Macrovision can be activated using some third party tools on the VOB sectors. However the benefit of doing so where you don't send an ISO or DLT to a replicator is somewhat limited.

It can add a premium of maybe as little as 60 cents to each disc but the nature of the technology is that it has to exist as well as the CSS key area (which doesn't physically exist on DVDR at all). In fact to sell a player in the US it needs to be Macrovision enabled and to pass the macrovision labs test you can't adhere to the macrovision extended disc sectors unless you have the CSS protection installed too. They test that you need both present before one or more of the three APS techniques kicks in.

Security companies like to protect eachother.

So the best advice is to do any one or combination of:
1. Ensure your packaging makes folks want to have the original disc.
2. Put a warning on the first-play media that explains that attempts to copy may render this disc and certainly the copy inoperable (keeping innocent and less informed customers innocent).
3. Make sure you've recovered your required income up-front or with a minimum commitment of orders with deposits paid.

I don't believe the license costs anything much. Other than for you to have your lawyer look over the contract. Macrovision really do only expect to deal with replication houses. (ie those that deal with mother/father glass masters and pressing equipment)

DVDR - we can sing for a means to protect our media.
One option is to drill a hole in the disc beyond where the navicable media is but within dummy file area. Probably not worth investigating as copy tools will only delay as they determine the disc is unreadable on those sectors.

With PC convergence into home cinema/living room equipment - the option to protect your own media will arrive but probably just at the point when we stop spinning discs or even compressing at all.

first i want to thanks for those who reply. this is just my little project and i thought it would be better to put some kind of protection on my dvd. its doesnt have to be microvision, can be anything out there that help eliminate illegal copies.

i was looking at IfoEdit, and i saw an option under "Macrovision" tab:

-Remove APS protection
-Add APS Level 1
-Add APS Level 2
-Add APS Level 3


so im wondering, is that it rite there? is that the option to put protection to the film?

thanks.
bryant

Try go for help to offisial http://www.ifoedit.com
But if you want DVD professionally looks like, just professionaly made it!
Copy protection can't give a professionally looks like, only commercially.
(And many "hot words" from any, who will copy this DVD or see on non regionfree player)

APS level 1,2,3 are paid for by those with replication relationships with Macrovision. Otherwise you can't use it because it isn't supposed to activate itself in any other way.

So if you do create discs with the larger protecting sectors that your version of IfoEdit has the ability to make, then _ if_ your player does respect the flags indicated by the APS L1,L2 or L3 protection then it isn't a correct implementation of the macrovision signal scrambling technology on your player. Officially it shouldn't have been imported to your country if it is one that has a listening ear to macrovision.

The large majority of players shouldn't respect the larger sectors or the flags. Instead the disc should play just as if it wasn't protected. So you should have wasted your time. YMMV.

Where the benefit comes is if you don't own an authoring app that generates a macrovision ISO or DLT image. The replicator would probably have quite an unusual workflow to put the CSS key area into the cutter file, protect your sectors with CSS _AND_ subsequently carve a father/mother glass master. I'm sure many are more flexible than they were.

Macrovision do have a new technology to slow down theft using the previously released tools based loosely on what was learnt from deCSS.

However I believe you wanted some form of protection for DVDR homebrew discs. So I'd still push the ideas I mentioned earlier.

Digital Rights Management is the nearest "people's" protection technology. It has many many models of operation most of which require you to run an online server or have a play counter for each OS/player installation.

I do hope you find the mechanism that suits you. I don't think you need to pursue macrovision though. I think macrovision made a blooper by not permitting a mode of operation without CSS. Then you could possibly use IfoEdit and pay a respectful right-to-use sum to Macrovision for each disc you burn. However I'd expect MacroVision would have wanted to license the technology that IfoEdit has essentially lifted by reverse engineering it.

All pointless to bitch about whilst players need CSS+macrovision to honour a protection scheme on a shiny disc.

Hopefully BluRay will give us a means to keep our honest customers honest. Without having to press glass.