IGN: Next-Gen DVD Copy-Protection Debacle

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://gear.ign.com/articles/691/691408p1.html' target='_blank'>http://gear.ign.com/articles/691/691408p1.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"In perhaps the greatest disservice to the general consumer market yet perpetrated by players in the electronic entertainment industry, it has been revealed that next-generation DVD technologies (HD-DVD and Blu-ray) will only function with monitors and HDTVs with HDMI or DVI connections. What does that mean to you? If you purchased an HDTV more than a couple of years ago, chances are you are using Component Video (the red, green, and blue plugs) to connect HD sources to your TV. Component Video is an analog transmission, which means that it can't work with the absurdly stringent AACS copy-protection Hollywood has insisted be integrated into the new formats. Thus, no HDMI input on your TV, no hi-def DVD for you. If you don't have a compatible TV, you'll either receive a massively downgraded sub-720p resolution version of the content, or what the studios are suggesting, a warning screen followed by nothing."</i><br /><br />This is no surprise to the people who read this site - well, who read any technology site - but when Joe Consumer wants to buy an HD-DVD player this Christmas season and he finds out that it won't work with his TV...Joe Consumer isn't going to be very happy. People replace their TVs very infrequently - in fact, I'd venture to say that out of every consumer electronics device in the home, the TV is the one that people keep the longest. It's generally the most expensive, and is expected to last the longest. The consumer electronics industry is setting itself up for a lot of pain in the year few years. It might not happen this year, as most people buying first-generation high-definition DVD players will be paying a premium and will understand the type of TV they need. But as the cost on HD-DVD and Blu-ray players fall in 2007/2008, they'll be hitting a huge wall of consumers who won't be buying because their TV won't support it. I'm fortunate in that my DLP TV has DVI and HDMI, but I got an HDTV quite late compared to many of my friends.

[Outlaw94]

All the reason to avoid both these technologies. :!:

I'll be sticking with my normal DVDs thank you very much.

[Felix Torres]

"You can tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backs."

Early adopters *always* get hammered.
Have yet to see one emerging category that doesn't end up doing it.
Its the nature of the game; Its the price you pay for being the first kid on the block.

As for the 3 million customers IGN speaks of?
The overall market is 80 million strong...
And that is in the US alone.

The HDTV business is only *now* starting to take off.
So early adopters can be deprecated. Cold but true.

[Ivan]

Jason:

One should add to this that not only HDMI or DVI is required, but HDMI or DVI that support HDCP (Hi-Def Content Protection). Not all TV's or monitors with HDMI or DVI support HDCP, which has undergone several revisions (i believe they're up to HDCP 1.3 or something like that). You may have a HDMI or DVI port in your monitor or TV, but that does not guarantee that it will display content-protected HD signals coming from next-gen DVD players, since HDCP support has only recently started being offered on newer TV's (within the last year or so).

The consumers lose out anyway, and hopefully neither format wins (to teach a lesson to studios that too restrictive DRM is not consumer-friendly)

[Doug Johnson]

I have four HDTV display devices: two televisions, and two projectors. Two support DVI, all support Component. None support HDMI, and none support HDCP.

My receiver supports Component Video switching, but does not support HDMI.

Result: I won't be buying HD-DVD or Bluray until I have to replace my TV, and maybe my receiver. Considering the cost, it will probably be a long while.

I felt like I waited a long time before investing in HDTV (3+ years after products started to become available) in hopes of avoiding issues like this, but turns out I was wrong. Even if I had waited another two years I would still be stuck in the same position.

Things like this make me more and more upset with Hollywood.

[Jason Dunn]

You may have a HDMI or DVI port in your monitor or TV, but that does not guarantee that it will display content-protected HD signals coming from next-gen DVD players, since HDCP support has only recently started being offered on newer TV's (within the last year or so).

Ugg. I keep forgetting about that part. :? You're right, even with HDMI on my TV, I'm doubtful it will work.

[Damion Chaplin]

Thankfully, I waited so long to by an HDTV that I was able to find a used 30" widescreen on craigslist for incredibly cheap. It doesn't have DVI, only component. I won't feel so burned by having to buy a newer TV to support HD-DVD. It could easily have gone the other way though - I was just lucky.

[ChrisL01]

Thus, no HDMI input on your TV, no hi-def DVD for you. If you don't have a compatible TV, you'll either receive a massively downgraded sub-720p resolution version of the content, or what the studios are suggesting, a warning screen followed by nothing."

This is kind of incorrect. What happens goes like this.

Both HD DVD and Blu-ray include something called ICT or Image Constraint Token (part of AACS). If the studio turns on ICT, video through component is output at 540p. This would then be scaled by your TV to match your TV's resolution (eg, 1080i or 720p). If the studio doesn't enable ICT, video will be able to output using component at upto 1080i.

You will never "not get video" or just a warning message.

Chris

[Jeremy Charette]

Chris beat me to it. Fox has already announced that none of their initial HD offerings will have the ICT turned on, and will output at the full 720p, 1080i, or 1080p resolution. Other studios are likely to follow suit.

[Felix Torres]

You may have a HDMI or DVI port in your monitor or TV, but that does not guarantee that it will display content-protected HD signals coming from next-gen DVD players, since HDCP support has only recently started being offered on newer TV's (within the last year or so).

Ugg. I keep forgetting about that part. :? You're right, even with HDMI on my TV, I'm doubtful it will work.

You don't have HDCP?

Might be worth investing in an HDCP-compliant switcher box before they outlaw them ;-)

[Jason Dunn]

You don't have HDCP? Might be worth investing in an HDCP-compliant switcher box before they outlaw them ;-)

I actually have no idea if my TV supports HDCP - I suspect not, I bought it in....November 2004 I think?

HDCP-compliant switcher box - why would I want that? All this crap is just theoretical to me until I actually need it.

[ChrisL01]

Chris beat me to it. Fox has already announced that none of their initial HD offerings will have the ICT turned on, and will output at the full 720p, 1080i, or 1080p resolution. Other studios are likely to follow suit.

IIRC for analog outputs (component) AACS defines upto 1080i. If you want 1080p, you would want to use HDMI. This isn't a problem, since if you have a display that supports 1080p input, it already has HDMI. :) Also, any new display with 1080p input, will also have HDMI.

So far, Sony, Disney, Fox and Paramount have had reps say they will not being using ICT. If that remains true....

[Kacey Green]

FAIR USE
Betamax
ARRGH! :evil: :evil: :evil: