We have been waiting for some time now for the emergence of the next generation of optical storage. The time is growing near for one or the other to make their appearance in the marketplace. I don't mean with recorders, I mean with what it will take to win the war, content. We thought that we would see these products by the fourth quarter of 2005, but as we approach the final month of the first quarter, it might not be possible. Why? Because there is no way to prevent the piracy of this very valuable, master quality, digital content.
Remember the old story of the scientist that was given the task of creating the most powerful acid in the world? An acid that would eat through anything? She was asked what would be the first thing she would do to produce such a product. Thinking carefully, she said: "I shall invent a container to hold it!"
Each blue laser technology has touted it's advantages over the other and which is best-that's up for debate. What we already know from the Betamax debacle, is the tech means nothing. It's all about content and even more importantly this time, content protection. We wont see a frame until the material can be stored safely.
HD-DVD with it's close ties to present day red laser manufacturing, is possibly an easier product to produce from the get go. Not to mention, they like the Advanced Access Content System that may soon be available to ensure providers that their product is safe for distribution. On the other hand, Blu-ray has not settled completely on a protection scheme as of yet-a least that what this article says. Couple that with increased initial manufacturing costs, due to a radically different format, and it makes you wonder if they should make up their minds soon!
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If AACS is delayed -- and several industry folks I've spoken with feel this is likely -- Toshiba and NEC may have a difficult time making their aggressive launch schedule. According to an NEC engineer, the company will need a minimum of three months after AACS copy protection is completed and the HD-DVD-ROM specification is finalized in order to get a HD-DVD drive into production. Consumer electronics products, such as the HD-DVD players that Toshiba will be selling, typically require even more time to market, to account for design, manufacture, and testing. Even if AACS doesn't arrive on schedule, HD-DVD may still have a few months' lead on Blu-ray. Some Blu-ray Disc products may ship by the end of the year, but sources say it's looking more realistic for the beginning of 2006. And both formats could be delayed if the finalization of AACS drags on far beyond March. |
In case you don't already know, the Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator (AACS LA) is developing the Advanced Access Content System. This is a specification for managing content stored on the next generation of pre-recorded and recorded optical media for consumer use with PCs and CE devices. This is basically the replacement for the CSS or Content Scrambling System that is used by nearly all DVD movies today. As you well know, it was broken by Jon Johansen, making all present day content vulnerable to piracy. Advanced Access Content System in the next-generation of optical discs, will be a tough nut to crack for the average consumer. But, it will have some latitude in that you may be able to do with these new discs, such as streaming content over a home network among other things.
For those of you that would like a little more background on ACSS and how it works, here is a recent discussion of the technology. Hopefully, once complete, this will allow the ushering in of a new generation of media and entertainment for our homes.
Will we see this great new high definition material in either or both forms by the Christmas buying rush for 2005? Only time will tell, but it isn't looking good.
Source: ComputerWorld
