Sony vow to replace troublesome Casino Royale copy-protected DVDs

21-Apr-2007 • Casino Royale

Sony DADC says it will replace copy-protected DVDs that are "incompatible" with a small number of DVD players. Sony says 20 DVD titles are affected including Open Season, Casino Royal, Stranger Than Fiction, Rocky Balboa, and The Holiday - reports PC World.

The Sony DVD disc incompatibility problem stems from Sony's use of the ARccOS copy protection system. Sony says the copy protection technology was used on a small number of DVDs that passed initial compatibility tests with DVD players. Sony estimates as many as 25 million DVDs have the incompatible version of the ARccOS copy protection technology on them.

One sign your DVD player may not be compatible with one of the 20 Sony DVD titles is when the DVD loads and displays the title screen but then freezes. After about 60 seconds the player turns itself off.

Sony says it has received complaints on less than 1000th of one percent of the affected discs shipped over the past few months--just a couple hundred complaints.

The vendor didn't supply a list of affected DVD players or say how many DVD players are impacted. The company would only say the number is very small. One of the DVD players impacted was a Sony DVD player model Sony DVP-CX995V, according to a Sony Pictures customer service repetitive.

Consumers who have purchased one of the 20 faulty Sony DVD movie titles can call Sony Pictures Home Entertainment at 1-800-860-2878 and request a replacement DVD. Sony says it has corrected the problem with ARccOS copy protection.

Here is Sony's official statement:

"Sony DADC has offered its customers ARccOS copy protection for more than two years. In order to protect content, ARccOS is frequently updated. Recently, an update that was installed on approximately 20 titles was found to cause an incompatibility issue with a very small number of DVD players (Sony has received complaints on less than one thousandth of one percent of affected discs shipped). Since then, the ARccOS system has once again been updated, and there are no longer any playability problems. Any customer who has contacted Sony Pictures Home Entertainment with a complaint has been given a replacement DVD. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment customer service can be reached at 800-860-2878."