[mythtv-users] MythTV and BitTorrent?

[Michael T. Dean]

On 07/18/2008 04:58 AM, Dean Harding wrote:
> Will wrote:
>   
>> My understanding of reality was that playing (and ripping) encrypted
>> DVDs in linux with things such as libdvdcss is illegal in the US,
>> whereas bittorrent use is not. 
>>     
> True, but ripping non-encrypted DVDs is not.

Exactly!

>  The "Rip DVD" feature still 
> works perfectly on non-encrypted DVDs if you don't have the libdvdcss 
> library installed.

And, in the event that you rip a commercial, encrypted DVD using Myth, 
all encryption remains intact.  Therefore, to play that DVD you must 
have a program that can decrypt it (i.e. libdvdcss or ...).

Myth /does not/ and /will not/ distribute libdvdcss.  Those in the US 
who install it are breaking the law.*

The difference is that you can use BT to do both legal and illegal 
things.  You *cannot* (successfully) rip for playback an encrypted DVD 
with MythTV.  You must illegally (in some areas, including the US) 
install libdvdcss.  Therefore, MythTV cannot be used to illegally play 
back DVD's on GNU/Linux.  However, if MythTV were to integrate BT, 
MythTV would be able to illegally retrieve copyrighted content.

If you're going to say, "For a program that has a 'RIP DVD' option, I 
find that laughable," you should really do your homework, first, to find 
out how it works.  Kind of like telling Microsoft, "For a word processor 
that has a global search and replace, I find it laughable that you won't 
include an option to allow downloading files via BT."  (I.e. you can't 
use something that's not illegal to say that Myth/devs are being 
hypocritical by failing to include functionality that's often used for 
illegal purposes.)

Please, people, understand that the only reason you think the Rip DVD 
option does something illegal is because /you/ have installed a non-Myth 
program, libdvdcss, that does something which is--in some 
areas--illegal.  Install Myth on a system without libdvdcss and do your 
best to illegally copy/play back a commercial, encrypted DVD with Myth.

Mike "Just because you did something illegal, don't blame Myth" Dean

*But, with the appearance of DRM-Ray--I mean Blu-Ray--the industry seems 
to have given up on the idea of controlling DVD content and is shifting 
focus toward the next generation (which was built to allow fixing broken 
DRM, unlike DVD).