Blockbuster also blocking rooted Android phones from movies
updated 12:15 pm EDT, Wed May 25, 2011
Blockbuster app blocks rooted Android phones
Blockbuster's app for the Droid Charge uses DRM software from Widevine and has the ability to detect a rooted handset, Droid-Life reported. It will then inform the user of this, and not allow access to the streaming videos offered by the app. Coincidentally, Widevine is owned by Google, the maker of the Android OS the Droid Charge runs on.
Google has also recently blocked rooted Android devices, including tablets, from accessing its Google Movies service.
Rooting refers to installing unofficial versions of the Android operating system that give full access to the OS beyond what Google allows. Blockbuster and Google may be both concerned that a rooted phone could let someone use a stream ripping app to pirate the content or otherwise defeat the copy protection.
