DIGITAL DIGEST - http://www.digital-digest.com
DIGITAL DIGEST - LIVE UPDATE Issue 25
Your "whenever I have time to write one" newsletter
Wednesday, 13th June, 2001
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TOP NEWS SUMMARY :
0. Section Zer0 - An Introduction to this Issue
2. Best Movies in the World - coming soon to DVD!!
3. DVD Price Increases - coming soon too??
4. Donate to Digital Digest - PayPal payment option added
5. New Programs at Digital Digest
6. How to Cancel/Change Your
Subscription Email Address/Settings
- how to maintain the subscription to this newsletter even if your email address
has changed
7. A Simple Thank-you
- a thank-you message for all those that joined this list
Welcome to this, the 25th issue, of the Digital Digest LiveUpdate newsletter. It's been a quiet few month, for DVD/DivX.
While there had been some new and exciting tools released, such as NanDub SBC (for encoding of DivX with maximum quality + minimum file size), but overall, there haven't been much new since our last newsletter in March. There hasn't been any new lawsuits, no new codecs (like issue 23's WMV V8 or last issue's DivX4Windows codec), and I don't think the media has covered DVD/DivX much lately apart from their usual "DVDs are so popular" and "DivX will destroy Hollywood" type stories. But as mentioned before, there has been quite a few new DVD/DivX tools, worth downloading (see section 5 - New Programs at Digital Digest - below).
Have fun =)
-- DVDGuy
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Recently, there has been
some fuss over the GPL (GNU Public License). The GPL requires that if a
program uses open-source code as a major part of it's programming, then
that program should also be release under the GPL (and hence the source
code must also be released).
The problem arose when Vidomi used source-code from VirtualDub, without releasing it's own source code. What this has done is turned an open-source program, into a closed source one. While this might not have any impact on your average user, but just think if Microsoft took some open-sourced code, modified it, and then released it close-sourced, shrink-wrapped, and sold it for $99.95 - then we begin to see why the GPL is so important. Vidomi supporters have claimed that VirtualDub is just a tool used for ripping/converting DVDs and making illegal DivX movies, so VirtualDub supporters have no right talk about legal issues. This is far from the truth. VirtualDub does not feature CSS decrpyting abilities, and cannot even open MPEG-2/DVD files (so the claim that it is a DVD ripper/converter is false). VirtualDub does allows one to make DivX movies, but so does almost every AVI compatible video converter/encoder/editor. Making a DivX movie is no different to making an AVI movie, so VirtualDub and almost every other tool on DivX Digest are really just AVI tools. In fact, Vidomi is the one that has a built in DVD ripper and hardwired encoding to the DivX format. Vidomi programmers have also tried to release source code for parts of their program, acknowledge that their program uses VirtualDub code - basically everything but actually releasing their source code. The point here is not which software is better, or what they do - the GPL doesn't really care about that. While in this situation, neither VirtualDub nor the average user will suffer too much if the GPL is not followed, but this will set a dangerous precedent, and a devastating blow to the open-source/GPL community. |
Links for this article :
VirtualDub
Official Site
Vidomi Official Site
Slashdot
discussion on this issue
Read the GPL
2. Best Movies in the World - coming soon to DVD!!
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They may not be the best
movies in your opinion, but according the Internet Movie DataBase,
The Godfather and Star Wars both rank amongst the top 10 movies of all
time (Godfather at #1 and Star Wars at #7). These two movies, according to
Amazon.com, are also the most requested DVDs of all time.
The good news is that both movies, along with my personal favorite, Forrest Gump, will be coming soon to DVD. In fact, in the time I was writing this article, The Godfather DVD collection became available for pre-order. Forrest Gump is also available for pre-order. There is also word that Star Wars Episode One DVD will be released around the same time as The Godfather collection. Time to hit the bank account again =) |
Links for this article :
Godfather DVD
collection
Forrest
Gump
Internet Movie DataBase
- Top 250 Movies
Most requested DVDs of all time
The Digital Bits Rumor Mill
3. DVD Price Increases - coming soon too??
According to a link posted by DVD Infomatrix, DVD prices could skyrocket up 50-100% higher if the movie studios get their way (and they almost always do).
This all has to do with adding a rental-pricing window to DVDs, so the studios can get back more money from the rental of DVDs. You can click here to find out more.
I can see one of those vicious circles starting to form. First, the studios worry about the "predicted revenue" lost from piracy and other sources (such as DVD rental), decide to increase prices. The minute they do that, piracy increases because many consumers cannot afford the new higher prices. The movie studios sees the increase in piracy, and starts calculating a new figure "predicted revenue" lost from piracy, and decide to hike up the price again ... and so on and so forth.
Links for this article :
Is
the Price Right?
DVD Infomatrix
4. Donate to Digital Digest - PayPal option added
You can now donate to us using the PayPal service, which a couple of visitors has recommended to us. Previously, this payment option wasn't available to those with non US bank accounts, but they have now added some support for international bank accounts.
You can donate to us here :
http://www.digital-digest.com/donate.html
5. New Programs at Digital Digest
Below are the new programs that have been added/updated to DivX/DVD Digest after our last newsletter was released (on 10th March 2001).
DivX Software :Audio : AVI2WAV 3.1 Morgan Stream Switcher 0.94
Calculators : Advanced DivX Calculator 1.95 Bordivx 1.0 Beta DivX Bitrate 1.00 DivX ;-) Bitrate Calculator 1.1 Divx Bitrate Spank Meister 1.0 DivX Calc DivXCalculator 1.1 DivX File Size Calculator DivX Scene Patch Calculator 1.0 Ecuador's AVI Bitrate Calculator 2.0 Release 4 FeZ Bitrate Calculator 4.0.1 Gordian Knot Calculator 0.14 Beta Griffin Media Consultant Beta 1 Johnny DivX 3.1 [ m A d ] DVD Bitrate Calculator 1.1 Tony Savon's BitCalc 0.3 Video Res(ize)r Calculator 1.00 Video Resizer Calculator 1.1
Codecs : 3ivx MPEG-4 Codec 1.0d3 DivX4Windows 4.0 Alpha 50 DVD2CD Codec & Filter Pack 2.0 Tsunami Codec & Filter Pack 3F Microsoft WMV version 8 playback Codec 8.0.0.0275
Conversion : AVI2WAV 3.1 AVI Constructor Pack bbMPEG and AVI2MPG2 b18 DVD2AVI (w/ VFAPI Plug-in) 1.75 MOV2AVI MPEG2AVI PX3 0.1.5 MPEG2AVI SVE 2.1 MPEG-4 Codec Defaults 1.1 NanDub SBC beta 22 NanDub+BRC 1.00 Time2Frames 0.9 TINRA 0.03 Windows Media V8 encoding utility 8.0.0.0343
Cut/join : ASF Cut 2.0 Beta 1 AVI Revolution 2.2.0.6
Editing : Alphatv AVI Editor 1.0 AVI DeFreezer 1.0 DiVFix 1.05 Synchronizer Beta 0.05
Filters : DivX AntiFreeze 0.3 DivXG400 1.81 DirectVobSub 1.21 Morgan Stream Switcher 0.94 VobSub 1.54
GUIs : Fast DivX 2.2 TINRA GUI 1.2 Windows Media 8 Encoder GUI 1.4
Launchers : AutoPlay Menu Studio 3.0 Autorun for Windows 2000 1.0 Autorun Maestro 1.1.1 DivXPlayer 1.0.0 DivXtreme Launcher 1.1 MediaLauncher 0.09 MicroDVD Autorun 1.78
Players : BS Player 0.834 DivX Media Detonator 1.0.0 GDivX Player 1.8.5 HYPLAY Beta 1.0.417.17 Koala Film Player 1.9 MicroDVD Player 1.2 miniPlayer + Playlist/Menu Editor 1.2.9 The Playa 0.3.3 PowerDivX NextGen 2.56 Revelatex Media Player 2.0 Beta Ripnot 4.00 SamiPlayer 0.95 ShowDivx 1.8 SubViewer 3.0 (0.4.3) Twins Video Player Beta 4 VidAmp 1.0 Vplayer 0.6a
Rip-Packs : DVD2CD 2.0 DVD:Reaper 2.8 Beta 2 DVD-RIPP DVD-Universe MPEG4 Packages 1.0 Easydivx 0.42 FairUse Wizard 0.26 Beta Fast DivX 2.2 G-Ripp 0.5c RipItAll 1.2 Van DVD Naar DivX
Subtitle tools : DirectVobSub 1.21 DVD SUBRipper 0.44 KinGSub 0.91 microAdjust 2.65 MicroDVD Subtitle Position Converter SRT to SSA Converter 1.0 SubAdjust 1.55 SubEditFX 0.1 SUB_MIST 0.2 SubRescue 2.1 SubRip 0.96b SubRip FPS Converter 1.0 Subtitle Adjust 0.5 Subtitle Adjuster for MicroDVD 1.41 SubViewer 3.0 (0.4.3) Vplayer 0.6a VobSub 1.54
DVD Software :
Audio : AC3-Decode 0.8.21 mAC3dec 1.1 VOB2Audio 0.1.0 Wavefile Length Adjust 0.2 WaveMP3 1.2
Authoring : Daikin ReelDVD 2.0 DVD Junior 1.00 DVD Wise 1.75 Ulead GoDVD! 1.0
Conversion : MPEG-1/2 to AVI tools VirtualDub Modified Versions MPEG-1 only FlasK MPEG Encoder 0.6 Preview 1.1 FlasK Modified Versions MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Cinema Craft Encoder 2.62 DVMPEG 5.09 Digigami MegaPEG™ 1.5.7 TMPGEnc Beta 12f WinCoder 1.0 B019.01C00 Support Utilities Futile's TMPGEnc Batch List Maker (for VCD) 1.1
Editing : MPEG2VCR 3.11 Ulead VideoStudio 5.0
GUIs : AZID GUI 0.5 Danni Din's MPEG2AVI/AC3DEC/vStrip GUI 0.20i VCDImager/VCDRip GUI 0.6
Mac tools: bbDemux 1.2 Fair Use 1.0 mAC3dec 1.1
Playback : Cool DVD Soft 2.1 DVD Subber Beta 0.3a build 356 Elecard MPEG-2 Decoder 1.22 Elecard MPEG-2 Player 1.30 Eugene's DVD player 0.97.3 Beta FreeDVD 2.0 Lumenati ShowShifter 1.50.478 Zoom Player 1.50
Playback tools : More PowerDVD Skins
Region : ATISelect 2.1 CDVDInfo 1.3.0 DVD-Finaly 0.1 DVD Genie 4.00 Region-free Firmwares Scavenger-region-set 1.2 Toshiba (RPC-2) Region-changing Utility Zone Selector 4.2
Ripping : All ripping tools are now hosted by our partner site, RipHelp. Please refer to them for the latest versions.
Other : CD Burner : Nero Burning ROM 5.5 File Transfer Utilities : BuddyShare File Sharing System 1.20 eDonkey2000 29.15.48 File Transfer Expert 0.10Beta3 Gnucleus 1.2 NewsReactor 1.0 Build 4447 ORGANIZERS : DVD Profiler 1.1.0 Movie-Box Database 1.30 RB-DVD Office 3in1 1.01.002 VIDEO CAPTURE/SHIFTING : PowerVCRII 3.0 ShowShifter 1.50 Build 478 WinCoder 1.0 B019.01C00 WinDVR 1.0B051 Other : MrShutdown 1.0 ShutDown 1.2
6. How to Cancel/Change Settings/Email address for Your Subscription to this Newsletter
Changing subscription status for this newsletter is pretty easy.
To un-subscribe :
- Send an email to liveupdate-unsubscribe@egroups.com using the email account that receives this newsletter.
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Thank-you
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