HIGH-DEF DISC NEWS TAGGED "MPAA"

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Zediva Ordered to Close its Virtual Doors and Pay up to the MPAA

DVD streaming was a bit of a gamble, and sadly for Zediva, it didn't pay off.

Zediva, for those that don't remember the very short lived site, was a DVD streaming service that let you rent a movie to watch online as if you were controlling a DVD player. You could bring up different audio tracks including commentaries and there was a plan to enable special features as well.

The method behind this tech was simple - you were actually controlling a DVD player. This process was, in the estimation of the folks at Zediva, completely legal even if they didn't pay licensing fees. The studios disagreed strongly and bam - lawsuit.

Now that the court case is finally settled, it turns out Zediva was on the wrong side of the law. They've been ordered to shut down operations and shell out a whopping $1.8 million to the MPAA.

Source: Engadget

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MPAA Sues Zediva Over DVD Streams

Well of course they did. Zediva doesn't seem too worried though.

A few weeks ago we caught our first glimpse at the new movie streaming service Zediva. Though registration has been closed ever since, the site promises to offer some features that other streaming services can't - like access to commentary and special features. That's because they stream directly from the DVD.

This unique style of streaming is also why Zediva believes that they don't need to worry about licensing fees. They're only able to stream as many DVDs as they have, and when the limit has been reached that title is unavailable - just like a traditional brick and mortar store.

The Motion Picture Association of America sees things differently. They say that Zediva is attempting "rely on technical gimmicks in an effort to avoid complying with U.S. Copyright Law." The MPAA has filed suit in a California district court.

Source: Engadget

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FCC Allows Analog Output Block for New Movies

The MPAA won out on this one. If you’re not using HDMI, it’s about time to start.

Chances are, you’ve got all of your components connected via HDMI and this won’t affect you. But if you don’t, you may want to consider the upgrade.

The latest ruling from the FCC allows the MPAA to block your analog outputs using Selectable Output Control (SoC). It’s a measure to stop piracy, of course, and would completely shut down your component output.

There are some pretty big limits to what can be done with SoC though. First off, it can only be used for VoD movies that haven’t been released on Blu-ray or DVD. Second, it can only last for a maximum of 90 days.

If you’re using HDMI, or you just don’t order VoD, then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Those running component to a TV or projector that doesn’t support HDMI though will have to find a workaround.

Source: Zero Paid

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