ARccOS Protection

: "This article is about Sony's copy-protection system, not the trigonometric function arccos."

ARccOS is a copy-protection system developed by Sony used on some DVDs. Designed as an additional layer to be used in conjunction with Content Scramble System (CSS), the system deliberately creates corrupted sectors on the DVD, which cause copying software to produce errors. Allegedly, "Normal" DVD players do not read these sectors since they follow a set of instructions encoded on the disc telling them to skip them. However, many users with "normal" DVD players still report unplayable discs, and in some cases total lock-up of their players. Less sophisticated DVD copying programs do not follow these instructions and instead try to read every sector on the disk sequentially, including the bad ones.

[http://ripitapp.com/ RipIt] for the Mac, Slysoft's AnyDVD, Fengtao's [http://www.dvdidle.com/free.htm DVDFab Decrypter] , RipIt4Me + DVD Decrypter, FixVTS, DVD43, MacTheRipper, along with VLC media player [cite web | title = HOWTO Backup a DVD | work=Gentoo Linux Wiki | url = http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Backup_a_DVD#vlc | accessdate = 2007-04-16 ] , [http://www.gnu.org/software/ddrescue/ddrescue.html GNU ddrescue] , [http://www.garloff.de/kurt/linux/ddrescue/ dd_rescue] and MPlayer/MEncoder (for Linux) are usually able to overcome ARccOS.

ARccOS had reportedly been discontinued by Sony in February 2006. [cite web | title = Macrovision's RipGuard Shows Consistent Use By Disney | author=Kate DuBose Tomassi | work=Forbes Magazine | date=2006-03-10 | url = http://www.forbes.com/markets/2006/03/10/macrovision-ripguard-0310markets08.html] However, several high-profile releases since then have used it, including the region 1 DVDs for "Hostel", ', "Running With Scissors", and "Casino Royale". Many DVDs by Disney, Touchstone Pictures, and The Weinstein Company also use ARccOS including ', "Cars", "Flightplan", "The U.S. vs. John Lennon", "Lucky Number Slevin", and "Ratatouille". "Hairspray" appears to also be encumbered with ARccOS. Many DVD rental companies are now warning users that the Sony DVDs in question may not play on their machines. [cite web | title = Netflix ARccOS Warning | url = http://www.netflix.com/FAQ?p_faqid=2462 | accessdate = 2008-09-09 ]

Despite being promoted as "fully compatible with available DVD players and drives," [cite web | title = ARccOS | url = http://www.sonydadc.com/americas/prod.newtech.arccos1.go | accessdate = 2007-04-18 ] some DVD players cannot play movies with ARccOS: Sony DVPCX995, Toshiba SD4700, Harman Kardon DVD101, Microsoft Xbox and others. [cite web | title = Sony copy protection taking heat again: now DVDs won't play | author = Erik Hanson | work = engadget | date = 2007-04-16 | url = http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/16/sony-copy-protection-taking-heat-again-now-dvds-wont-play/ | accessdate = 2007-04-17 ] Sony has announced a future firmware update for their players to fix this incompatibility issue. [cite web | title = Sony Pictures DVDs have a new a copy protection that makes the movies unplayable on some Sony (and other makes) DVD players! | date = 2007-04-19 | url = http://sonystrikesagain.wordpress.com/2007/03/19/hello-world/ | accessdate = 2007-04-21 ] [cite web | title = Sony admits, fixes problem with DVD DRM | author = Jacqui Cheng | date = 2007-04-18 | url = http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070418-sony-to-replace-incompatible-dvds.html | accessdate = 2007-04-19 ] One revision of the ARccOS scheme used by Sony was incompatible with a higher number of players than average. Sony has offered to replace those discs for owners having problems; the replacement discs will have a newer version of ARccOS coding on them, which Sony claims is more compatible. [cite web | title = Sony fixes problem with ARccOS-protected DVDs | author = Adrian Kingsley-Hughes | date = 2007-04-18 | url = http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=360 | accessdate = 2007-04-21 ] [cite web | title = Sony Replaces ARccOS-Protected DVDs | date = 2007-04-19 | url = http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=20244 | accessdate = 2007-04-21 ]

ee also

* RipGuard

References

External links

* [http://www.sonydadc.com/americas/prod.newtech.arccos1.go ARccOS– DVD-Video Copy Control] from Sony DADC
* [http://ripitapp.com/ RipIt] for the Mac