The ability for some Blu-ray players to support BD-Live was originally promoted as a service so Blu-ray owners could receive extra content from the movie studios, but there apparently is a dirty little secret Sony has been reluctant to share with consumers.
It seems that BD-Live can be used so movie studios can monitor how many times you play your Blu-ray movie, along with several other annoyances.
SlySoft issued a press release so it could warn consumers against this breach of security, while also promoting its latest AnyDVD HD software update that can protect the privacy of all Blu-ray users.
"One can only presume that the primary motivation behind this farce is 'getting closer' to the customer or, in other words, the studios would like to know exactly how often and when their disc buyers are looking at which film," according to the press release from SlySoft.
"When we took a closer look at the first of these disk types we were asolutely dumbfounded. Sometimes the films actually contacted the manufacturer and did that with the user not knowing about it or even being in a position to even recognize that this connection was taking place," said Peer van Heuen, SlySoft head of development. "I assume that a significant percentage of these film buyers don't know what to make of the little BD-Live logo on the package or even recognize it at all. In other words: hardly anyone expects that a Blu-ray disc 'makes a telephone call home' while it’s being played. The circumstances and manner whereby unwitting consumers are maliciously and insidiously eavesdropped upon might get the attention of data and security and/or personal privacy experts in some countries sooner or later."
AnyDVD HD users can update their software to include the ability to disable BD-Live so the "personal privacy of the spied-upon consumer is restored."
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Karma: 23220 , Mon 3 Nov 2008 04:53
Sony invading our privacy? C'mon! 
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Karma: 3180 , Mon 3 Nov 2008 05:33
@Hypnosois That better be sarcasm...cause if not...you are truely blind
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Karma: 20090 , Mon 3 Nov 2008 14:58
@ vikampion
I'm pretty sure he's kidding. That pic of Pac-Man puking his guts out was my first hint.
All I can say is buy an internal Blu-ray drive and rip those movies to a networked media tank (NMT). Nothing Sony does any more surprises me. It's disgusting what they try to pull over our eyes.
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Karma: 51620 , Mon 3 Nov 2008 15:17
Don't forget- Sony probably got paid to add this "service" for it's REAL customers - the content provider. The end user is just a criminal in their eyes and needs to be monitored and controlled. Also, they did so, using your purchase, your equipment and your Internet connection! YOU are paying to get spied on! Still want a bluray? *rolls eyes*
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Karma: 43650 , Mon 3 Nov 2008 15:50
I have BD-Live disabled and refuse to use it as I was thinking that this may happen (sticks on the alluminum foil over head now). But the average Joe doesn't know they can disable this feature. Thank god for Slysoft's AnyDVD HD. I bet the studios will get the players an update to tell if the video is a backup or a home movie and then disable playback on the backups.
Go here for the original story/release.
http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=22054
There are other humorous scenarios on the forum also.
If this wasn't so scary it would be almost funny.
