"Permanent Injunction against Pivos" - where does this leave us?

[TheDarkKnight]

I came across this news story(recently released) by way of a Google search about blu-ray.

http://www.financialpost.com/market...n+against+Pivos+Technology/8640093/story.html

What exactly are the practical implications of this "permanent injunction". The article doesn't make it clear what the "exact" accusation or infringement might be. Surely, these devices do not circumvent AACS protection schemes so it would be interesting to know on what basis this permanent injunction has been granted.

I know that for me one of the most compelling features of purchasing a stand-alone media player is the ability to mount .ISO files with full DVD and Blu-Ray menu navigation support from an external USB hard disk drive. The convenience of having multiple movies available at the drop of a hat is a very desirable feature. This would include AIOS media players from Pivos and (correct me if I am wrong) Western Digital Live TV media players(maybe others as well).

So are sales of these players going to be forbidden if they implement this technology(ability to mount .ISOs)?

I still haven't decided which media player I want to purchase(choices being WD Live or an AIOS player) so I am very interested in what this means for these players. Now and going forward.

 

[smitbret]

I believe it applies only to PIVOS. WDTV Live and others won't display the full BR menu when playing back BR ISOs since that is a licensing violation. The "abbreviated" menu that many of these players use for .iso is not. Looks like PIVOS is giving the whole menu. Not only that, but it appears PIVOS was using the Blu-Ray logo with its branding and marketing which is a no-no.

Incidentally, I tried out the Pivos AIOS before purchasing a WDTV Live Hub. The interface with the AIOS was just slow, sluggish and looked like it was designed by a Junior High School Graphics Art class. Not only that, but getting it to work with my DLNA streaming software was not intuitive. There were other things, too, but it was a couple of years ago and if I remember right it had something to do with SAMBA sharing and having to do some kind of programming (tele--- something) that I wasn't familiar with.

Sent it back and got the WDTV Live Hub. Much friendlier interface in a much smaller box. The WAF is much, much higher.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

I believe it applies only to PIVOS. WDTV Live and others won't display the full BR menu when playing back BR ISOs since that is a licensing violation. The "abbreviated" menu that many of these players use for .iso is not. Looks like PIVOS is giving the whole menu. Not only that, but it appears PIVOS was using the Blu-Ray logo with its branding and marketing which is a no-no.

Incidentally, I tried out the Pivos AIOS before purchasing a WDTV Live Hub. The interface with the AIOS was just slow, sluggish and looked like it was designed by a Junior High School Graphics Art class. Not only that, but getting it to work with my DLNA streaming software was not intuitive. There were other things, too, but it was a couple of years ago and if I remember right it had something to do with SAMBA sharing and having to do some kind of programming (tele--- something) that I wasn't familiar with.

Sent it back and got the WDTV Live Hub. Much friendlier interface in a much smaller box. The WAF is much, much higher.

Sounds like Western Digital Live is the best option at this time. Could you please explain what WAF is? I am not familiar with that acronym.

 

[smitbret]

Sounds like Western Digital Live is the best option at this time. Could you please explain what WAF is? I am not familiar with that acronym.

Wife Acceptance Factor



I should probably add, in the AIOS defense, that it is a very capable box. If you like to tinker with things then there's nothing wrong with it and many people have set it up with jukebox functionality that looks pretty sweet. I tried, but there were a lot of steps that were needed to hack into it and set it up and I didn't have the patience to sit down and try to learn it. There used to be a dedicated thread at www.avsforum.com for the AIOS that might give you more info.

THE WDTV Live isn't perfect, it can still be a little sluggish and its media library is not without its challenges but for local streaming, I don't think there's a better box out there right now.

 

[Aikouka]

Well, the Pivos unit is practically meant for XBMC. There's a reason why they're a sponsor, and the first Android unit to be certified for XBMC.

 

[Destiny]

Pivos has also agreed to cooperate with the BDA to identify other potential infringers.

Wow... they got caught and became snitchers and party crashers!

 

[TheDarkKnight]

Wife Acceptance Factor



I should probably add, in the AIOS defense, that it is a very capable box. If you like to tinker with things then there's nothing wrong with it and many people have set it up with jukebox functionality that looks pretty sweet. I tried, but there were a lot of steps that were needed to hack into it and set it up and I didn't have the patience to sit down and try to learn it. There used to be a dedicated thread at www.avsforum.com for the AIOS that might give you more info.

THE WDTV Live isn't perfect, it can still be a little sluggish and its media library is not without its challenges but for local streaming, I don't think there's a better box out there right now.

I wonder how soon that permanent injunction kicks in. I realize its probably in effect immediately but how does the injunction affect units already sold in reseller warehouses? If the current stock available at places like newegg and amazon is still selling with the BD menu navigation functionality it could make the box more desirable from that perspective until new units come out that don't have the menu navigation capabilities. Although(I am just guessing here) the ability to mount the .ISO images rests solely in the firmware and not anywhere in the hardware of the device itself. So the only difference in new units moving forward would probably be a different version of a firmware that doesn't support BD menu navigation.
Which means that whether a unit was purchased now with the current firmware or in the future with a revised firmware the firmware could always be modified to an earlier point in time if the earlier firmware versions could be found.