By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 26/08/2026Anti-features aren't the only deliberate defects we find in DVD players. The consortium's hook IP licenses didn't just *require* anti-features, they also *banned* useful features...including recording. 54/ 11566
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 26/08/2026Long after the price of read/write optical drives plummeted to pocket-change, there was still no such thing as a home DVD recorder that would let you stick a spindle full of discs next to the TV and use them to record all your favorite shows. 55/ 31557
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 26/08/2026Shortly after the DVD player emerged, Congress created the most powerful hook IP of all: "anti-circumvention law." Under anti-circumvention law, it's a literal crime - a felony - to modify or reimplement a technology without permission from the manufacturer. 56/ 31617
mjs @the-silver-lining.bsky.social · 26/08/2026My (not very tech savvy) parents had a dvd tv recorder for years. I had an HTPC with consumer Snapstream installed on it, connected to cable. I haven't had cable since 2008, and no longer pay for any streaming services. 000
Martin Laurent @malauren.be · 26/08/2026At that time, the technology to cheaply compress in real-time wasn't available. 000
