: Can I copy protect the DVDs I make? A: No.
Long
Answer: Commercial DVDs generally have two layers of copy protection.
The first is an analog copy protection method called Macrovision ACP.
This is a scrambling system that is applied to the analog outputs by
your DVD player that prevents you from making analog (video tape)
copies of the disc. This is accomplished by setting a bit during the
authoring stage of creating the disc.
The second is CSS (Content
Scramble System) a digital encryption scheme. An encryption key is
placed in a non user readable portion of the disc and the player uses
this key to decrypt the encoded data.
From the Macrovision web site (emphasis added):
...there is some information of a more general nature that we can provide that might be of use to you.
- Employment of Macrovision ACP protection requires the proper setting of CGMS and APS flags on the authoring software.
- There is no way to reliably set the CGMS flags on a common recordable disc (such as a DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW). Thus, only replicated discs can properly implement Macrovision protection.
This is due to the difference in sector lengths between a replicated
disc and a recordable disc. In practice, this means that if you are
performing your own authoring, you will need to author to a DLT.
- As a self-author, you will be required to enter into a Rights Holder Agreement with Macrovision.
- The Replicator will need to be Macrovision certified.
So
to add Macrovision to a home made DVD you must enter into an agreement
with Macrovision and have the disc replicated at a certified facility.
Then you'll probably have to order 500 discs before a replicator will
even talk to you plus you may have to author to a DLT tape not a DVD-R.
Remember that the Macrovision only keeps someone from making a tape
copy anyway.
CSS encryption puts you in a similar situation;
since the encryption key is written to a portion of a DVD that the
user, that's you, can't see, or write to in the case of a DVD+/-R, you
must
have the discs replicated. So for practical purposes you are not going
to be able to copy protect the wedding or dance recital DVDs you make.
Update:
Rimage has released a new line of DVD duplicators that can copy protect
a disc. So it may be possible to find duplication service that has one
of these to burn small runs of discs. These new machines are a little
pricey for an individual to buy but if you do a lot of volume not out
of the question.
Update II:
Bu-Ray discs have similar but even more complex licensing issues the
concise answer is if you use a certified replicator/duplicator they
will pass along the licensing fees (which run upwards of $3000) to you.
If you are doing small runs on your own drive using recordable media -
as long as you don't want to put the Blu-Ray logo on your disc or
packaging you don't have to pay any fees.
