A loan cracker by the name of muslix64 is claiming that he has figured out a way to side-skirt HD DVD’s AACS copy protection (and possibly Blu-ray’s as well) by sniffing out the title’s encryption key from the PC’s memory. By doing so, users of his new BackupHDDVD java-based software application are now able to make exact unencrypted copies of any high-def movie (via DMT). There’s one catch, AACS, in Reg Harware’s words, “adds techniques for ditching compromised keys…. Keys can be tweaked to force users to update their software if they want to be able to play future titles.” However, it seems to me that if the software is able to passively read the key from memory and then rip an unencrypted copy, I don’t see how AACS will detect the compromise – but then again I’m not a software engineer. In any case, keep your eyes and ears open for further developments. Also check out muslix64’s video demo below for more gloating. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]

Dave Zatz just tipped me off to a new tutorial at Sling Community that explains how to use Wine (a Windows API compatibility layer for x86-based Unixes) to install the Windows version of SlingPlayer on Desktop Linux – specifically Ubuntu. All in all, it doesn’t seem that hard to accomplish. The author’s concise directions and provided missing .dll files [zip] will get you running in no time. Hopefully, now that Sling Media sees that there really is interest in porting SlingPlayer to Linux, that they’ll actually speed up the process and create a version which leverages GStreamer instead of the currently required Windows Media Player libraries. Until then, happy streaming!

Popularity: 2% [?]

TVersity developer, Ronen Mizrahi, announces on his blog: “The TVersity Media Server Version 0.9.9.2 was just released with two major improvement areas. The first is concerned with delivering a superior user experience to Xbox 360 users, overcoming many limitations Microsoft put in place when using it with a non media center edition (MCE) PC. From on the fly transcoding to WMV (the only video format the 360 accepts unless it is running against MCE) to adding more info to video titles in order to make it easier to navigate the single flat list of videos Microsoft currently allows, we have gone into extreme effort to make it easier to use the Xbox 360 as a multimedia gateway.” Ronen adds that TVersity now supports more online content via RSS/Atom/RDF feeds and has optimized YouTube videos to work on a wide range of connected devices, in particular the Xbox 360. MORE »

Popularity: 5% [?]

VTech Communications, Inc., one of the largest suppliers of corded and cordless phones in North America, today announced the ip8300 infoPhone™, an Internet-enabled cordless landline telephone that offers a convenient way to check e-mail, news, sports, weather and horoscopes, all without turning on a computer. The new ip8300 infoPhone is also one of VTech’s first North American products to feature the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) 6.0 technology, which delivers excellent sound quality, extended range and improved security. MORE »

Popularity: 3% [?]

The 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s largest annual tradeshow for consumer technology, will serve as the public debut of eCoupled™, a revolutionary new technology that allows for the transmission of power and data without the traditional restraints of cords and ports. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]

Applian Technologies today announced Replay A/V version 8, a versatile all-in-one streaming media recorder and file converter. Replay A/V 8 will capture video clips and music, record live, schedule recordings, and automatically convert to 36 different video and audio formats. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]

Neosonik, a leading developer of wireless technology for consumer applications, will debut what it says is the world’s first digital wireless home theater system at Suites 30-229/30-231 at the Venetian Hotel for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, January 8 through 11 in Las Vegas. MORE »

Popularity: 3% [?]

Now this is kick-ass! We’ve seen Wii remotes being hacked and used for all sorts of unintended purposes (examples: RC car remote, RoombaWii), but here’s one that’s right up our alley, a Wii controlled Smarthome. LiquidIce of LiquidIce’s Nintendo Wii Hacks has created (from what I can tell) the first Wii home control interface designed to manage lights, thermostat, music, TV recording, security cameras, and other connected Insteon products. From information posted on his blog, the interface is designed in Flash, incorporates PHP scripts for event handling, and communicates with an Aurora WACI NX & Linux Server (via Gizmodo). MORE »

Popularity: 3% [?]

Feast your eyes on yet another SideShow-enabled remote. The guys at Engadget some how got the pre-CES scoop from Ricavision on their upcoming remote called the “Microsoft Windows Vista SideShow Media Center Remote Control” (whew – quite a name) that will feature a bevy of cool features that appears to put it ahead of Interlink’s recently announced SideLink remote. The remote is said to have both IR and Class 1 100-meter Bluetooth communications, a 2.5-inch QVGA LCD display, and a hidden channel “slider” that helps keep the otherwise large form factor compact. Estimated price on the remote is said be $199 and will be available to the public April 2007 (more details on January 8th, 2007). MORE »

Popularity: 4% [?]

Rapid consumer adoption of Internet and mobile services will boost U.S. spending in digital living services and products to nearly $300 billion by 2010, according to Parks Associates’ Digital Living 2006 Forecasts. This study, which features forecasts and analyses on more than 50 digital lifestyle categories, reports a steady rise in U.S. household spending for these advanced products and services over the next five years, fueled by adoption of broadband and communications services, which will account for $229 billion in 2010. MORE »

Popularity: 2% [?]