Macrovision introduces RipGuard DVD rip control solution

Macrovision, leading supplier of content protection and digital rights management technologies, has announced the availability of its new RipGuard DVD rip control solution, designed to combat video piracy.
RipGuard prevents personal computers using ‘ripper software’ to illegally duplicate protected DVDs and complements Macrovision’s existing Analogue (video) Copy Protection system (ACP), which has been applied to over 8.1 billion DVD and VHS units. The technology is used to prevent copying from either DVD players or VCRs to DVD recorders, hard drive recorders and compliant home media centre PCs. It is the only analogue protection technology that is globally implemented in over 440 million consumer electronics and PC/DVD devices, and requires manufacturer certification for effectiveness and playability with Macrovision’s compliance lab.
Hackers are tenacious, however, and by combining illicit hardware and software they can crack the DVD format’s CSS encryption and make unauthorised digital copies that can be burned to a DVD recordable disc or uploaded to a file-sharing network. Unauthorised DVD ripping leads directly to exponential distribution and downloading on the P2P networks and a substantial revenue loss for the video industry.
Macrovision addresses this growing threat by delivering effective solutions that massively decrease supply of unauthorised files (DVD ripping and burning) by utilising two physical DVD media-based technologies (ACP copy protection and RipGuard rip control).
Extensive tests showed that RipGuard affects the success of the most commonly used ripping software products in the market. It has been effective in either completely obstructing the software or slowing it down to the point of futility. RipGuard applies a unique digital framework for each title to ensure that this effectiveness lasts over time.
Once RipGuard becomes widely available in commercial titles, Macrovision will persistently monitor the ripping software market to ensure that RipGuard continues to be effective even as new techniques are introduced to circumvent it.
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