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Archives: May 2007


HD DVD Hack: The Infamous Hex Code

Hd_dvd_hackLast week Internet riot on Digg as been immortalize on a T-Shirt. In case every website gets shut down which displays this now infamous hexadecimal code, you can rest assured knowing that it's safely on your chest.

The shirt has a price tag of $20 and it's made with "high definition" fabric!

A quick search on Google for the code sequence gives 1 530 000 pages of results. Talk about spreading news!

Product Page [via Gizmodo]


Digg.com: 0, HD DVD Hackers: 1

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HD DVD hackers and anti-drm groups digg community have organized an attack on Digg after the site's decision to remove content related to HD DVD hacking. The hackers posted the encryption keys they found to break HD DVD's DRM. The Riot was so strong at one point that the front page was featuring only posts with the encryption keys. Almost 50 000 Diggs have been registered for HD DVD hacking related posts.

The least we can say is that we had a good example of what is the social web or the web 2.0. Site editors and webmasters just can't do what they want with the content of their sites anymore. This is especially true when you do rely entirely on your users to create the content available on the site. Digg's owner, Kevin Rose, did not say why he took the decision to remove the content from the site. People are expecting an answer from him and the sooner is the better. What king of pressure does he have from Toshiba, AACS, Sony, HD DVD group? We will probably never know.  UPDATE: Kevin Rose posted something new about the decision to remove the keys:

We had to decide whether to remove stories containing a single code based on a cease and desist declaration. We had to make a call, and in our desire to avoid a scenario where Digg would be interrupted or shut down, we decided to comply and remove the stories with the code.

But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.

If we lose, then what the hell, at least we died trying.

The AACS issued new keys recently to stop the leak from WinDVD but this move shows that what the hackers are doing at the present time is hurting AACS to the bone. Otherwise they would certainly not push Digg to do such a bad move.

The power of the masses is incredible. The social web is really getting strong and the big companies will have to start learning about it and to deal with this new reality. One thing is sure though: It's now Digg.com: 0 and HD DVD hackers: 1.


Dreamgirls, The Hitcher and Alpha Dog on HD DVD Discs

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Fans of Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy will be happy to know that Paramount's movie "Dreamgirls", featuring all three actors is now available on HD DVD discs.

Based on the 1981 Broadway musical comes Dreamgirls, a story of greed, tough hate, and romance. Three young women Deena Jones (Knowles), Effie White (Hudson), and Lorrell Robinson (Rose) desire to become pop stars and get their wish when they're picked to be backup singers for the legendary James "Thunder" Early (Murphy). Then they're set free for leads, but Curtis Taylor (Foxx) and Effie's brother C.C. (Robinson) decide for Deena to be lead which upsets Effie. This movie contains both original Broadway and new songs.

Universal brings two new HD DVD movies to the market this week. "Alpha Dog" and "The Hitcher" are released today.

"Alpha Dog" is a drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list.

"The Hitcher": Collegiate couple Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush) and Jim Halsey (Zachary Knighton) hit the road in a 1970 Oldsmobile 442, en route to spring break , but their pleasure trip soon turns into a waking nightmare after encountering the mysterious hitchhiker John Ryder, a.k.a. The Hitcher (Sean Bean). The initial encounters with Ryder are increasingly off-putting for Grace and Jim, and they bravely fight back when he ambushes them. But they are truly blindsided when he implicates them in a horrific slaying and continues to shadow them. The open road becomes a battleground of blood and metal as, in trying to elude not only Ryder but also New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Esteridge's (Neal McDonough) officers, Grace and Jim must fight for their lives and face their fears head-on.