Below are a series of comparative images demonstrating quality differences between DVD-ripped and screen captured source. All images were made from the opening scene of the 2009 Star Trek reboot movie; captures were made with the Replay Video Capture software demonstrated at the Library of Congress "tech day" hearings.

You may notice that the first of these images — the captured image of Captain Robau (as seen in the top half of Image A) — is not bad; in fact, screen capture software works all right for low-motion, low-contrast shots (for example, of people standing still or just talking).

However, as we see in the top half of Image B, capture software works poorly in bright light or for high contrast shots. Image B is essentially the same static shot as in Image A, but it comes after an explosion — a sudden flash of bright light — and pixellation of the image is immediately evident.

Similarly, Image C shows the same footage cropped and resized: a common technique to change the composition of or emphasis in a the frame, and further degradation is evident.

Images D through I below also show the loss of quality incurred capturing clips in scenes with more contrast or internal movement.

So in a typical movie, very few captured frames would have even the barely acceptable quality that we see in Image A. (And vidders and other fan remixers tend not to use static shots of people talking in any case; in fact, to do so is a sign of inexperience and derided by vid critics with slang terms like "Talky-Face" or "Lip Flap." )
 

Image A: Captain Robau of the USS Kelvin: the top image was captured, the lower image was ripped.

Image B: Captain Robau of the USS Kelvin as seen after a flash of bright light; top image captured, lower image ripped.

Image C: Captain Robau, cropped and resized. As you can see, this has a severe effect on captured image quality; the ripped DVD footage stands up much better. Top image captured, lower image ripped.

Image D: The Narada; top image captured, lower image ripped.

Image E: Panning past Kirk Senior; top image captured, lower image ripped.

Image F: Missiles fire during the battle; top image captured, lower image ripped.

Image G: The USS Kelvin takes fire; top image captured, lower image ripped.

Image H: The Kelvin's helmsman reacts (first shot); top image captured, lower image ripped.

Image I: The Kelvin's helmsman reacts (second shot); top image captured, lower image ripped.

 
 
Return to the Test Suite of Fair Use Vids

On March 2, 2012, the OTW's legal team filed a Reply Comment (PDF) in support of the EFF's petition to the Library of Congress to renew the DMCA exemption for noncommercial remixers, such as vidders. Special thanks to Legal Committee members Rachael Vaughn and Rebecca Tushnet for their work, as well as to all the fans who helped us explain why high quality clips are important to vidding and why remix matters!

Next stop: testifying in DC. We'll keep you posted!

--written by Rachael Vaughn, OTW Legal Committee

Kirby Ferguson, creator of Everything is a Remix, is standing up for the right to create remix videos. Although the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemptions granted in 2010 helped clear some legal hurdles for vidders and other remix artists, these exemptions will expire if not renewed. The OTW is currently working with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to urge the Copyright Office to maintain and reasonably expand the 2010 exemptions. Specifically, OTW and EFF have asked that the Copyright Office protect the right to extract clips from DVDs and other digital sources like Amazon Unbox for the purpose of making non-commercial videos that constitute fair use under US copyright law.

The next step involves the Copyright Office soliciting comments from the public about the proposed exemptions and holding a series of hearings. This is where you can help. OTW and EFF need comments from fans, vidders, remix artists, and others who have a stake in seeing the exemptions granted. You can show your support for the right to remix by...

1. Signing Kevin's Rip.Mix.Make petition; and/or

2. Submitting comments as described in this post from EFF.

Comments are due by February 10, 2012 at 5 PM Eastern Time so don't delay!

The internet has been abuzz recently with comments about the 'Stop Online Piracy Act' (SOPA) currently under debate in the US House of Representatives, and its counterpart the 'Protect IP Act' (PIPA) in the Senate. Organizations such as the EFF and the Library Copyright Alliance have raised concerns that the bills - which are ostensibly aimed at curbing 'rogue' foreign sites - have significant implications for the web internationally, and will work to curb free speech and online creativity.

Here at the OTW, we've been following developments since the bill was first mooted. SOPA has particular implications for sites which include user-generated content because of the broad language in the bill. This means that it has the potential to negatively affect many popular fansites - including the Archive of Our Own and Fanlore - if it is implemented in its current form.

Following protests from many groups, the Obama administration issued a statement which was seen by the New York Times as a significant blow to the proposed legislation. Nevertheless, the EFF argues that it still poses a significant threat.

In order to make sure that members of the US Senate and House of Representatives understand the problematic nature of the proposed legislation, many sites around the internet are taking part in an 'internet strike'. The OTW will be joining this day of action with a banner on the Archive of Our Own and a blackout on our main website, transformativeworks.org. If you are a US citizen, we urge you to contact your representatives and senators to let them know how you feel about these bills.