Audio Video News

Sony will offer replacements for 20 defective glitch-prone DVD titles. The cause of the defect is yet another digital rights management scheme that's gone wacky.

All standard-def DVDs use a form of DRM called CSS, the Content Scramble System. The problem has arisen with a secondary level of DRM called ARccOS. It introduces errors intended to thwart ripping software. Unfortunately it's also undermining legitimate playback in some DVD players.

As originally implemented, ARccOS caused no problems, according to Sony. Only after a recent tweak did it start making players glitch. Another tweak should solve the problem, Sony says.

This latest DRM snafu follows recent settlements in the rootkit scandal. Virus-like XCP DRM from infected CD titles had installed itself in Windows PCs, exposing millions of them to security hazards. Howls of protest landed Sony BMG in lawsuit hell. In this case, Sony swiftly admitted error and is moving to replace the defective product.

Affected titles include Casino Royale, Open Season, Rocky Balboa, Stranger Than Fiction, and The Holiday. To request a replacement, call Sony Pictures Home Entertainment at 800-860-2878. Is everybody happy?