One play DVD back for round two

We heard about this last week: Microsoft was allegedly developing a single use DVD that would require a new DVD player. Like we need another player; let's call it Single-Ray or HD-OneUse and confuse the hell out of everyone in the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD camps. Anyway, it seems that the "one use" story is rearing it's ugly head a second time.

According to some reports, the original story has named it's source as one Alister Baker, MD with the UK division of Microsoft. Allegedly, the new DRM provides all control to the content provider, which leaves more speculation in the air. How will this be implemented? What equipment will be needed? Will an Internet connection be required to view the content? Is Alister Baker, MD related to Quincy, MD???

We'll keep following this, but if it's true, the timing is awful with the high-def confusion all around us. Even worse, why would Microsoft officially back HD-DVD if they were coming out with their own format?
Sure, the alleged new format may not have high-def resolution, but that would be even more steps backwards. Why develop a non-high-def DVD
format now? It's a bit late for that, wouldn't you say?