused the delivery. It caused a big stink, of course. It may have been cluelessness or it may have been a prank but it was certainly stupid.

I never heard about the DVD-/+R drive thing - I guess it's par for the course for Sony. I'd like to think they're not that stupid but I may well be giving them too much credit.

[edDV]

The standard broadcast equipment trade show demo joke was "Pay no attention to the cables going behind the curtain". Some advance demos had racks of equipment behind the curtain simulating the industrial design prototype out front under the spotlight.

Many of the old RCA and Ampex people now work for Sony.

Customer engineers were often seen following the cables to the suspected fraud. TV people are in the business of making little look like more.
http://www.simonsingh.net/The_Psychology_of_Magic.html

[edDV]

...

I mean they are the ones that are actually adding the protection aren't they? ...

I can tell you haven't operated inside a big conglomerate.

Your job is to "get it done". Lawyers can apply the law literally and find a felony. I suspect several were committed by Sony in this instance.


Unrelated but in a parallel universe,

Did anyone notice that the PBS "Frontline" narrator seems to be doing the new voice of BMW commercials? I guess his contract expired.