Protected WMV

[mcorpse]

Universal has started releasing some movie trailers in WM9 HDTV format, which is awesome. The quality is absolutely stunning. But, for some reason, they choose to protect it with DRM, meaning you cannot convert to DVD or whatnot to make downgraded copies from these files. This is rather irritating, because with normal DRM, it's not a big deal, you can obtain whatever it is you want through unprotected channels. (Trailers can be ripped from DVDs, etc.) However, this is not the case with this, as DVD is the highest you can go for quality for movie trailers, generally speaking.

Has anyone yet figured out how to use LEGALLY AVAILABLE license keys to decode FREE content such as these freely distributable movie trailers? It's so evil, knowing that this awesome quality material is not available to be manipulated (at the moment, a rather useless exercise, but once disc-based HDTV recording becomes common, a quite likely useful activity.)


Edit: I looked at a few other posts on this topic, and noticed that the idea of breaking DRM is frowned upon, for which I am sorry. HOWEVER, the rules ALSO state that under fair use, you are allowed to convert your files into whatever format you desire. So what if I had purchased a movie in WMV9 DRM format, and wished to create a DVD of it? This should be within my rights to do so...

[canadateck]

Good one i would like to know to , if its against the rules.

EDIT: I guess it is www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=233362&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=drm

[bazooka]

To circumvent drm is against the rules and currently illegal in the US.

[mcorpse]

However, other techniques described on this site are currently illegal in the US too, but in countries without crap like the DMCA, quite very legal. Ripping a DVD is circumventing copy protection. Which is a no-no.

Edit: Also, this is not even necessarily technically "warez", either. Breaking the encryption on a DVD when you rip it is basically the same thing as taking a DRM-encrypted file and converting it to another file format. Just as you may be illegally copying a DVD, you may also be illegally decrypting a file you do not have a license to use. However, this can also be used for legitimate reasons, such as making backup copies of material you already have, or taking DRM files and converting them into another file format that is more convenient for you, etc.

[dnix71]

It may not be necessary to "crack" the drm. On a Mac there is freeware called 'Wiretap' that hijacks system audio to be saved as mp4(.aiff) to a desktop file, and payware ($70) from the same company that hijacks video & audio. If you can play it, you can back it up. I don't know if a pc version of this exists.

[lordsmurf]

Streaming DRM cracking is warez.
It is considered under the same terms as "renting".

[mcorpse]

But what about, say, the T2 Ultimate Edition DVD. (Why didn't I think of this example before?) You purchased an HDTV version of it when you purchased the movie. So if you, for instance, wished to copy it then to DVHS, you couldn't, because of the DRM. You can't even play it offline because it is call-home DRM.