AACS Interim Agreement to phase out analogue from 2010

March 1, 2006

As expected, the AACS Interim Agreement covers the ability to allow content owners to decide which high definition outputs their content may put out on during playback. Unfortunately, the AACS license gets much worse, as it also forces a gradual phasing out of analogue outputs and support starting from 2010 until January 2014, from which the license will prohibit the sale of any equipment that decodes AACS with any analogue output.

Beginning 2010, manufacturers will need to start scaling back their analogue support, which likely means that equipment will need to feature a means of disabling HDTV output over analogue in 2011. From December 31st 2010, any equipment that decrypts AACS will only be permitted to output standard definition interlaced video over any analogue output. During this time, models before 2010 can only be sold if they can be reconfigured to enforce the standard definition interlace limitation. Finally, after December 31st, 2013, all equipment must be free of any analogue outputs in order to be compliant with the AACS license.

While 2013 seems a long way ahead yet, some estimate that there will potentially be up to 40 million homes with TVs that cannot handle any form of Digital TV. As a result, the peak sales for AACS enabled players will likely be just before the process of phasing out the analogue outputs. On the other hand, by phasing out analogue outputs on the next generation of DVD players (both HD DVD and Blu-ray use AACS), the movie industry aims to make it clear that TV manufacturers will need to start putting HDMI inputs in all of its models and that customers should avoid buying any TV that lacks a HDMI input.

While much attention has been paid to how next-gen digital formats won't play on many HD-capable displays, including TVs, we're only now getting a look at AACS's other foibles. The agreement, in its current form, requires that manufacturers cease selling any devices capable of analog video output which pass decrypted AACS content after December 31, 2013. Furthermore, a "sunset" period will begin in 2010, during which time manufacturers will need to scale back their analog support. Existing player models of any (compliant) sort may be sold up to December 31, 2011, with one catch: any device manufactured between December 31, 2010 and the ultimate cutoff date in 2013 must have its analog outputs limited to SD Interlace modes only (Composite, S-Video, 480 component, and possible 576i component [the latter will be addressed in the final version of the license]). Older models can also be sold if the manufacturer can programmatically enforce this SD Interlace mode limitation.

The full source article can be read here.

While 2013 seems quite a while ahead, I cannot imagine everyone interested in buying a new HD DVD or Blu-ray player suddenly rushing out to buy a new TV starting 2014, particularly if their TV is currently just new but lacks HDCP support or features analogue inputs only. If new players start requiring consumers to fork out on new TV sets, chances are that a lot of consumers are going to stick with the DVD format or what else they have until it does come to the stage where their TV has reached its 'end of life".

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Source: Ars Technica