Actually PHP can bypass hotlinking(
If I remember right, from some TGP scripts)
PHP Code:
list($width, $height, $type, $attr) = getimagesize("http://www.example.com/gifs/lo%20go.gif");
Also look at this code snippet from my thumbnailer routine:
PHP Code:
$wrkImage = imagecreatefromjpeg($rawPicURL);
echo imagesx($wrkImage); // image width
echo imagesy($wrkImage); // image height