exposing vodei

investigating the shady world of codecs, encoders, and online pr0n

Background

DISCLAIMER: This site is in no way affiliated with Vodei Multimedia Processor or SVR Consulting LTD.

This site is dedicated to investing the web of companies and websites surrounding the Vodei.com Media Encoder.

I got involved in this company’s web of deceit when I accidentally downloaded one of their files. The file could not be moved or erased by normal means, so I started looking for information online about a website named in the file: XDVDZ.COM. As I looked into XDVDZ.com and related companies, I found a thread dedicated to this topic on the Inmatrix Forums (link) and my curiosity was piqued. I tried contacting several of the contact emails provided in the WHOIS listings for these websites, and received a reply from RON@XDVDZ.COM. He refused to tell me how to delete the file, and dismissed my concerns about the file on my computer.

Ron from SVR Consulting LTD is listed as an attendee of an adult webmaster gathering, Costa Rica Bash 2006 (list no longer available), and xdvdz.com is listed as his website. SVR Consulting is the owner and registrant of Vodei.com and a number of other connected sites.

So far, these are the companies and sites I’ve linked to this questionable product, file and “company”:

  • Vodei (vodei.com)
  • SVR Consulting (svrconsulting.ca)
  • Energy Hosting (energyhosting.com, energyhosting.net)
  • XDVDZ.com
  • MoviesEmpire.com
  • DVDLS.com
  • VIDEOSZ.com
  • Bayshore Solutions LTD (does not appear to be linked to award-winning designers bayshoresolutions.com )
  • LXIDEAS.com
  • FastTorr.com **new**

57 Comments »

  1. Shame to see this site has been abandoned. Did you not get any further with your investigations?

    Comment by Daniel | August 18, 2006 | Reply

  2. I apologize for the lack of updates. I’ve actually been working with a number of people to determine the best metrics to use for this, and deciding which utilities (beyond sysinternals, etc.) are best suited for this task. I hope to have some new information within the next few weeks.

    Comment by vodei | August 18, 2006 | Reply

  3. Too bad, that this ‘Vodei.com’ (and others) are not from Czech republic. If it is so, I can give them nice night with a lots of fireworks before sending them to hell.

    Comment by ShadowStrike | November 3, 2006 | Reply

  4. Did you try deleting the file in MSDOS mode (Not from “MSDOS Prompt” but actually booting your machine in MSDOS Mode)

    Comment by Mooman | January 17, 2007 | Reply

  5. try using the free UNLOCKER prog…. it will let you delete it. maybe some spycrap is hooking it…

    Comment by he whoknows | January 27, 2007 | Reply

  6. bigtest

    Comment by abutalal2006 | March 25, 2007 | Reply

  7. I had the same problem and if I remember right it deleted when I went to the task manager ended explorer went thru new task/ browse located the directory it was in and deleted the folder that the folder containing the file was in. If that doesn’t work I’d send ron a free plane ticket to visit the czech rep. & notify shadow when he lands

    Comment by antixdvdz | May 13, 2007 | Reply

  8. Deleting any currupt file is easier if you get everything out of the containing file you need to keep then using a shredder application searching for the containing file and say shred.

    Comment by dude | May 17, 2007 | Reply

  9. I am also looking for answers to this vodei thing.

    Comment by dude | May 17, 2007 | Reply

  10. hi,
    this Vodei thing is a Scam.

    Comment by abe | May 27, 2007 | Reply

  11. I think I have all the answers I need on this shady product that no one really knows much about, has no PR person(s) to answer for or take accountability for the product & shows up by means of unorthodox marketing. And although it has been stated that it plays while disconnected to the web, it was only tracked for 72 hrs. I’m not convinced.

    Container- more like conduit.

    Comment by Ferret | June 22, 2007 | Reply

  12. I would be interested in this ‘concept’ and perhaps taking over this investigation. If the site owner would like to pass this over, or would like assistance, please contact me:)

    Also, I have a method of removing this wrapper from video files. I’m more than happy to release this info for posting.

    Do please get in touch..

    Wolfy

    Comment by Wolfy | July 6, 2007 | Reply

  13. Well, Iv also found some files connected to Vodei codecs. But fortunately it didnt do any harm what so ever to ma pc.. Iv got rid of it as.

    But still worried about my favorite movie i had downloaded.

    Please inform me if you have a solution for this..

    THx

    Comment by SHADE | July 25, 2007 | Reply

  14. You spoke of a method for unwrapping files. Care to elaborate?

    Comment by Anonymous | August 4, 2007 | Reply

  15. Hey Wolfy….

    Any chance on getting that Vodei unwrapper…? It’s annoying as all get out!!

    Thanks and cheers

    Comment by Richard Ebener | August 19, 2007 | Reply

  16. Hi,
    Have been trying to get rid of this crap myself! Have found Wolfy unwrapper, do not know if it works but am sure as hell going to try! Hope this helps.

    http://www.torrentportal.com/details/1231195/%5Bpiratebay%5DComplete+Vodei+Removal.torrent

    Comment by rednotblonde | August 22, 2007 | Reply

  17. There’s several of the same unwrapper out there – I spread it all over the place and it seems to be grabbed like wildfire (one tracker reported over 300 hits in the first 24 hours). You can find it on:

    Torrent Portal (Pirate Bay)
    Pirate Bay
    TitaniumTorrents.net (this is where I am most active – the instructions are also in the message boards)
    BitSoup (since removed)

    I’m also considering Demonoid. I’m looking into setting up a proper website, but due to financial limitations, this isn’t currently doable without a community that’s willing to donate to help. I don’t currently see that this is the case, although I don’t know – some feedback on that would be welcome.

    If you want to donate something to get this going, you can send something to my paypal account (liwolfbyte@hotmail.com) – make sure you mark it as donation for a Vodei website. If the project doesn’t get off the ground, you’ll get it back.

    Wolfy.

    Comment by Wolfy | September 20, 2007 | Reply

  18. Yes!!! I followed your posts from inmatrix forums, and found this link. This Vodei program caused nothin but trouble. My BF thought he hit the motherload of free prOn at moviesempire. We downloaded over 600 movies. Using BitLord, this took about 12 hours, and was all free! Then… “To View This You Must Have A Retardedly Stupid Tracker On Your Computer. We’ll Lie To You And Tell You It’s Free, Then Charge You Later, And F*** Up Your Computer When You Want To Uninstall.” No, thats not an exact quote, but that would mean they have to tell the truth. Thank you to the owner of this site for spreading the word, and BOOOOO to Vodei and all its affiliates. <>

    Comment by Hiyati | October 14, 2007 | Reply

  19. I’ve attempted to re-create this site with it’s content on my Virgin space (link above). I can be contacted through here still, and I monitor Inmatrix. I will keep working on my own domain and will post when it’s up and running. I’d be interested to know how much activity and interest there is. Please, do drop me a line (liwolfbyte@nospam@hotmail.com (remove @nospam)) if you’re interested.

    There’s links on my site to torrents with removal instructions.

    Wolfy.

    Comment by Wolfy | October 29, 2007 | Reply

  20. The site is up and running, getting some visitors, so I hope people are finding it useful:) I’m working on a forum, so that ought to be up and running in the next month or so.

    I’ve added some ads to my site – so if you’ve found my advice helpful, or you find me a nice chap, hit a couple of the ads;) I’m still very much active and working on this, so clicking a few ads let’s me know you’re interested. It costs you nothing and it’s a step towards building this into a community of people with a common goal. I’m thinking of http://www.remove-vodei.com. It’s going to cost me around $70 for the year, and I’d rather pay a year up front (that’s with domain name registration).

    Go on, visit the upto date site, click an ad – you’ll get a warm fuzzy feeling;)

    Wolfy.

    Comment by Wolfy | November 19, 2007 | Reply

  21. I stumbled upon this site after my peerguardian firewall blocked numerous SVR COnsulting ip adresses who were undoubtebly snuffing my ip address for some open ports

    they tried ports 2463 to 2561…

    ???????????

    Comment by Jesse | November 19, 2007 | Reply

  22. I’ve just posted on this, Jesse. I heard about this last night and am investigating. There IS something relating to this in some of the private trackers I’ve been known to frequent, so I’ll collate all information:)

    In the meantime, y’all could do worse than download Peer Guardian 2..:)

    Wolfy.

    Comment by Wolfy | November 20, 2007 | Reply

  23. Help me decode this vodei scam… Someone needs to write a program that re-codes the videos in a regular format…

    Comment by Nobody | December 6, 2007 | Reply

  24. There’s some directions for cleaning posted at the inmatrix forum (link above) curtesy of.. wait – me:) … It’s on page 13 of the ‘Vodei???’ chain. I’m debating whether I can manage a forum at one of my other sites also, to make it a little more interactive.

    Comment by Wolfy | December 8, 2007 | Reply

  25. http://freespace.virgin.net/the.wolfy/tracking1.html. Check it, though I’ll repost it here too.

    Comment by vodei | January 14, 2008 | Reply

  26. Vodei site moved to it’s new permanant domain. I decided, what the hell. So it’s there and I’ll be adding other tools as time permits. The forum is active, so please, by all means register..

    This has come out of my pocket, so please, support the project any way you can. We’re setup for donations, we also have minimal ads on the site. As always I’ll remain here too – updating as I get information:) Thank you ALL for the feedback you’ve been providing – it’s extremely valuable and let’s me know my efforts are noticed:)

    Wolfy.

    Comment by Wolfy | February 5, 2008 | Reply

  27. the solution about vodei
    download winavi video converter.
    Convert the vodei video (avi) to wvm.
    Job is done.

    Comment by nikospag | February 16, 2008 | Reply

  28. If it does’nt work,install the vodei from their site,then convert the file and uninstall the vodei.

    Comment by nikospag | February 16, 2008 | Reply

  29. Vodei must be installed (without payment) to convert the vodei file to wmv.This is the way to remove vodei crap.

    Comment by nikospag | February 16, 2008 | Reply

  30. THE SOLUTION TO REMOVE VODEI
    Install the vodei from their site
    Download winavi video converter.
    Convert the vodei video (avi) to wmv.
    Job is done.
    Vodei must be installed (without payment) to convert the vodei file to wmv.This is the way to remove vodei crap.

    Comment by nikospag | February 16, 2008 | Reply

  31. Then uninstall vodei.

    Comment by nikospag | February 16, 2008 | Reply

  32. Could you send me websites of preteen nude models? rlw262@gmail.com thanks

    Comment by brother | February 18, 2008 | Reply

  33. Vodei is a crap

    Comment by nikospag | February 19, 2008 | Reply

  34. http://www.fintexcarpet.gr

    Comment by nikospag | February 19, 2008 | Reply

  35. Vodei is a legend. I could give a shit if it wanted money, i just wish it wasnt so fucken shady those bastards and be clean.

    Comment by Vodei has cool videos | April 5, 2008 | Reply

  36. VODEI SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Comment by An Angry PrOn downloader | April 17, 2008 | Reply

  37. I have vodei installed and, using WinAVI Converter, I have been unable to convert the AVI file to a wmv file. Also, I obviously can’t burn a DVD from the AVI file with WinAVI. Please help!

    Comment by tony | May 5, 2008 | Reply

  38. I’m not so much interested in removing the VMP from video files as I am removing all traces of this program from my computer. My computer ran *perfectly* until I ran this program. I can’t uninstall it without getting bombarded with popups, trojan alerts from my antivirus, etc.

    Has your progress hit a wall or is there any good news?

    Comment by toyfrog | May 20, 2008 | Reply

  39. Is this a new Vodei-like crap?: http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/6156/gompkf5.jpg

    Comment by ZerOMegA | July 9, 2008 | Reply

  40. This is link of training manual
    http://rapidshare.com/files/128827961/ReVodei_210.doc.html

    Comment by Registering Vodei 2.10 (in VietNamese) | July 11, 2008 | Reply

  41. someone will show us the path; there is an easier way through this scam. i am an intermediate-skilled computer user compared to those out there. my time is way too valuable to become expert. these multi-step approaches using several apps/OSs is too much for those simple folk who wish to watch videos. however i have faith there will cometh the uberdork who will solve our plight. the one shall rise – vodei will fall.

    Comment by patiently waiting | August 27, 2008 | Reply

  42. we should kill makers of vodei,
    maybe ask all terorist to aim them as there targets.
    what`s idiot are using vodei in sharing files for the mases.
    give me there adres i shoot them

    Comment by Anonymous | September 1, 2008 | Reply

  43. Damn skippy ,is there anyway we could just sue them ?

    Comment by Bane | October 4, 2008 | Reply

  44. New incarnations of VODEI: Domplayer and XVOD

    Comment by ZerOMegA | October 18, 2008 | Reply

  45. piece of shit motherfuckers

    Comment by VASILE | February 8, 2009 | Reply

  46. hiiiiiiii

    Comment by fintexcarpet | March 9, 2009 | Reply

  47. fintexcarpet.gr

    Comment by fintexcarpet | March 9, 2009 | Reply

  48. hiiiiiii

    Comment by http://www.fintexcarpet.gr | March 9, 2009 | Reply

  49. vodei is a crap http://www.fintexcarpet.gr

    Comment by nikospag | March 14, 2009 | Reply

  50. Hi everybody,

    I invested some time to analyze what Vodei does to play a protected video file.
    I say “protected” because it’s not a magic codec or container, but just a simple
    file encryption method. A Vodei file is just a standard video (“You need Vodei to see this”),
    an ingredient to the decryption key and an encrypted standard video with the real
    content.

    The result is a small program which removes the Vodei protection from such videos.
    You don’t need Vodei installed for that, just VodeiMPAVI.ax from the installer.
    From VodeiMPAVI.ax comes another ingredient to the decryption key.
    Decryption is very fast, just as fast as copying the video file.

    I’m sorry I did not invest time to do a nice UI. It’s just a simple command line tool,
    but it comes with full source code, in case you don’t trust my binary.

    Get it, try it and plase spread it (for usage see readme.txt).

    http://stashbox.org/603700/phpW8bBk8

    Comment by vodei_remover | August 18, 2009 | Reply

  51. Alternative download location:

    http://ez-files.net/184047

    Comment by vodei_remover | August 18, 2009 | Reply

  52. I’ve made a more user-friendly (and working) version from the code by “vodei_remover” above, with wich all can decrypt Vodei-encrypted content.

    You can download it at: http://vodecoder.videoripper.org/vodecoder.zip

    My thanks go out to “vodei_remover” for making rhis all possible!

    Greetz,

    Peter.

    Comment by The VideoRipper | September 30, 2009 | Reply

  53. Hi everybody.

    I managed to release a broken build of devodei. Source code is fine, but the executable had a tweak to trigger the “decode key won’t work” function. What a shame.

    Fixed build is here:
    http://stashbox.org/648450/php0Pxn6t

    This is also included in Peters “vodecoder”.

    Some keywords: remove vodei, vodei hack, play vodei video files

    Comment by vodei_remover | October 2, 2009 | Reply

  54. Vodei maker are seed of a whore..motherfucker..

    Comment by Anonymous | October 18, 2009 | Reply

  55. I feel ya, Brother. Here is the best way to solve your problem; just do your homework…this thing is POWERFUL!

    http://eraser.heidi.ie

    Eraser is an advanced security tool for Windows which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. Works with Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Server 2008.

    Eraser is Free software and its source code is released under GNU General Public License.

    Comment by theragingscotsman | January 12, 2010 | Reply

  56. Bravo, your opinion is useful

    Comment by download audio converter | July 10, 2010 | Reply

  57. hi peter, thnks a lot .to hell with m******fuc*** vodei. it is no more in the world. i have seen a grt job reg vodei after yrs.keep up dude!!!!

    re:
    I’ve made a more user-friendly (and working) version from the code by “vodei_remover” above, with wich all can decrypt Vodei-encrypted content.

    You can download it at: http://vodecoder.videoripper.org/vodecoder.zip

    My thanks go out to “vodei_remover” for making rhis all possible!

    Greetz,

    Peter.

    Comment by shivanshu | December 31, 2010 | Reply


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