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[Roy M. Silvernail]

On 8 Aug 2001, at 12:02, Tim May wrote:

> On Wednesday, August 8, 2001, at 11:44 AM, Ray Dillinger wrote:

> > They're sticking *trailers* on movies that people *pay for??*
> >
> > Geez.. talk about destroying the value of the merchandise they're
> > trying to sell.
> >
> 
> Yes, we have heard here (or at a physical meeting, I forget which). I
> don't buy many DVDs, but this was discussed. Apparently the trailers
> and ads cannot be fast-forwarded through...something built into the
> DVD spec which allows this.

I can verify that.  My copy of "O Brother, Where Art Thou" has 2 
trailers that play _before the main menu_.  Fortunately, chapter 
skip goes right by them, but it's still annoying.  I've got one or two 
others with intrusive trailers, but their titles escape me.

As I understand it, DVDs are controlled by a (reputedly powerful) 
script language that allows disabling arbitrary features of the 
player.  (the FBI warning usually won't skip)

> So an ad-buster which "circumvented" this would violate the DMCA,
> presumably.

I can always tell my player to go directly to a title/chapter.  
Unskippable trailers will probably just lead to my keeping a Sharpie 
near the player so I can make a note on the new discs as to where 
I want to start.  Is that "circumvention"?

Hmmm...  The DMCA prohibits Sharpie markers?

--
Roy M. Silvernail
Proprietor, scytale.com
roy at scytale.com