Hidden Menus
Chinese DVD player evades security -- and it doesn't even need a hack
How did the Chinese build such a versatile machine? It turns out the Apex has a Korean-made computer DVD drive inside. The drive solved two problems at once: It saved the Chinese company from having to develop and license the technology itself, and it reads data off the disc, allowing playback of the varied formats -- MP3, NTSC or PAL video, etc. -- while ignoring all security features in the process.
The question of how such machines can be sold in the U.S. is more interesting. Copyright and piracy laws don’t say anything specifically about hidden menus. But if a machine can be converted to ”illegal“ use with the touch of a few buttons, it seems less than 100 percent kosher. So far, no reports of arrests at Circuit City -- funny how the FBI puts most of its efforts against lone hackers and not large corporations.
For more information about the Apex DVD player, see www.nerd-out.comapex.
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