HD DVD and Blu-ray delayed by AACS anti-copy standard

If you'd have asked us last week -- as the AACS licensing authority was supposedly going to finalize the copy-protection standard -- whether we were all good to go with all the next-gen optical formats' peripheral standards, we'd have probably given you the nod. But, in fact, that's not the case; AACS (Advanced Access Content System), one of the many copy protection standards being folded into high definition discs, is holding up both standards, and so long as they're both committed to running with it, they're going to be delayed -- which would, in theory, take away Blu-ray's late-release handicap with HD DVD. Then again, maybe not; the AACS board is supposed to meet on the 23rd or 24th of this month, and apparently expects to have this all sorted out within as little as two to three weeks. Guess we'll have to wait and see on this one.

[Via Ars Technica]

[Brandon @ Feb 15th 2006 11:24AM]

The community is waiting...
http://deaacs.com/

[E71 @ Feb 15th 2006 11:34AM]

Rooting for Blu-ray here. Go Blu-ray Go!

[Kazolar @ Feb 15th 2006 11:51AM]

I hope both fall flat and no no one buys this overly DRMed garbage. Since I won't be able to play these disks in my HTPC because of HDCP garbage I seriously hope all the companies who are backing this DRM BS loose a lot of money and this crap goes the way of the beta max. As is it pains that one has to run DVD-Idle to view store bought DVDs on an HTPC because of some garbage that won't let you upconvert the DVD to 1080i. Anyone who buys these crippled products is a sucker, plain and simple. Giving money to these companies simply makes them think DRM and rootkits are OK. Boycot on HD DVD and Blue Ray !!!

[Count Porkula @ Feb 15th 2006 12:13PM]

#3, I couldn't agree more. I will not buy either format. Enough is enough. I hope their insatiable greed turns around and bites them right in the ass on this one.

[Neko @ Feb 15th 2006 12:25PM]

GO #3!! GO!!

I agree... this excessive DRM schemes are PARANOIC....

[Tom Carstensen @ Feb 15th 2006 12:27PM]

I will only buy into hi-def dvd if and only if: (1) i can play purchased movies on on component in (analog) devices and (2) they cost under $20.

[abigsmurf @ Feb 15th 2006 12:52PM]

Ah delaying two competing formats (in an industry that has shown you can only ever support a single format) that will already confuse consumers to implement a system which will confuse consumers more.

I'm just waiting for hollywood to find a way of explaining that people will be lucky if they'll have more than 1 device per household capable of playing these and that expensive 'HD ready' tv sets they bought won't play at full resolution.

This is getting beyond a joke now, I'd rather have DVDs that are encoded in MPEG-4 which should be able to fit HD content on a 10gig DVD disc

[pete @ Feb 15th 2006 1:04PM]

I thought the Toshiba HD-DVD players were set to ship at the end of March.
For Toshiba to give even a "soft" release date that close, wouldn't the hardware have to be finalized?
I thought all this AACS stuff was harware based encryption.

[Dennis Groom @ Feb 15th 2006 1:47PM]

does anyone actually care about this stuff?

[fastm3driver @ Feb 15th 2006 1:53PM]

I'm with #3.
BlueRay=Sony
Sony=root kit=DRM=gay
Sony=beta, memorystick(48 or so versions), UMD, minidisk, 8mm/HI8, and some other crap I'm sure I'm forgeting

The last time Sony made money was the walkman(casette, no DRM), PS1(CD), and PS2(DVD)
If they went HD-DVD and SD cards they would rule the world. Now they will die.

HD-DVD=DVD=cheaper=DVDJohn=better than nothing

[LongshotX @ Feb 15th 2006 2:26PM]

Someone else needs to break out with a format that will provide consumers with what they want and that format needs to totally mop the floor with both Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD. They are more like a DVD 1.5, the only significant thing they have is higher resolution video and DRM DRM DRM.

[mpmaley @ Feb 15th 2006 3:18PM]

#9

If they went to HD-DVD now they'd go to Blu next or something else :|

[Ratteler @ Feb 15th 2006 3:51PM]

What happened to the Chinese Format that was supposed to compete with these and have none of the evil poo-poo on it. If they get off their asses and just release a 25-50GB writable disk, with no rescrictions, they can beat both formats to market, steal their thunder and their profits.

The only thing Blow-Ray has DP-DVD is Playstation 3.

[Jason @ Feb 15th 2006 4:36PM]

It's not so much Sony and Toshiba being evil in THIS case (although Sony is plenty evil), but I don't think Hollywood studios will ever approve of an unprotected format. That's why studios won't use the aforementioned Chinese format; it'd be like selling mp3s on iTunes or Rhapsody. In the days of analog, it was different; just release a device that ignored the protection. With 128 digital encryption, it's a whole new story.

[Ratteler @ Feb 15th 2006 5:20PM]

All I need is a disk that *I* can store large amount of information on. Then I can play any films I want, Hollywood or otherwise, as well as backup my data.

I won't now, nor shall I ever, buy a HD Movie on either format.

Reasons:
1) Movies suck these days.
2) My vision isn't good enough to really enjoy Hi-Def anyway. (Like 60% of the planet.)
3) DRM
4) I already "bought a licence" for all the films I like on DVD. Maybe if they offer me a $5 upgrade option I'll consider it.
5) Don't own a Hi-Def set yet, so the only play I "COULD" watch these things is my computer, and it won't work on them most likely.

Hollywood, Sony, and Toshiba have all vastely overestimated their value to the consumer. Especially in this flakey economy.

Hell, I would probably be happy if Double Layer DVDrs just dropped to under $.50 a peice.

I suspect BOTH formats will be DOA until effective piracy makes one of them a winner.

[PiNPOiNT @ Feb 15th 2006 5:28PM]

Countdown until this new encryption is cracked.... 3 ....2 ....1....

[Tom Carstensen @ Feb 15th 2006 9:57PM]

PLUS -- i have been watching movies in HD for a year now on Showtime and HBO HD... and i keep them stored on my Tivo in HD till the end of time..

[Art Guy @ Feb 16th 2006 10:23AM]

What can I watch in high resolution on my HDTV? Cable, DishTV, local stations and Xbox 360 (streaming and games).

What can't I watch? HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

Since my HDTV, like most HDTVs, doesn't have the right HDMI inputs, I'm not interested. DRM will kill both of them.

[Ang Poon Kah @ Mar 2nd 2007 9:05AM]

ACCS protection has been cracked by Muslik64 and slysoft is using this method to come out a software by the name of slysoft HD to copy HD-DVD without much sweat......:-))))))