In the wake of DeCSS, the decryption technology for DVD, the Digital Versatile Disc industry has been searching for well over a year for new ways to thwart DVD piracy. But in much the same way the industry stepped on its . . .
In the wake of DeCSS, the decryption technology for DVD, the Digital Versatile Disc industry has been searching for well over a year for new ways to thwart DVD piracy. But in much the same way the industry stepped on its own toes throughout the long, delayed struggle to release the DVD format itself, competing companies with conflicting interests are once again standing in the way of consensus.

The industry agrees it cannot simply replace its existing copy-protection scheme, because that would invalidate the more than 13 million DVD players already sold. Instead, whatever new system the industry adopts cannot interfere with existing players, at the same time that support is slowly implemented into future hardware. "I would be surprised if there's any kind of robust scheme that wouldn't involve firmware," says Bill Hunt, editor of The Digital Bits, one of the first DVD fan sites. "Any kind of robust scheme is going to involve an update to people's players."

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