Another win for DRM and Hollywood, right? Every executive producer is sleeping happier, right? Right? In other news I find it amazing this company still exists. They must be propped up by MPEGLA or the HEVC licensing group.
Er, no, people already paid for the movie and the hardware capable of playing it back, why should they not be able to play it back without all the hassle involved? DRM is doing nothing to deter piracy (could be argued it even makes it more popular). I don't pirate but that's mostly because the means to bypass the DRM so I can manage content I've bought is relatively easy to access and use, otherwise I'd lose no sleep over pirating movies that I bought just so I'd be able to play them back without hassle on my hardware.
i have never had any issues with DRM or the like... ever, and i have even used power dvd on my notebook to boot... so i have no idea why those that cry over DRM, have all these issues.....
You do know that the reason places like Netflix and amazon don't instantly have movies like a blockbuster is because of DRM and copyright nutjobs right? Its not always down to simply being able to play on a computer. DRM is every scoping on paper and on hardware.
HDCP not ring a bell? Video capture devices sometimes can't even capture console video output due to HDCP, even though you physically own the console, the game disc, the output TV, a physical hdmi capture card, and want to stream video of the gameplay to your local group of friends.
Then there's bluray discs that just won't play video natively for many people's PCs despite owning a physical bluray drive, a physical PC, and a physical movie bluray disk.
You don't have these issues because either: a) You don't purchase this DRM-protected content (often). or b) You don't try to playback this DRM-protected content (often) on various devices you own.
Just because you don't happen to encounter these issues doesn't mean that others aren't regularly annoyed by DRM measures. Even for digital games purchased on digital storefronts, a common complaint has been that Denuvo piracy protection severely hampers gameplay performance, even on well equipped modern PCs.
I would be fine if there was a theoretical "ultimate" DRM that provided no penalty in usability for legitimate users but was otherwise uncrackable for pirates, but the fact of the matter remains that the millions of authentic buyers are needlessly shackled and inconvenienced by DRM, while the few handful of pirates crack/remove DRM and enjoy the content without issues. Overall, DRM measures have crippled authentic users much more than the pirates who find it a minor inconvenience before they crack it anyways. If this is the reality of utilizing DRM, then what real purpose is DRM really providing? Pirates will get it either way, but it's important to realize that legitimate users are the ones that are suffering.
When put into context of declining movie/game purchases year after year, even though both hobbies are bigger than ever, and DRM becoming bigger than ever, really makes you think if it's the pirates causing the """"lost sales"""" or if it's really just the hassle of your purchases being semi-useless due to DRM that people lose faith in buying that media to begin with.
all of my movies.. are either store bought dvd or blueray, and i have played them on both my laptop ( when on vacation ) and on my desktop, still with no issues with playback via powerdvd.....
Wow - lots of haters - typical Internet crowd these days.
You don't have to comment negatively on something you don't own and don't intend to own and therefore do not really have an informed opinion
I use PowerDVD 15 and find it reliable, easy to use and as soon as the new one is discounted I'll be buying it. I've tried VLC and others and PowerDVD usability is streets ahead.
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austinsguitar - Tuesday, April 16, 2019 - link
i think madvr and vlc will still by more widely used than powerdvd. i didnt even know they still existed...mooninite - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
Another win for DRM and Hollywood, right? Every executive producer is sleeping happier, right? Right? In other news I find it amazing this company still exists. They must be propped up by MPEGLA or the HEVC licensing group.Korguz - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
wow people are still crying over this ?? only those that try to get everything for free... are the ones that cry about it....darkswordsman17 - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
Er, no, people already paid for the movie and the hardware capable of playing it back, why should they not be able to play it back without all the hassle involved? DRM is doing nothing to deter piracy (could be argued it even makes it more popular). I don't pirate but that's mostly because the means to bypass the DRM so I can manage content I've bought is relatively easy to access and use, otherwise I'd lose no sleep over pirating movies that I bought just so I'd be able to play them back without hassle on my hardware.Korguz - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
i have never had any issues with DRM or the like... ever, and i have even used power dvd on my notebook to boot... so i have no idea why those that cry over DRM, have all these issues.....imaheadcase - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
You do know that the reason places like Netflix and amazon don't instantly have movies like a blockbuster is because of DRM and copyright nutjobs right? Its not always down to simply being able to play on a computer. DRM is every scoping on paper and on hardware.JoeyJoJo123 - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
HDCP not ring a bell? Video capture devices sometimes can't even capture console video output due to HDCP, even though you physically own the console, the game disc, the output TV, a physical hdmi capture card, and want to stream video of the gameplay to your local group of friends.Then there's bluray discs that just won't play video natively for many people's PCs despite owning a physical bluray drive, a physical PC, and a physical movie bluray disk.
You don't have these issues because either:
a) You don't purchase this DRM-protected content (often).
or
b) You don't try to playback this DRM-protected content (often) on various devices you own.
Just because you don't happen to encounter these issues doesn't mean that others aren't regularly annoyed by DRM measures. Even for digital games purchased on digital storefronts, a common complaint has been that Denuvo piracy protection severely hampers gameplay performance, even on well equipped modern PCs.
I would be fine if there was a theoretical "ultimate" DRM that provided no penalty in usability for legitimate users but was otherwise uncrackable for pirates, but the fact of the matter remains that the millions of authentic buyers are needlessly shackled and inconvenienced by DRM, while the few handful of pirates crack/remove DRM and enjoy the content without issues. Overall, DRM measures have crippled authentic users much more than the pirates who find it a minor inconvenience before they crack it anyways. If this is the reality of utilizing DRM, then what real purpose is DRM really providing? Pirates will get it either way, but it's important to realize that legitimate users are the ones that are suffering.
When put into context of declining movie/game purchases year after year, even though both hobbies are bigger than ever, and DRM becoming bigger than ever, really makes you think if it's the pirates causing the """"lost sales"""" or if it's really just the hassle of your purchases being semi-useless due to DRM that people lose faith in buying that media to begin with.
Korguz - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
actually JoeyJoJo123....all of my movies.. are either store bought dvd or blueray, and i have played them on both my laptop ( when on vacation ) and on my desktop, still with no issues with playback via powerdvd.....
Smell This - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
. . . This dude must work for the "Intel HDCP/DRM Council" (rolling eyes)
webdoctors - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
How does this company stay in business? Impressive. I thought they dissipated like Blockbuster.jabber - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
It's like DivX all over again. Dinosaur software.TheOtherOn - Wednesday, April 17, 2019 - link
PotPlayer > PowerDvD any day of the week, TWICE on Sundays!justareader - Friday, April 19, 2019 - link
potplayer is over rated.tony_w - Thursday, April 18, 2019 - link
Wow - lots of haters - typical Internet crowd these days.You don't have to comment negatively on something you don't own and don't intend to own and therefore do not really have an informed opinion
I use PowerDVD 15 and find it reliable, easy to use and as soon as the new one is discounted I'll be buying it. I've tried VLC and others and PowerDVD usability is streets ahead.
justareader - Friday, April 19, 2019 - link
Do all these free players support Dolby Atmos or other premium audio codecs?justareader - Friday, April 19, 2019 - link
I will answer this myself. No they don't.Korguz - Friday, April 19, 2019 - link
if they did.. that probably wouldn't be free :-)