Next-Gen DVD to use analog HDTV Output until 2011 in Japan

March 10, 2006

D4rk0n3 used our news submit to tell us over at NE Asia Online they are reporting an outline has
been announced for the implementation regulations concerning Advanced Access
Content System or (AACS). This copyright management system has been chosen for
both Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs to protect the content providers from
piracy. Interestingly, it says in the report, that for discs sold in Japan
and certain other "specified regions", there will be no restrictions imposed on
high-definition television (HDTV) signal output to analog terminals. However,
this will only be temporary, in 2011 output to analog will be "severely
restricted".

There is considerable argument over whether or not players will include a function to disable HDTV output to D3/D4 terminals (analog restrict function), which do not have effective copy protection technology, between the film-making industry and the equipment manufacturers. As of November 2005, the personal computer group (headed by firms like Intel Corp and Microsoft Corp, both of the US) and the movie industry (including companies like Warner Bros Entertainment Inc of the US) were pressuring the equipment manufacturers to incorporate an analog restrict function.Many equipment manufacturers in
Japan, where TVs without digital terminals are common, have been fiercely
resisting the proposal, and finally won a compromise to keep the analog
limit function out of Japan.

AACS Licensing Begins

Now that the issue has been resolved,
licensing of the AACS copyright management scheme for next-generation
optical discs can finally begin (see Table). Japanese equipment
manufacturers can relax for a while now that restrictions on output to "D"
terminals have been avoided.

This is a most interesting development and only serves to
add to the confusion surrounding AACS. We have to wonder what is meant by
severly restricted and also specified regions. In addition, we can visit the NE
Asia site and take a look at a graphic representation of an outline detailing
the time line for AACS. If you want to take a look, or even just read the entire
article at it's source, just follow this link.

Source: NE Asia Online