Hi-Def DVD copy-protection negotiations progress

[Steve]

Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will use AACS (Advanced Access Content System) copy protection. They're still working to finalise the scheme, but it will have some wonderful features like crippling the playback quality unless you go out and buy a new, digital, AACS compliant display.

Both content providers and component manufacturers have historically been concerned about leaving open a kind of technological "back door" through which consumers could use analog displays to capture and record high-definition content. Even though no high-definition analog monitor exists, or apparently ever will, an existing analog player could still conceivably be utilized as a go-between to capture a high-definition signal, and transfer it in its entirety to a high-def recorder. With no digital equipment in the analog monitor or TV to restrict the output, the recorded image could possibly attain full quality, enabling the TV to bypass AACS.

[TG Daily]

[eldren]

Yet another step in the DRM path to total lack of control over the movies/music you buy. And, ironically, all of it only affects the people that actually pay for it. Which doesn't include me, since I boycott DRM'd content. Now if only the majority of consumers would do the same, we might have some freedom again...

[Swafe]

This is just getting comical.

Pirates dont copy CD's, like they belive, thus needing them to crack the copy protection.

They just simply find a pre-release, that way no protection and they get it weeks before anyone else, if copy protection didnt exist at all, the amount of piracy on CDs, and DVDs would be exactly the same. Why do they even put copy protection on DVDs any more? If people want to get around it, they will, and in this day and age its simple enough any Tom, Dick or Harry can do it, download a program, 1 click, and its done.

[5lab]

hmm.. i dont have any problems with it.. but surely component video (which HD ready screens have) is analog..??