CyberLink DVD Player In Ubuntu Store

[dashcloud]

According to this article, http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Operating+Systems&articleId=9114734&taxonomyId=89&pageNumber=1 Canonical has licensed DVD playing software from Cyberlink (PowerDVD),

From the article: The Cyberlink PowerDVD software sells for $49.95 in the Ubuntu store and allows users to play commercial DVDs on the latest version of Ubuntu Linux, v8.04. OpenGL driver support for graphics hardware is also required.

At first I had a rant here about the pricing and such, but apparently that's the standard price for the DVD playing version 7. I'm not sure if I know anyone who's paid full price for a copy- tons of OEM computers come with it, and nearly every DVD drive comes with a copy of it.

Something rubs me wrong about this though- I feel ripped off here.

[deanjo]

I'm not sure if I know anyone who's paid full price for a copy- tons of OEM computers come with it, and nearly every DVD drive comes with a copy of it.

Something rubs me wrong about this though- I feel ripped off here.


Well, usually the oem versions you get with drives are usually a 'lite' version of it missing out on features like post processing and the advanced audio capabilities.

[xav1r]

So that means ubuntu is gonna start shipping with a crippled version of Cyberlink?

[niniendowarrior]

To be honest... I'm happy about this. It means another company recognizes Linux as a platform. Nevermind the eye gouging price, IMO.

[phoronix]

Phoronix: CyberLink DVD Player In Ubuntu Store

Gerry Carr has announced on the Canonical Blog that Fluendo and CyberLink will now be selling their multimedia wares through the Canonical Store. Fluendo is the company supporting the development of GStreamer and they sell several proprietary codecs for providing a legal media playback experience on Linux...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=NjcyNw

[hungerfish]

Great, even more binary blobs in ubuntu...next they'll be shipping IE.

[lunarcloud]

I think this is great. Now I can give new ubuntu users a choice to be questionably legal or fully legal.

We need a good ecosystem of commercial applications on Linux. The desktop and drivers should never be proprietary, but we need proprietary applications to become better in the marketplace.

If we have linux support in the stores, then we get noticed.

[Vadi]

Um, I didn't realize that they were shipping Ubuntu with this... I thought it was just in a repository available for purchase?

But if they're shipping with this, a 'lite'-free version, then great, it's a more usable OS out of the box in the real world.

Edit: nvm, people can't read and I should bother to do the reading myself. It says this in the post:

"We cannot ship codecs through the distro, as they are not free to redistribute. So we have built a restricted download area that is accessible through the store."

[remm]

There's a Catalyst roadmap mentioning BR on Linux (if you are stupid enough to buy into that DRM nightmare):
http://www.pcinpact.com/affichage/46041-AMD-Catalyst-Overdrive-Release-RS880/62130.htm

[remm]

At first I had a rant here about the pricing and such, but apparently that's the standard price for the DVD playing version 7.
At first thought I also had a rant about it, but at second thought I still have a rant about it :)

Why does this (crappy) DVD software and few (less crappy) proprietary codecs from Fluendo cost more than a *physical* DVD/DIVX/anything player that I can plug to my TV, with more hassles ?

[wiscados]

Ubuntu is moving towards dangerous grounds...

[deanjo]

I really don't see what the fuss is about. There is nothing wrong with having a binary only application. The reason it's there is to simply give less cannon fodder for the anti-linux crew. In a Utopian society, sure everything would be opensource, any type of patent wouldn't exist, taxes wouldn't exist, we could all work at our own leisure because we wouldn't have bills to pay, etc, but unfortunately in the real world it doesn't work this way.

I also find it humorous that some of the people griping against a binary blob in here are also the people that are griping for more commercial games in linux which are blobs as well.

Until people start getting vocal with their local politicians, making a point that DRM / rootkits / copyprotection and such is not acceptable to the point where it can be a deciding factor in their election to office, this will not change but will be a fact of digital life. Until that time binary solutions are required to adhere to current laws or go simply without a "legal" solution at all.

All that being said other distro's have provided "legal" DVD playback in the past and present as well for example LinDVD found in the retail version of Mandriva.

[Extreme Coder]

I'm not sure why I'd be paying $50 for this application when libdvdcss is just a click away :P (I'm in Egypt, I dare anyone try and sue me about it ;) )
They should at least offer it at a better price, $29 or less..

[deanjo]

I'm not sure why I'd be paying $50 for this application when libdvdcss is just a click away :P (I'm in Egypt, I dare anyone try and sue me about it ;) )
They should at least offer it at a better price, $29 or less..

It's not you that really would have to be worried about getting sued, it's the OEMs like Dell, Levono, and other linux supporters that would have to worry about getting sued, not to mention the distributions, if they included libdvdcss and other potentially patent infringing and drm legalities. At minimum licenses have to be acquired "legally" to allow decryption and audio playback (AC-3 sound, potentially others like DTS as well and your various audio surround technologies).

[Vadi]

I wouldn't say so much OEM's, because those already do have a solution (see Dell).

It's more for the media imho. Media can't be really saying "there is no Windows codec or DVD support out the box, but there are alternative illegal in the USA solutions available", so they only say the first part, "there is no Windows codec or DVD support out the box". Now, they can report that it's available for purchase.

More comforting for many consumers also.

[deanjo]

I wouldn't say so much OEM's, because those already do have a solution (see Dell).
.

If Dell shipped with DVD decryption and ac-3 support utilizing unlicensed alternatives I can guarantee you the MPEG LA and Dolby Labs would come knocking on the corporate doors of Dell as they all require patent royalty as well for any MPEG2 playback.

[val-gaav]

It's not you that really would have to be worried about getting sued, it's the OEMs like Dell, Levono, and other linux supporters that would have to worry about getting sued, not to mention the distributions, if they included libdvdcss and other potentially patent infringing and drm legalities. At minimum licenses have to be acquired "legally" to allow decryption and audio playback (AC-3 sound, potentially others like DTS as well and your various audio surround technologies).

On the other hand I don't want to pay for things I will not use anyway, and the cost of those licenses will fall on me as the buyer. If I want to buy a laptop loaded with crap I can always buy one with windows.

[deanjo]

On the other hand I don't want to pay for things I will not use anyway, and the cost of those licenses will fall on me as the buyer. If I want to buy a laptop loaded with crap I can always buy one with windows.

Your hardware is already laden with licenses that YOUR paying for, whether you like it or not, whether you use it or not. Even when you buy barebones products like video / motherboards / audio / etc, your paying for licensing you may never use. At least if you purchase a dell ubuntu system you ARE supporting companies that DO at least support it. Seriously, your net add on cost by buying a system that comes with LinDVD or PowerDVD is maybe 2-3 dollars. Small price to pay for a company that at least puts out a product for something other then windows.

[Stedevil]

What really saddens me is that nowhere in the original article is it mentioned that most of these issues is a USA only problem. Most of the rest of the world does not recognize BS patents on mathematical formulas etc.

So this is not a Linux vs Windows issue, but an insane patent laws in USA issue. The discussions should be about that, because the real danger is that the US patent maffia will force through their rules and laws in the rest of the world as well (they are already working hard on it for quite a while). Dont obscure this difference of USA vs the rest of the world, because the day people resign to "this is normal" the patent mongers have won.