James Delahunty
7 Oct 2005 13:17
It's a question that many consumers have been asking, and an answer is expected in October or November; what will happen when consumers with HDTV sets that have not got a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection, want to watch high definition movies on next generation discs? The problem is that Hollywood wants to dictate to how consumers will connect their video disc players to their television sets.
Current connections in use are pretty easy to break into the video signal being sent to capture and create copies of it, whereas Hollywood is favoring HDMI connections for High Definition movies due to its included copy protection that protect the video signal. However, HDMI is now only becoming a common feature in HDTVs, whereas millions of HDTV sets in people's homes around the world use analog connections which could be easily used to capture the video signal, perhaps rendering some layers of copy protection on the both the upcoming HD-DVD and Blu-Ray disc formats useless.
The group behind the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) content protection system is expected to give a decision on whether to allow high-definition over analog connections in October or November. AACS founders include Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Matsushita, Sony, Warner, Toshiba and Disney. Input from content providers will also influence the decision.
It seems possible that recently purchased expensive flat screen HDTVs that don't have HDMI connections could face limitations such as only being able to watch HD movies in standard definitions, losing the extra quality that HD provides. Sure the picture quality will be better since HDMI is digital, but is that enough to go out and buy a whole new TV set... again?
"There are severe negotiations going on with Hollywood," said Kazuhiko Nakane, manager of Mitsubishi's disc format and DVD verification laboratory. He added that deadlines have been missed in the past, indicating that maybe we wont receive any decision within the next two months. If you think you can beat this by simply watching a HD movie on your computer, think again. The lack of HDCP in most PC monitor connections could cause the same problems.
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is the copy protection designed to be included with HDMI and DVI connections to protect content. Ryoichi Hayatsu of NEC said negotiations for at least a grace period (hopefully until 2010) can be provided to allow consumers time to upgrade their monitors are still under way. Even if the AACS group came to a decision, the content providers will probably be able to set the permission themselves on a per-title basis. This is something that will likely cause confusion for consumers.
Source:
PC World