'DVD Jon' Launches Doubletwist: Share and Sync Protected iTunes Music

[psxndc]

You should probably read up more on DVD Jon before you make sweeping accusations about him doing this "for the money".

...

Then as soon as someone invests in them or their company, you just brush it all aside and say "they're doing it for the money."

Well I don't think he's doing it for the money, I think he's doing it because he doesn't like the rules and so he's trying to rewrite them in a selfish and bullheaded manner.

I've never liked this guy. His whole game has been trying to break the system rather than play by rules and effect change lawfully. "I wanted a DVD decrypter so I could watch movies on Linux." OK, write one for yourself and there you go. But he couldn't keep it to himself and instead published it on the Internet. "I don't like Apple's DRM" so instead of just buying regular CDs, he cracks Apple's DRM and publishes it all over the Internet.

Here's an idea - if you don't like it, don't buy it. It's entertainment, not food. As copyright holders, it is their right to determine how it gets copied (where do you think the name comes from??).

If everyone that was actually annoyed with DRM stopped buying the DRM'ed content, then DRM would go away. But no - he has to have it his way which for some moral reason is better than the **AA having it their way. So he does an end-run around the system. Now the **AAs have ammunition. "Oh noes, they cracked our DRMs and are stealing our contents! Congress, please help us! We gives you lots of monies!" "OK movie/recording industries. We'll save you and pass laws that make such activities illegal! or at least really expensive when you get caught!"

If everyone just stood up an said "No, your content isn't worth it. It isn't worth the price; it isn't worth the restrictions; and it isn't worth the hassle - I'm not buying it and I'll just do without," the media conglomerates would have no scapegoat when the money runs out and their titanic hits the iceberg.

But because DVD Jon - and every other person who pirates music and movies - has to have it his way, there will always be a war. A war where we, the consumer, will always lose because things become more and more strict or you venture more and more into illegal activity because you just want to play a copy of a song you bought on your computer in your car.

Yeah, he's a visionary.

The right thing to do is to beat the system from within by playing within the system's rules. Look at EMI, hell look at Amazon. DRM-free tracks are here and they're getting better.

DVD Jon is a brilliant teen that never grew up and doesn't know how to function in a society where someone else makes the rules.

 

[johnnyjibbs]

There's nothing newsworthy here. It just saves the hassle of burning a CD and re-importing it (and the cost of the CD - about 2p then). I would have expected something a little more savy, with no sound loss from the guy who cracked the DVD...

Not even worth Apple getting worked up about this one.

 

[Daveoc64]

Not even worth Apple getting worked up about this one.

They probably will though, by releasing about 200 iTunes versions a week.

 

[rugbyboy]

What's Good about DoubleTwist

I think that by wibbling on about the quality, how its working, what it's doing you're missing what, to me anyway, is exciting about DoubleTwist.

It's the use of your media anywhere.

I have an iPod, a PSP and an Nokia N95 - I buy songs off iTunes from time to time, I buy CD's. I find the thought of having one repository of my media in one place that I can send to any device fairly compelling.

I also want to get an XBox 360 or Apple TV or something to stream stuff to my main media system at some point. If I know that it doesn't matter what device I get ad that all my media will work that's pretty darn neat-o.

 

[milo]

How is selling a AAC music file having "vision"?

Whether it's "vision" is a matter of semantics. But it IS damn impressive to succeed at selling music files on a large scale where everyone else failed.

There is no loss of quality with this service.

There absolutely is, they say so themselves. The file is re-encoded, which always loses some quality.

I don't really see why this is a big deal, there are already other apps that do the same thing. Now if this just stripped DRM without encoding...or if it did VIDEO...

 

[hvfsl]

Two things come to mind from this announcement:

1) Why not use the QTFairuse 6 engine which removes the DRM without degrading quality.

2) What I really want is a way to remove the DRM from iTunes video files, since I have a lot of them and would have thought it would be broken by now.

 

[eastcoastsurfer]

Well I don't think he's doing it for the money, I think he's doing it because he doesn't like the rules and so he's trying to rewrite them in a selfish and bullheaded manner.

I've never liked this guy. His whole game has been trying to break the system rather than play by rules and effect change lawfully. "I wanted a DVD decrypter so I could watch movies on Linux." OK, write one for yourself and there you go. But he couldn't keep it to himself and instead published it on the Internet. "I don't like Apple's DRM" so instead of just buying regular CDs, he cracks Apple's DRM and publishes it all over the Internet.

Here's an idea - if you don't like it, don't buy it. It's entertainment, not food. As copyright holders, it is their right to determine how it gets copied (where do you think the name comes from??).

If everyone that was actually annoyed with DRM stopped buying the DRM'ed content, then DRM would go away. But no - he has to have it his way which for some moral reason is better than the **AA having it their way. So he does an end-run around the system. Now the **AAs have ammunition. "Oh noes, they cracked our DRMs and are stealing our contents! Congress, please help us! We gives you lots of monies!" "OK movie/recording industries. We'll save you and pass laws that make such activities illegal! or at least really expensive when you get caught!"

If everyone just stood up an said "No, your content isn't worth it. It isn't worth the price; it isn't worth the restrictions; and it isn't worth the hassle - I'm not buying it and I'll just do without," the media conglomerates would have no scapegoat when the money runs out and their titanic hits the iceberg.

But because DVD Jon - and every other person who pirates music and movies - has to have it his way, there will always be a war. A war where we, the consumer, will always lose because things become more and more strict or you venture more and more into illegal activity because you just want to play a copy of a song you bought on your computer in your car.

Yeah, he's a visionary.

The right thing to do is to beat the system from within by playing within the system's rules. Look at EMI, hell look at Amazon. DRM-free tracks are here and they're getting better.

DVD Jon is a brilliant teen that never grew up and doesn't know how to function in a society where someone else makes the rules.

So you hate someone that's fighting for your rights? If the *IAA had their way you would pay every time you heard or a song or saw a movie. There would be no such thing as buying a DVD or CD. We are also supposed to have a fair use with copyrighted content. I don't know about you, but I would consider fair use to be able to watch or listen to content that I have bought and own on any device that I own.

 

[milo]

1) Why not use the QTFairuse 6 engine which removes the DRM without degrading quality.

Is it compatible with iTunes 7.6? And is it available for download anywhere? Their site has had all download links removed due to legal action from Apple.

 

[aerospace]

Will this convert avi video files to work on the iphone?

I have yet to find a good free software that will do this reliably and I have several movies I'd like to move over =)

 

[whooleytoo]

Not the nicest UI I've ever seen, I have to say.

Still, it works.

Is there any option in the programme to switch to lossless converting? (it would be possible, if you decrypt & decompress, and losslessly re-compress).

 

[eastcoastsurfer]

If everyone that was actually annoyed with DRM stopped buying the DRM'ed content, then DRM would go away. But no - he has to have it his way which for some moral reason is better than the **AA having it their way. So he does an end-run around the system. Now the **AAs have ammunition. "Oh noes, they cracked our DRMs and are stealing our contents! Congress, please help us! We gives you lots of monies!" "OK movie/recording industries. We'll save you and pass laws that make such activities illegal! or at least really expensive when you get caught!"

And I wanted to reply to this part of your message on its own. Most people aren't aware of the DRM. If Apple (and others who use DRM) were up front in saying that you will have to use iPods or iTMS to play this song forever more (without resorting to a 'hack') people would think differently about buying songs with DRM on them. I have a friend who had a ipod that broke for whatever reason. She bought another brand player and now can't use the couple hundred songs she purchased from iTMS. She's an honest consumer of music and now she gets the raw end of the deal because of DRM. People who got their music for free to begin with would not have had this problem. Suffice to say she's done with DRM music and done with the iTMS store now, even though I managed to un-DRM all her music using a utility like the one mentioned in this article.

 

[milo]

Will this convert avi video files to work on the iphone?

I have yet to find a good free software that will do this reliably and I have several movies I'd like to move over =)

iSquint. Even iTunes should be able to do it unless it's some obscure codec.

Is there any option in the programme to switch to lossless converting? (it would be possible, if you decrypt & decompress, and losslessly re-compress).

I assume you can convert to a lossless format, but that's kind of a waste of space for content that has the sound quality of a lossy file.

 

[123]

DVD Jon is a brilliant teen that never grew up and doesn't know how to function in a society where someone else makes the rules.

What rules? He functions very well in Norwegian society and its rules.

 

[stupidregister]

Here's an idea - if you don't like it, don't buy it. It's entertainment, not food. As copyright holders, it is their right to determine how it gets copied (where do you think the name comes from??).

Here is another idea - if you don't want your material to be freely copied then don't release it in the first place.

 

[milo]

Here is another idea - if you don't want your material to be freely copied then don't release it in the first place.

That's a dumb attitude. Might as well say if you don't want people to break into your house, don't build a house.

 

[whooleytoo]

I assume you can convert to a lossless format, but that's kind of a waste of space for content that has the sound quality of a lossy file.

Well, you've two options when you're transcoding like this:

- a lossy codec, in which case the sound quality will degrade even further, but the filesize will be similar.

- a lossless codec, in which the sound quality will be the same as the original (lossy) file, but the filesize will be greater.

Given the sound quality isn't the best to start with, I'll always go for the latter option.

 

[stupidregister]

That's a dumb attitude.

It's not an attitude. I was merely showing that there is another idea.

Might as well say if you don't want people to break into your house, don't build a house.

No, because breaking a house requires causing damage to the house. Copying bits does not require damaging the original. Bits aren't a scarce resource.

 

[milo]

It's not an attitude. I was merely showing that there is another idea.

No, because breaking a house requires causing damage to the house. Copying bits does not require damaging the original. Bits aren't a scarce resource.

It IS an attitude, and a completely braindead one.

 

[netdog]

Good for old DRM tracks, but DRM is about to go away at iTS. Perhaps this is just what Jobs needs to get the record companies to stop their bellyaching and unlock the music.

 

[Mac21ND]

So you hate someone that's fighting for your rights? If the *IAA had their way you would pay every time you heard or a song or saw a movie. There would be no such thing as buying a DVD or CD. We are also supposed to have a fair use with copyrighted content. I don't know about you, but I would consider fair use to be able to watch or listen to content that I have bought and own on any device that I own.

I love when people try to argue that pirating copyrighted material is a lawful "right." Honestly, you really need to revisit the concept of what an "absolute right" is. No person, in any society, has an absolute right to do anything. You don't have the right the act in certain ways. Why? Because your resulting actions hurt other people's rights. It's the whole shouting fire in a crowded theater concept that people forget.

As for the last part of your comment, you don't own the content. You don't own the rights to a song. You purchased the ability to listen to a song via a certain playback method. It's no different than saying, "Hey, I purchased a record back in the 1960's. I shouldn't have to pay for a CD of that song now, I already have it on record!" No, you have the ability to listen to that song via a vinyl record. If you would like to listen to that song with a CD player, you'll need to buy a version of that song in the necessary format. It's the same with digital files. (Sorry, it is. Megabyte's of data isn't any less tangible than a old dusty record.) If you bought a song on iTunes, you agreed to the license and any restrictions that license included. If you don't like those restrictions, acquire the song in a different way that will allow you to listen to the song the way you would like.

 

[oldwatery]

So you hate someone that's fighting for your rights? If the *IAA had their way you would pay every time you heard or a song or saw a movie. There would be no such thing as buying a DVD or CD. We are also supposed to have a fair use with copyrighted content. I don't know about you, but I would consider fair use to be able to watch or listen to content that I have bought and own on any device that I own.

This guy ain't fighting for my rights.
He's fighting artists rights for a fair return on their investment.
I just don't get how people think it's their "right" to do what they want with other people's property.
Hey you don't like the system...go change it or don't play in the sandbox.

If someone makes a set of keys that will get you into the bank that is charging you crazy interest rates are you going to use them too?

The fact is you can buy CD's and DVD's. And in most cases listen or watch where and when you want for as long as you want.
Pay a bit less for downloads and get a few restrictions thrown in. So where is the crime?
This guy is not helping you listen he's enabling you to share which is stealing...the end.
The guy is a rip off artist with no concern for anything but his own distorted view of how he sees life.

I have no love for the way some record co's do business but until they and the artists come up with a better way ...well it's their property and their loss if you don't want to buy. No one is forcing you to purchase these downloads.

Stealing is stealing.
But I guess our brave new society doesn't care about honesty anymore

 

[milo]

I love when people try to argue that pirating copyrighted material is a lawful "right." Honestly, you really need to revisit the concept of what an "absolute right" is. No person, in any society, has an absolute right to do anything. You don't have the right the act in certain ways. Why? Because your resulting actions hurt other people's rights. It's the whole shouting fire in a crowded theater concept that people forget.

Did you even read what you responded to? He didn't argue any of the things you just mentioned.

Piracy is bad. We all get that.

But consumers DO have fair use rights, and those generally include things like time shifting and format shifting. You can dub a CD to a cassette tape or rip it to mp3. You can digitize a vinyl LP to CD or mp3. While some people will use this software for piracy, others will use it for completely legal things like playing an iTunes track on an mp3 player.

It's no different than saying, "Hey, I purchased a record back in the 1960's. I shouldn't have to pay for a CD of that song now, I already have it on record!" No, you have the ability to listen to that song via a vinyl record. If you would like to listen to that song with a CD player, you'll need to buy a version of that song in the necessary format. It's the same with digital files. (Sorry, it is. Megabyte's of data isn't any less tangible than a old dusty record.) If you bought a song on iTunes, you agreed to the license and any restrictions that license included. If you don't like those restrictions, acquire the song in a different way that will allow you to listen to the song the way you would like.

You don't have to pay for a CD of that song now. You CAN digitize that record and burn it to CD. Or put it on an iPod or other player. Even if you agree to the license agreement, that doesn't make it illegal or immoral to convert those files to a different format, to have more flexibility in listening to songs you paid for the right to listen to.

 

[stupidregister]

It IS an attitude, and a completely braindead one.

It's interesting how you just resort to name calling rather than actually attempting to counter my argument. Talk about brain-dead.

 

[milo]

It's interesting how you just resort to name calling rather than actually attempting to counter my argument. Talk about brain-dead.

Frankly, I don't consider your "argument" worthy of dignifying with a response. Not to mention that it's obvious that you're talked yourself into the notion that there's nothing wrong with your attitude.

 

[cowm007]

Two things come to mind from this announcement:

1) Why not use the QTFairuse 6 engine which removes the DRM without degrading quality.

2) What I really want is a way to remove the DRM from iTunes video files, since I have a lot of them and would have thought it would be broken by now.

1. QTFairUse removes the DRM and gives you an AAC file without re-encoding (100% quality). However, many devices can't play that format anyway so at one point or another you'll have to convert them to MP3s for use on other systems. In the interest of simplicity, this software just goes straight to MP3.

2. Check out Tunebite for video DRM. I believe it's a lossy conversion, but it strips DRM nonetheless.