Capturing Movielink movies - Is this hackable?

[Trust_No_1]

Today was the launch of Movielink - the video on demand service from 5 movie studios. They utilize digital rights management software from Micro$oft and (un)Real networks. My question is - is this really a secure system and unhackable?

Nothing is unhackable given enough resources and enough time..

I was thinking that a Movielink movie could be captured by the following method:
1) Use 2 computers. Both with a TV IN and OUT functionality.
2) Computer 1 has its TV OUT going into the TV IN of computer 2. This includes sound as well.
3) Computer 1 plays the Movielink movie at full screen resolution.
4) Computer 2 records the signal from its TV IN onto its hard drive.

Bingo! Computer 2 has a perfect copy of the Movielink movie (I know it's not digital but a very good analog copy dependent upon the connections between the two computers - particuarly if it's S-Video). Computer 2 can then compress the file using DIVX etc and redistribute on a P2P network.

I haven't tried this out but I've done it by connecting a VCR working as "computer 2" and this works fine.

Any thoughts or any other ideas?

Trust_No_1

[Thorn]

It seems to me that ripping a DVD would be easier and of better quality (going back to analog means decompressing and recompressing... they're less worried about that than about the original content being hijacked). Recompressing from/to lossy formats like divx causes some loss (but the kids downloading a 4nd gen movie from kazaa- aren't sticklers for quality, I guess).

All that aside, I don't think this service will work unless they cut their prices. Why in hell would I pay more ($5new/$2vintage) to download a divx copy of a movie than I would if I rented the dvd (the dvd would be higher quality and I could watch on my TV which isn't near my computer). If you're really that lazy (don't want to go to rent it) and a movie buff, netflicks would probably appeal more. It would have some novelty value, and some instant gratification value. The main users I would think would be impulse buyers, busy folks, and those who aren't near a good video store (but would they have a good internet connection?).

Overall, though, if they get their act together it might work. Lower prices, maybe more than one day of viewing (what does it cost them to give you two days like a regular movie place does). And lower prices. Considering how inexpensive bandwidth is these days part of the appeal to internet is the ability to make products available cheaper than other channels can.

Oh, and if you thought I was done ranting don't forget that they install a "small" DRM program to manage the content. Joe Blow may not care, but it makes me a little nervous to let them install that kind of active control onto my computer (can we say "trojan"?). If it wasn't for that I'd try it once just for the hell of it.