Amazon VOD Flaw Allows Free Video Recording

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Tech News
• Date: Sep 30,2008

Videos from Amazon.com’s recently launched Video on Demand service, as well as apparently video from many other sites, can be captured and watched — free — using video stream capture software.

Reuters used software, Replay Media Catcher, from Applian Technologies to capture video streams from Amazon’s Video on Demand. It was allowed by the fact that the video stream isn’t really encrypted (despite what they say) coupled with a balancing act between security and convenience.

Applian CEO Bill Dettering said:

“Adobe’s (stream) is not really encrypted. One of the downfalls with how they have architected the software is that people can capture the streams. I fully expect them to do something more robust in the near future.”

But the kicker for Amazon VOD is the following: you can watch the first two minutes as a preview from their site. However, even though the site paused the video on the Web browser after the first two minutes, the video continues to stream, so that users can start watching the rest of the video right away, assuming they pay.

However, even if a user doesn’t pay, the video catching software snags the entire stream.

What’s just as interesting is that you can use Replay Media Catcher to also grab videos from Hulu, NBC.com, and CBS.com. While those videos are streamed for free, they include ads, but the software splits the video from the ads, so if you wanted to, you could play back the show or movie alone.

While Amazon.com could probably change their site to avoid downloading the entire stream, the problem of being able to record video streams still exists.

A suggested solution? Ugh, DRM. Widevine Technologies, based in Seattle, has a DRM system that can encrypt online videos using Flash. CEO Brian Baker said:

“The fundamental problem here is that Adobe’s lack of technology is not allowing the business models to be preserved.”

Update: According to Appian Technologies, Amazon has modified their site to prevent Replay Media Catcher from working. However, they say you can continue to use WM Recorder, another of their products. While that needs the video to be played via your PC for it to record something, it still seems that, although you can no longer get the entire video for free, you could download — and burn — a streamed video.