DVD/TV in game question..

Is it possible to put in a DVD in my PC, then run the vid/sound thru a TV in my apartment/house in game? I would assume so, since music is fed thru dance clubs and whatnot.

If it *is* possible, how?

Well I suppose you can fire up a streaming video server on your machine and then plug the URL into the SL video player.

I would highly recommend against doing this unless you obtain the express written permission of the coypright holders. Otherwise you're breaking the law because what you're describing falls under broadcasting of copyrighted materials in a non-home setting to multiple parties.

OK. Here is where that whole thing gets a bit fuzzy....The *intent* is for the video/sound to be viewable/heard by me, and whoever else is in my apartment/house at the same time. Just as in RL, if someone wants to sit outside my window and watch, I can't stop them. Well, I can, but you get my drift.

And...

How would that be any different than say, Hot Licks or any other public venue inSL broadcasting music? OR any RL bar that throws in a CD for patrons to listen to?

Any futher insight from some of you pro's out there?

I'd strongly advise you not to do this: the legal implications aren't of having friends over; legally, you'd be streaming the video to people across the planet, regardless of where they are virtually, and for 99% of the DVDs out there, that's a crime (copyright infringement).

The way to do it, however, would be to decrypt the DVD video to a format which can be played by Quicktime 6 (like MPEG). This isn't an easy process to explain either, but once you have it in a usable format, you could send it to a server and have it set as the media URL for your land. It would require quite a bit of bandwidth as well.

Regards,

-Flip

Videolan (www.videolan.org) is software made to stream video over a network. You might also try DARWIN (http://developer.apple.com/opensource/server/streaming/index.html), Apple's free video streaming software.

If you're not charging money for admission to the performance, I wouldn't worry about the copyright implications. DVD's are licensed for "private home performance." I'd love to see a copyright case go to court where the prosecution had to argue the definition of "home" as it relates to a virtual world. Apparently, the home restrictions have no legal weight, anyway. Dig this:

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2.5.2) Doesn't "For Private Home Use Only" cover DeCSS use?

This is still being debated. What is known is that 17 U.S.C. 401, which deals with registration and display of copyright notice, makes no mention of any legal significance placed on notices added to traditional copyright notices. Neither does 17 U.S.C. 501, which deals with copyright infringement, nor 17 U.S.C. 106, which defines the rights considered exclusive to the copyright owner. If on-package "license notices" like "For Private Home Use Only" have any legal weight whatsoever, it doesn't seem to do so under Title 17.
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from http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/openlaw/DVD/dvd-discuss-faq.html#ss2.5.2

In the US, bar owners, radio and television stations or anyone else who uses copyrighted music for commercial gain must pay yearly dues to two different licensing organizations, ASCAP or BMI. Failure to do so can result in stiff fines, I believe up to $5000 per incident.

Other countries usually have similar organizations.

Those that ignore these rules in SL are taking a huge risk. So long as you are not using the copyrighted material for commercial gain or freely distributing it, you should be fine.

A service I have no affiliation with but have expected to go down well before now is still up... SL Video Bank (http://slvideobank.com/) still online after a year. From talking with the owner months ago about the legality of this commercial service (fees are charged per stream rented), the response I received was along the same lines of defense as stated above. Is this true or even advocated by a attorney? I don't know but talking to the proprietory of SL Video Bank might give some answers to the legality, or at least prospective.