June 12th, 2009
DRM licensing group plan to plug analog hole
The AACS Licensing Authority seems to think that you don’t have enough DRM in your living room and seeks to eliminate analog decoders by 2013.
The problem, as far as the AACS is concerned, is that Blu-ray players that can output an analog signal allows for that signal to be digitized again without all the inconvenience of all that DRM. The latest AACS Final Adopter Agreement (188 page PDF) calls for the phasing out of devices that can output an analog signal of AACS-protected content.
This phasing out of the analog hole will happen in two stages. First, all AACS licensees will be required to limit analog output to interlaced SD resolution (composite video, s-video, 480i component video and 576i video) on all devices manufactured after December 31, 2010. Then, after December 31, 2013, no device that is capable of decrypting AACS content can incorporate an analog output of any kind.
But there’s a problem here. The analog hole isn’t as important as the AACS Licensing Authority makes out. After all, why do I need to mess about with re-digitizing an analog signal from a Blu-ray player when I can just use an application like AnyDVD HD and just rip the Blu-ray disc directly. Perfect copy in HD with no tedious messing about with the analog hole.
One thing’s for sure, if you rely on that analog hole for whatever reason (I know people who use it to pipe output from Blu-ray players around the home), you better come up with a Plan B before 2014.
Adrian is a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations
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!!!!! (NT)
