As HD-DVD and Blu-ray are getting ready for their launch under the interim license agreement for AACS copy protection, all the first round of players launched under this agreement will not offer any managed copy support, regardless of what interfaces the player may have and no firmware updates will be made available to offer such support either. Basically, all players released under the interim license will function as basic players.
When the AACS specification is finalised, the managed-copy feature will allow either fee-based or free copying to allow controlled transfer from one device to another or for backup purposes. On the other hand, the first generation of pre-recorded HD DVD and Blu-ray media will not be restricted in any way, which means content providers can already prepare discs with managed copy support. However, if one attempts to play a disc with managed copy options, these will be either hidden or greyed out when played in the first round of Blu-ray and HD DVD players.
In the finalised AACS specification, a minimum level of managed copy support will be mandatory. Despite early concerns about Blu-ray's additional copy protection layers - BD Plus and ROM Mark, these should not directly affect the format's ability to handle managed copy. Users who are interested in equipment supporting managed copy are advised to wait until the time comes when the AACS spec is finalised and players start supporting this.
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Vendors have been chomping at the bit to release players for prerecorded high-definition content in both formats. But they've been forced to change their product launch plans because of delays in finalizing the content protection specification that both formats will use--and which neither format's proponents control. |
As DVD players don't offer any copying capabilities, chances are that the average consumer will be happy having the ability to watch HD DVD and Blu-ray discs just as they would with playing DVDs. However, for those who plan on transferring content from one device to another, they would be better waiting until the full AACS spec is complete. Chances are that if it was not for all these copy-protection measures, both disc formats would have been on the market for several months now. However, with all these delays, it looks like Hollywood and the those working on AACS are taking no chances what-so-ever what could potentially result in someone circumventing the copy protection. It is interesting to see that certain content may offer fee-based managed copy features, however hopefully this will not result in most discs requiring consumers to pay an additional fee just to transfer their content to another device.
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Source: PC Word - DVD Technology
