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2010 — the Year AACS and HDMI Kill Off HD Component Video

For home theater buffs who want (or already have) a high-def system using component-video connections, time may be growing short. Audiofan writes with this story, which begins: "Digital HD (high definition), like that enabled through HDMI and Blu-ray, is awesome. It offers amazing picture and audio quality. It allows you to conveniently connect one single cable to provide both picture and sound. It is royally going to screw up a lot of homes next year. Wait, what was that last part? After December 31, 2010, manufacturers will not be 'allowed' [to] introduce new hardware with component video outputs supplying more than an SD resolution (480i or 576i). Should this go through as planned, it's going to disable or throw a wrench in a lot of existing custom installations as soon as the end of this year." The AACS in the headline stands for Advanced Access Content System, the industry scheme to block "the analog hole" by controlling content from storage media to eyeballs.

424 comments

  1. Just buy the unofficial ones by cstdenis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There will still be plenty of HDMI to composite converters coming out of China, etc.

    --
    1984 was not supposed to be an instruction manual.
    1. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by sexconker · · Score: 0

      They don't work for HDCPd streams, duh.

    2. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Informative

      Or use a media PC as the center of your entertainment setup and rip content to remove protections that would require HDCP.

    3. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There will still be plenty of HDMI to composite converters coming out of China, etc.

      That's the crux of most media problems. These people don't realize / don't care that you can often

      a. spend less

      and / or

      b. get a superior product

      by going through non-standard channels.

    4. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Hatta · · Score: 1

      They will. It's just a matter of time until it's cracked.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    5. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by h4rr4r · · Score: 1, Redundant

      They sure as hell do, just google for for HDCP strippers.

    6. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Em+Emalb · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I'm definitely trying to get my outrage meter pegged over this, but just can't get the energy together to do it.

      IMO, a complete non-story. Anything less than 720 isn't frigging "Hi Def" anyway.

      --
      Sent from your iPad.
    7. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by h4rr4r · · Score: 4, Informative

      They already do, HDFury being the most popular one. Google for "HDCP stripper".

    8. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Wovel · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes the point is today you can do 1080p with component and tomorrow (figuratively) you can not. I am not suggesting you should be outraged, only that you misunderstood the point.

    9. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://lmgtfy.com/?q=HDCP+stripper

    10. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by lorenlal · · Score: 1

      I'm sure someone will find a way to make it work. We all know how effective DRM is, and how hard it is to break. I doubt that this will be met with much resistance due to the fact that component only give you 1080i, and HDMI delivers 1080p. But I do find it annoying that someone's telling the market they have to "stop doing something" even though there's really no need to...

      Well, unless you have an HD TV that doesn't have HDMI. If I did, and my system conked out, and I was faced with a choice of buying a new TV or not having HD TV, I'd be pissed.

    11. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by poetmatt · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      anything less than 1080p isn't high def either.

      I mean we're talking 720p is 1280x720. That's not exactly high resolution when you think of what the average monitor from 1990 or even 2000 can do, let alone now.

    12. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by wagnerrp · · Score: 3, Informative

      I doubt that this will be met with much resistance due to the fact that component only give you 1080i, and HDMI delivers 1080p.

      Component video can do 1080p too.

    13. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by ArsonSmith · · Score: 5, Funny

      I was really interested in and browsed this for almost 4 hours before I realized that my spell check changed it from HDCP to HARD.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    14. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by natehoy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sorry, I'm not going to Google any phrase containing the word "stripper". Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    15. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Hey chucklehead, I didn't quite catch that. Can you post it again please? Karma whore.

    16. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by nxtw · · Score: 2, Informative

      720p is high definition compared to 480i/p NTSC, video, and DVD content.

    17. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by M8e · · Score: 0

      Just google ""HDCP stripper"".

    18. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by dynamo52 · · Score: 3, Funny

      They already do, HDFury being the most popular one. Google for "HDCP stripper".

      Sorry, I'm not going to Google any phrase containing the word "stripper". Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.

      You are a wise men as this was on the first page of the image results.

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    19. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by rugatero · · Score: 5, Funny
      --
      This comment is for entertainment purposes only. Any similarity to real insight or information is purely coincidental.
    20. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      yay, propose an extremely annoying solution to the problem.
      i hate slashdot sometimes.

    21. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by sexconker · · Score: 5, Informative

      Wrong. HDFury is legal and sanctioned.

      It's downgrading the digital connection to an analog connection. It has legit HDCP keys.

      It does NOT give you a digital output, and does not crack HDCP.

      If the new rules get adopted, then the manufacturer of HDFury will be unable to manufacture any more of them.

    22. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Amouth · · Score: 1

      the let alone now part is wrong - if you take alook around 80% of laptops being sold today have that shitty 1366x768 screen even when they are 15in.. sorry but sadly the quality of the average screen has been going down hill for a long time.

      --
      '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
    23. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by QuantumRiff · · Score: 1

      Your not understanding.. All high def has to be encrypted. Which means pretty much any home theater stereo system (minus a few very, very high end ones) will no longer work with encrypted HDMI. I have my DVD player, and Boxee box outputting HDMI to the reciever. It strips the digital audio out of the system, and then passes the video on to the TV.

      If they start doing AACS, and forcing encryption over HDMI, then if I buy a new component that meets the new standard; I either need to buy a very expensive receiver, or just watch video's in my room with the wonderful craptacular speakers built into my TV.

      --

      What are we going to do tonight Brain?
    24. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes it does, thank you.

    25. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Drethon · · Score: 2, Insightful

      At work anyway...

    26. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by kmankmankman2001 · · Score: 2, Informative

      There will still be plenty of HDMI to composite converters coming out of China, etc.

      Wouldn't there be much more interest in HDMI to *component* conversion? Composite is the bottom rung of the options as far as quality goes.

      --
      "The bigger the lie, the more they believe." - Det. Bunk
    27. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      There are other less legal ones out there. Of course they give you analog, component is analog dummy.

    28. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Annoying?
      The whole thing is easily automated, drop in disc and in a little while you have a nice HD video file that can be played out whatever input you want.

    29. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by lorenlal · · Score: 4, Informative

      Indeed.

      There's just no standard for it yet. I stand corrected.

    30. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      rip the media. Problem solved.

    31. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by nxtw · · Score: 1

      Which means pretty much any home theater stereo system (minus a few very, very high end ones) will no longer work with encrypted HDMI.

      I purchased my relatively low end home theater receiver in 2007, and it includes HDMI/HDCP support. It was the cheapest available with 8-channel LPCM input at the time.

      If they start doing AACS, and forcing encryption over HDMI, then if I buy a new component that meets the new standard

      AACS is the copy protection on the disc. HDMI has HDCP, and your equipment might already support it.

    32. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Offtopic? Really? It IS a result from the suggested search.

    33. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by nxtw · · Score: 1

      the let alone now part is wrong - if you take alook around 80% of laptops being sold today have that shitty 1366x768 screen even when they are 15in.. sorry but sadly the quality of the average screen has been going down hill for a long time.

      80% of consumer retail laptops, perhaps, with the notable exception of Apple (their 15" laptops use 1440x900 screens).. If you want something better, it's not difficult to order it.

      The cost of the average laptop has been going down for a long time; it wasn't that long ago that there weren't many new laptops sold under $750. If you want to pay over $1000, you can get a much better screen.

    34. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by sexconker · · Score: 0

      It remains that HDCP has not been cracked.

      ALL of the converters are legal - they are using valid keys. If these rules go into place, no more keys go to those manufacturers. No more supply.

    35. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by StuartHankins · · Score: 1

      I Googled for stripper and all I kept getting were these Tiger Woods pictures. Am I doing something wrong?

    36. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by jgtg32a · · Score: 1

      ducking iPhone's can go to he'll

    37. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Just download a version with protections removed.

      All it takes is 1 person to figure out how to get around it and it's out on the internet.

      So if my options are to buy all new gear that has HDMI instead of component or download the movie.

      It's getting downloaded.

    38. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by WCguru42 · · Score: 1

      Your not understanding.. All high def has to be encrypted. Which means pretty much any home theater stereo system (minus a few very, very high end ones) will no longer work with encrypted HDMI.

      In my experience most receivers can pass along an encrypted HDCP signal as long as the input is through HDMI and your output is through HDMI. My receiver allows for most incoming signals to be output through a single component video cable to my tv. The only exception is that HDMI input has to go through HDMI output, which means I'm constantly switching between my TV's component and HDMI input. Too bad it can't force signals through the HDMI output.

      --
      "Educate the mind but never at the expense of the soul."~Blessed Basil Moreau
    39. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by simcop2387 · · Score: 1

      no bottom of the rung is analog rf modulation from composite video! (e.g. you need an analog tuner)

    40. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hope this does not offend you, but there are people who do not want to be required to break the law to watch their legally bought movies on their legally bought home-theater equipment...

    41. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by dave562 · · Score: 1

      Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.

      That takes me back. Thanks for the laugh.

    42. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by PitaBred · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Annoying? After getting the media center configured, I don't even have to go search for a disc every time I want to play something now. I just select it from a universal remote. Sure, it's not the easiest thing to do, but you can pay someone to do it for you if you want, and then you no longer have to sit through the asinine 20 minutes of trailers and shit on a movie that you bought, ostensibly to watch the main feature, not forced to watch trailers for movies that have already been released.

    43. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by fritsd · · Score: 1

      Your not understanding.. All high def has to be encrypted.

      I don't understand. Why? Please enlighten us.

      --
      To be, or not to be: isn't that quite logical, Slashdot Beta?
    44. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Joe+U · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It remains that HDCP has not been cracked.

      Publicly. A while ago someone figured out there was a fundamental weakness in HDCP and didn't publish, but hinted at where to look.

    45. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by PitaBred · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Anything higher than the 720x480 that an older CRT will do is high-def. 1280x720 is almost triple the amount of pixels of standard-def video. The definition does not depend entirely on the display device... it depends on the source. Just because you can stretch SD video to your monitor size doesn't make it HD.

    46. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by KillShill · · Score: 1

      How about you search the web instead of "google"ing it... just a thought.

      --
      Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
    47. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by natehoy · · Score: 1

      Glad to be one of the thousand points of light.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    48. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I hope this does not offend you, but there are people who do not want to be required to break the law to watch their legally bought movies on their legally bought home-theater equipment...

      Well, that's the point of TFA: You're fucked.

      --
      Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
    49. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by ultranova · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Or use a media PC as the center of your entertainment setup and rip content to remove protections that would require HDCP.

      Or just get the disinfected version from Pirate Bay.

      Media industry does a pretty good imitation of The Three Stooges nowadays.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    50. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The irony being rich. People who are willing to obey the law, are going to have to pay good money and endure moderate inconvenience to do the right thing to be able to continue paying good money. People who break the law, well they will continue to break the law. Why I even think this irony was on penny-arcade today.

      As an owner of an 8 year old DLP HDTV that only has component video, I do feel unjustly targeted.

    51. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by ultranova · · Score: 1

      I mean we're talking 720p is 1280x720. That's not exactly high resolution when you think of what the average monitor from 1990 or even 2000 can do, let alone now.

      The average CRT monitor from 2000 could do far higher resolutions than the average LCD panel can nowadays. That's one thing we've regressed at.

      I wonder if it would be possible to forget LCD and just build the monitor from small diodes? They are semiconductors, so there should be no reason they can't be made very small, and a quick look at Wikipedia seems to suggest that they come in red, green and blue.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    52. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Or just "CP stripper".

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    53. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by triffid_98 · · Score: 1
      Quite a few HDTV's have an optical line out, so you can still run the sound through your home theater without encrypted HDMI support.

      This does mean you'll have to do video source switching from the TV, something people with older receivers needed to do anyway.

      Your not understanding.. All high def has to be encrypted. Which means pretty much any home theater stereo system (minus a few very, very high end ones) will no longer work with encrypted HDMI. I have my DVD player, and Boxee box outputting HDMI to the reciever. It strips the digital audio out of the system, and then passes the video on to the TV. If they start doing AACS, and forcing encryption over HDMI, then if I buy a new component that meets the new standard; I either need to buy a very expensive receiver, or just watch video's in my room with the wonderful craptacular speakers built into my TV.

    54. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Then they will use the guts from TVs, no big deal.

    55. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Look up SED televisions - each pixel is a micro-CRT.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    56. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by biryokumaru · · Score: 1

      I wonder if it would be possible to forget LCD and just build the monitor from small diodes? They are semiconductors, so there should be no reason they can't be made very small, and a quick look at Wikipedia seems to suggest that they come in red, green and blue.

      I have a present for you.

      --
      When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
    57. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by sexconker · · Score: 0

      You really don't know how they work, do you?

      They're sold to specific manufacturers and the keys are logged.

      If devices are sold that don't comply, they can look up who is responsible for those keys and fuck them over hard.

    58. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 1

      For those with Gigabit bandwidth, downloading an HD1080p movie is a piece of cake.

      But for the rest of us, arrrggghhh !

      --
      Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    59. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      And my hope is that someone will start a class action lawsuit on behalf of owners who legally bought home theater equipment and legal copies of HD movies against those DRM trolls.

      I am sure that many people all over the globe will support this cause.

      This is getting too ridiculous.

      --
      Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    60. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      People who are willing to obey the law

      That's where the problems start. Good people have to be willing to ignore and break bad laws en masse, not doing so is to participate in your own oppression. (And participate in the political process to abolish those laws of course.)

      --
      If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
    61. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by CharlyFoxtrot · · Score: 3, Funny

      Pshaw, if you really had balls you'd search for "HD CP stripper".

      BRB, FBI.

      --
      If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
    62. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Better yet, stop buying the crap and produce your own. The technology is cheap enough that you can tell your own story.

    63. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by drsmithy · · Score: 1

      All it takes is 1 person to figure out how to get around it and it's out on the internet.

      If it takes 6 months for that 1 person to figure it out, then the DRM has done its work.

    64. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by pydev · · Score: 1

      Sarah Palin will not have sex with you.

      That's a relief.

    65. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by pydev · · Score: 1

      My god, it's the Crushinator.

    66. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      HD Fury2 is all you need.

      HDMI+HDCP to component video converter.

      Kinda pricey, but for $250, beats buying a new TV (and equipment).

    67. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by blackraven14250 · · Score: 1

      Media industry does a pretty good imitation of The Three Stooges nowadays.

      Where can I download the video?!?!?

    68. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      I know you're going for the funny mod, but if you just want a URL to be linkified on Slashdot then you can use and have it converted like this: slashdot.org.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    69. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Check the Sony PR folder.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    70. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      The jury is still out deciding whether I will additionally buy the medium to be "honest" here.

      Then again, I have a rather hard time convincing myself to be "honest" to a company that accuses its prospective customers of theft in a knee-jerk reaction to dwindling sales. Can you imagine Walmart starting to pat-down search every customer because for some odd reason their sales have been dropping, which can neither have anything to do with the economy or people not wanting any more cheap crap that breaks before you get it home, but must be due to them stealing instead of buying?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    71. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      DRM that took almost a decade to develop (fully) broken in 6 months doing its work. So 5% of the time your content is protected against those pesky pirates?

      Mission accomplished?

      But hey, I hope it will hold at least 6 months. We might get to see whether sales pick up when DRM is finally "unbreakable". Or whether the lost sales are not due to "pirates" but rather to movies that simply are not worth the asking price.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    72. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      And to add injury to insult, the ones breaking the law and not caring about DRM will have the better viewing experience with fewer problems.

      I guess my solution will be the same that I followed the past 5 years: Not buying, not downloading. Fortunately, the kind of "movies" I am into (no, NO, you pervs, I'm talking about documentaries) come without hard DRM. If they follow suit, well, it seems I have to do without watching crap on the tube altogether.

      No loss.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    73. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I am in a similar boat, but for a different reason: Whether I do not watch a lame, story-less movie in 720 or in 1050, does it matter? Crap remains crap, it doesn't get better just because you can see so much better that it really is crap.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    74. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      And this is probably exactly what will happen.

      Let's be sensible here and look at the problem from the customer's point of view. The average customer does not necessarily know a lot about HDMI, HCP, WTF and even less of RTFM. He wants and buys a new TV/medium player/media center/entertainment thingamajig that promises him more resolution, better sound, more bells, whistles and kajunga. And he gets it after spending multiple 100s or even 1000s of his hard earned bucks.

      A month later he buys something and gets told "doesn't work with your system". What will customer do now? Well, first of all, he will be pissed. Falling down kind of pissed. He just dumped a month's income on a media center that was promised to him to be state of the art only to find out that it doesn't play half of the content, and will play fewer and fewer new things in the future because of course the content industry is interested in plugging that analog hole.

      Pissed customer yells at poor clerk who, similarly, doesn't know jack about HDMI and WTF.

      Now, what will our super happy customer do next? Buy the next media thingamajig? Hell no! He just got his new one, he certainly is not going to throw more money at it. He WANTS THIS FIXED!

      And he will get it fixed. Let's welcome a new offender against DMCA and other WTF laws to the list. Will he feel any remorse for breaking the law? Hell no! He got swindled into buying that piece of junk that was now deliberately broken by its maker (he will get that info from one of his more clued friends, and whether it's actually true or not doesn't really matter, because this will be the ONLY information he gets about it, the makers of more and more pushy DRM have been (surprise, surprise...) very quiet about its impact). It's only fair, in his mind, to swindle back. Payback's fair game!

      And, after all, he's been swapping movies and copying them with his friend since the days of BetaMax. Now, with DRM broken and stripped from his machines, he won't even notice that it ain't actually possible anymore. Will he feel any remorse for copying? No, did he ever? It's been done since the beginning of home recording, it's kinda grandfathered, ain't it? Will he notice any obstacles? Proabably. But he now knows who to go to to remove them.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    75. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      If anyone asks, tell them you're planning to give the boss a gift for his birthday. And watch the rumors go wild, even though all you wanted to give him is DRM-free HDMI.

      It's what the tattletales deserver for being what they are.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    76. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by EzInKy · · Score: 1

      Your not understanding.. All high def has to be encrypted.

      I don't understand. Why? Please enlighten us.

      Very insightful question, it's a shame the GP didn't respond. High def content actually plays back better without encryption.

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    77. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Bake · · Score: 1

      When I was looking at receivers a few years back every receiver I looked at with HDMI inputs and outputs were able to force signals through the HDMI output. Be it component or S-VHS, it output everything through the HDMI port meaning my TV only has one cable between it and the receiver.

    78. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does it work on Linux? No? Then it is annoying to me, coz I ain't gonna run a Windows computer to do this.

      Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm basing this post on the assumption Blu-Ray decryption isn't easily working on Linux, in the same way that DVD decryption does.

    79. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      I think it's worse than that. Discs made after the cut-off date won't play back with devices that convert the signal to HD analogue. Your old discs will play but you won't be able to buy/rent/borrow any more until you upgrade to a fully DRM protected system.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    80. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1
      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    81. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by nxtw · · Score: 1

      Quite a few HDTV's have an optical line out, so you can still run the sound through your home theater without encrypted HDMI support.

      Optical is limited to 2 channel LPCM or AC3/DTS - no support for EAC3, lossless compressed formats, or 8 channel LPCM.

    82. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by pommiekiwifruit · · Score: 1

      Huh? A VGA cable let you view 1600*1200 pixels nearly 20 years ago, in hi resolution analog glory.

    83. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by drsmithy · · Score: 1

      Mission accomplished?

      Sure. Content like movies and songs probably make 95% of their profit in the first few months (and probably 80% in the first few weeks).

    84. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Umm, they're about 8 gigs. A movie easily comes down overnight, often faster.

    85. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Not "the first 6 months of any given content" but "6 months in TOTAL during 10 years". Six months out of these 120 it was possible to lock down content.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    86. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by toddestan · · Score: 1

      That may be true for something like video games, but I would say no for something like audio/video hardware and streams where the DRM'd format is supposed to last several years to a decade or more.

    87. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by toddestan · · Score: 1

      80% of consumer retail laptops, perhaps, with the notable exception of Apple (their 15" laptops use 1440x900 screens).. If you want something better, it's not difficult to order it.

      Really? As far as I can tell, it's impossible now to order a laptop that is not a TN panel, and they are all shortscreen now, with most of them using the even sillier 16:9 ratio that TVs use. It's also very difficult to order a laptop that has a high DPI screen (say, equivalent to the 1600x1200 15" screens from a few years back), and it's getting harder and harder to not get stuck with a glossy display too.

    88. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by WCguru42 · · Score: 1

      My receiver, a Pioneer VKX1017, doesn't allow component inputs to go through HDMI outputs and vice versa. So, all my composite and component inputs go out through a component cable and my hdmi inputs go through and hdmi output. I think if I only had composite inputs then I could send those through my hdmi out, but the receiver won't switch component to hdmi (a real shame). As it is I only have to output video cables from my receiver to the TV.

      --
      "Educate the mind but never at the expense of the soul."~Blessed Basil Moreau
    89. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by Amouth · · Score: 1

      yea it's not just the consumer side - but the biz side too.. i ca get a 1440x900 on a 12.1 in x200 but can't get any larger than that on a 15 in R50.. sorry but where are the good screens?

      and yes almost all of them are TN - it seems that IPS has all but disappeared...

      --
      '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
    90. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by jriding · · Score: 1

      What does this do to say xbox360 component? Does not have hdmi on older versions but does support 720p.
      Will this get smacked down to the low resolution as well?

      --
      love the taste, hate the texture
    91. Re:Just buy the unofficial ones by drsmithy · · Score: 1

      If they start doing AACS, and forcing encryption over HDMI, then if I buy a new component that meets the new standard; I either need to buy a very expensive receiver, or just watch video's in my room with the wonderful craptacular speakers built into my TV.

      Huh ? Cheap, low-end receivers with HDMI support have been around for years.

  2. Why force the market? by rotide · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why attempt to force the market to change? Oh right, money. Someone stands to make a lot of money from a bunch of people being forced to upgrade.

    I mean, they could just let the old tvs slowly die out and eventually noone will have a need for anything but HDMI, but where is the short term profit in that?

    Somehow I still doubt it will work. People don't like being told they can't have their way and someone will find a way to give them what they want anyways.

    1. Re:Why force the market? by poetmatt · · Score: 2, Insightful

      a lawsuit could probably turn this around pretty easily of people were willing to do it. That of course, is it's own problem: in order to turn around bogus crap, you have to spend exorbitant amounts of money just to turn around small stupid inconveniences that chip away at your rights.

    2. Re:Why force the market? by causality · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Somehow I still doubt it will work. People don't like being told they can't have their way and someone will find a way to give them what they want anyways.

      Yeah, the 1920s proved that.

      I used to think that people don't learn history. They do. What they don't learn is the ability to see how the current, "new" situation is similar to things that have happened before under similar conditions and can be expected to yield the same results. So every new development like this is a surprise to them. When it succeeds only in creating a market (underground, if need be) for non-compliant players that do what the customer wants, I guess the businesses behind this will be surprised too.

      --
      It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
    3. Re:Why force the market? by Existential+Wombat · · Score: 1

      Why the surprise? If the studios could, they would shut down broadcast TV too.

    4. Re:Why force the market? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Somehow I still doubt it will work. People don't like being told they can't have their way and someone will find a way to give them what they want anyways.

      Yeah, the 1920s proved that.

      I used to think that people don't learn history. They do. What they don't learn is the ability to see how the current, "new" situation is similar to things that have happened before under similar conditions and can be expected to yield the same results. So every new development like this is a surprise to them. When it succeeds only in creating a market (underground, if need be) for non-compliant players that do what the customer wants, I guess the businesses behind this will be surprised too.

      Or as Slashdot proves, many people only know history superficially and in the effort to appear smart wrongly try to apply it to incompatible modern day situations. (*cough* USA = Roman Empire analogies *cough*)

    5. Re:Why force the market? by izomiac · · Score: 1

      That's what happens when people learn "facts" rather than concepts. For history it'd be like spending all your time learning names, places, and dates and only having a very superficial level of knowledge. OTOH, now I'm curious at to what the 1080s proved...

    6. Re:Why force the market? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Depends on if you're talking Depression, Prohibition, or both. Quite frankly if there's one thing we learned from both of those, it's that if you take something away from people completely, then give them back only a fraction of it while saying it's 'for the good of society' they'll aquiesce and you can control that thing more thoroughly and more quickly than if you attempt to change it slowly, or control it completely.

      There was once a time where every town had a still.... how true is that any more?
      How many people can make their own hard liquor in their basement?
      How many people can make their money on wall street without being nickeled and dimed by the same scammers who caused the current crash?

      What are the barriers to entry to both of these items thanks to the government regulations that went into place around them?

    7. Re:Why force the market? by Qzukk · · Score: 1

      now I'm curious at to what the 1080s proved

      That whoever invented interlacing and those who later refused to get rid of it when we got rid of CRTs should be dragged into the street and shot.

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    8. Re:Why force the market? by halowolf · · Score: 1

      We don't have to wait for old TV's to slowly die as our new TV's will be out of date with 3D televisions on the scene.

    9. Re:Why force the market? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      It's not as similar as you think.

      A reasonably intelligent person can produce alcohol with a few tools brought from the hardware store. You need a medium to large specialist manufacturing base to attempt to produce 'non-compliant' hardware.

      Technology has moved on. Now we're reliant on the big companies to provide for us. Increasingly, the individual will not be able to compete on his/her own.

  3. Is this really an issue? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will this really inconvenience that many people? Who built an HD system since Blu-Ray became standard that isn't ready for HDMI?

  4. Money Money Money by CorporateSuit · · Score: 5, Insightful
    • $25 for component
    • $60 for HDMI
    • Unchecked licensing authority

    What we have is a perfect recipe for greed!

    --
    I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
    1. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Decent HDMI cables are about $3-5 USD. Decent RGB cables are at least twice as much and unlike HDMI, some of the more expensive RGB cables perform noticeably better.

    2. Re:Money Money Money by Frequency+Domain · · Score: 5, Funny

      You left off the $200 gold-plated HDMI connectors. Since converting to gold plated, I've noticed that the digital signal has 0's which are softer and rounder, while the 1's are slimmer and pointier at the top.

    3. Re:Money Money Money by Wovel · · Score: 4, Funny

      I prefer the more natural feel of less pointy 1s and less defined 0s

    4. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      You left off the $200 gold-plated HDMI connectors. Since converting to gold plated, I've noticed that the digital signal has 0's which are softer and rounder, while the 1's are slimmer and pointier at the top.

      I prefer the more natural feel of less pointy 1s and less defined 0s

      DO NOT MOCK MY $2500 GOLD-PLATED HDMI CABLE! (sob)

    5. Re:Money Money Money by davester666 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Weirdo.

      Everybody knows pointy 1's and rounder 0's are better.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    6. Re:Money Money Money by natehoy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Then you need gold-pressed-latinum plated HDMI cables, and our specially-crafted power strip made of ebony hand-rubbed to a sheen by naked virgins. It softens the zeros and rounds the ones ever so slightly. There's even a knob hand-carved from a Unicorn horn that stretches a bit of snipegut and can adjust the pointiness to a great level of precision. The dial even goes to 11, and there's a 12 setting available for a small extra fee of $50,000.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    7. Re:Money Money Money by Wovel · · Score: 4, Funny

      Interesting the last snipegut stretching knob I bought was made of rhino horn and I was unhappy with the result. Perhaps the magic of a Unicorn horn is what I need.

      Where can I order one? 50k is very affordable if I will be able to convince myself it is working as you describe.

    8. Re:Money Money Money by Wovel · · Score: 1

      Woah. You are obviously unrefined.

    9. Re:Money Money Money by natehoy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We're not. It's a very nice-looking cable.

      We're mocking you.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    10. Re:Money Money Money by M8e · · Score: 0

      1's and 0's should look like | and o, anything else is substandard.

    11. Re:Money Money Money by kannibal_klown · · Score: 1

      Decent HDMI cables are about $3-5 USD. Decent RGB cables are at least twice as much and unlike HDMI, some of the more expensive RGB cables perform noticeably better.

      I could see that, as RGB is analog and thus more subsceptible to various interference and such. Not as much as Monster would like you to think, but I can see it get putzed a little by an energy source or a really cruddy cable (cruddy, not average).

      I'd prefer DVI + "something" for sound (RCA, coax, etc).

      The ONLY thing I like about HDMI is that it's sound + HD video in only 1 cable. Once you have a handful of HD sources the TV stand starts to look like a rat's nest when it's using RGB.

      However I don't like the friction method of HDMI for staying in there. I've NEVER had a problem with DVI, but the worst I've seen is that the pings get bent on the cable, meaning you only need another cable.

      Between myself and a friend I've witnessed a couple of HDMI ports get trashed by either a bad HDMI end or the user not lining it up correctly 100% when attaching it.

    12. Re:Money Money Money by Amouth · · Score: 1

      you joke but the gold plated actually serves a purpose .. but it has nothing to do with the quality of the picture.. it serves an anti corrosion role.....

      but that oxygen free copper humm can't get enough of that

      --
      '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
    13. Re:Money Money Money by spire3661 · · Score: 1

      would have been better if you replaced naked virgins with Dabo girls.....

      --
      Good-bye
    14. Re:Money Money Money by 2names · · Score: 1

      So am I correct in thinking that one side of this particular thread wants their ones and zeros to be more analog?

      --
      "I'm just here to regulate funkiness."
    15. Re:Money Money Money by natehoy · · Score: 5, Funny

      The $50K is the upgrade to 12. The unit itself is $250,000 for the base model, and extra $10,000 if you want to specify the hair color of the virgins who rub the ebony (redheads tend to have brighter, harsher treble, for example).

      Of course, you'll want one for each channel to avoid any crosstalk, and one of our technicians will happily walk you through the process of having a second power feed run to your house so you don't run both channels off the same power lines, because that would be just silly.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    16. Re:Money Money Money by westlake · · Score: 1

      What we have is a perfect recipe for greed!

      HDMI is becoming the single cable solution for everything.

      Ethernet. Audio Return. 3D over HDMI. 4Kx2K video support in HDMI 1.4 and so on. The 6' HDMI 1.4 cable isn't $60. It's $8.50. PTC ALL NEW 6 ft Premium GOLD Series Dual tone HDMI 1.4 High Speed HDMI Cable

      I think the path were headed on is rental or purchase of optical media for the full theater experience and on-demand streaming for everything else. Nursing the P2P download of an amateur's H.264 rip isn't going to be worth the trouble.

    17. Re:Money Money Money by natehoy · · Score: 1

      Silly boy! Everyone knows Dabo girls are just imaginary characters from a TV show.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    18. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know whether you're serious about $60 HDMI cables (I'm also assuming you are actually talking about the cables), but I get my generic HDMI cables off Amazon for about $3, and they are perfectly fine.

    19. Re:Money Money Money by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Wait, WHAT? You just ruined my day...

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    20. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dang right! I'll stop washing my high end electronics with salt water baths when they pry my gold plated cables from my dead hands!

    21. Re:Money Money Money by StuartHankins · · Score: 1

      Do you sell videos of the manufacturing process?

    22. Re:Money Money Money by acidreverb · · Score: 1

      Sold.

    23. Re:Money Money Money by WCguru42 · · Score: 1

      I'd prefer DVI + "something" for sound (RCA, coax, etc).

      Go with optical cables. They're not too expensive and near zero interference problems.

      --
      "Educate the mind but never at the expense of the soul."~Blessed Basil Moreau
    24. Re:Money Money Money by ucblockhead · · Score: 1

      If you bought an HDMI cable for $60, you are an idiot. I bought an 8' one at Frys for $14.95 last weekend.

      --
      The cake is a pie
    25. Re:Money Money Money by natehoy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Sure, though in the interests of disclosure I didn't say the virgins were particularly attractive, or even female. Just so you're adequately warned. I don't want to be accused of cheating anyone or misrepresenting my product, after all.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    26. Re:Money Money Money by BlueScreenOfTOM · · Score: 1, Funny

      What, you mean the gold plated HDMI cables don't make any difference in picture and sound quality? No way! Monster, Denon, and Belkin wouldn't lie to me! Why would they!? Next thing I know you'll be telling me my $500 ethernet cable was a waste of money too! Don't be ridiculous!!!

    27. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Forget the cables. How much for the virgins?

    28. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who wants a virgin?

      They don't know what they are doing, and what they do do is done badly...

      I don't have the time to train them...

      If you want tight, play the back nine...

    29. Re:Money Money Money by amplt1337 · · Score: 1

      specially-crafted power strip made of ebony hand-rubbed to a sheen by naked virgins.

      I require a video of your manufacturing process to ensure its quality and authenticity.
      In fact, better make it several.

      --
      Freedom isn't free; its price is the well-being of others.
    30. Re:Money Money Money by Brianwa · · Score: 1

      Plus there are those of us who use a HDTV that doesn't support HDMI. . .

    31. Re:Money Money Money by bertoelcon · · Score: 1

      Silly person! Everyone knows virgins are just imaginary creatures from Fantasyland.

      No one on earth is a virgin due to the pedophile ninjas that wait to strike in the shadow of pregnant wombs.

      --
      Anything can be found funny, from a certain point of view.
    32. Re:Money Money Money by synthesizerpatel · · Score: 1

      best summation of expensive digital cables ever

    33. Re:Money Money Money by Daimanta · · Score: 1

      The joke is on you. I work in a shop that basically sells HDMI cable for less then 1 EUR per meter, goldplated.

      If you factor out the greed, prices can go down by a large amount.

      --
      Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
    34. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can I specify short red headed virgins?

    35. Re:Money Money Money by ubercam · · Score: 1

      I know Family Guy isn't obligatory, but given where this discussion ended up, I just couldn't resist...

    36. Re:Money Money Money by The+Grim+Reefer2 · · Score: 1

      Sure, though in the interests of disclosure I didn't say the virgins were particularly attractive, or even female.

      So you have members of Slashdot working for you eh?

    37. Re:Money Money Money by Tycho · · Score: 1

      • $25 for component
      • $60 for HDMI
      • Unchecked licensing authority

      What we have is a perfect recipe for greed!

      We are already far into this situation, the corporation to blame is Silicon Image: http://www.edn.com/blog/400000040/post/1850046185.html

      Oddly enough, it is actually significantly more difficult to get decent signal quality out of HDMI as than analog VGA or DisplayPort. I suppose it would be bad to mention that the only major difference between HDMI and VGA is that in HDMI the three color signals are encoded in a crappy digital encoding along with an additional clock signal in the previously mentioned encoding scheme. Note that clock signal in HDMI is not used for the vertical and horizontal sync pulses, those work the same as they do in VGA. I would think that if this goes through, Silicon Image and friends will have questions to answer from the US FTC, the EC, and maybe even the Japanese JFTC. It isn't like a market structured like this can last very long without governmental inquiry or a situation where the entire set of 40-bit encryption keys used in HDMI are uncovered after being brute forced in a trivially easy fashion.

      Then again, it isn't even like HDMI does any good for that matter, the issues with the wide open hole of BD-J authentication and encryption make recording a file from even a decrypted HDMI output port pointlessly difficult.

      --
      Impersonating Tycho from Penny Arcade since before there was a PA.
    38. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot the $1200 Geek Squad "Special" HDMI cable

    39. Re:Money Money Money by StuartHankins · · Score: 1

      Sad part is, I was going for a funny...

    40. Re:Money Money Money by drsmithy · · Score: 1

      I prefer the more natural feel of less pointy 1s and less defined 0s

      Ever since I got this special BeastlyCable(tm), I've found the colours to be incredibly natural and the sound so much warmer. I attribute this to its special design actually allowing the 2s through, rather than clipping them off because they're "undetectable". Well, I can detect them, just like I could hear how much better my CDs sounded after getting that green marker.

    41. Re:Money Money Money by treeves · · Score: 1

      OK, but I got a perfectly functional 10ft. HDMI cable for $7 at Fry's at Christmas-time. I did have to pay almost $30 for a Displayport-to-HDMI adapter. That hurt.

      --
      ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
    42. Re:Money Money Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or you can pay less than $10 for HDMI cables from Amazon.

  5. Summary contradicts itself... by Duositex · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It says that they "...will not be 'allowed' [to] introduce ____new____ hardware..." and then says, "...throw a wrench in a lot of ____existing____ custom installations..."

    How are these things related? Is the submission suggestion that your component video output will suddenly cease to work? Or are they trying to make the leap of logic that old displays will not have any new gizmos to connect to them? I've never seen a piece of display equipment that couldn't be connected to an HD source through some trickery with adapters or an upscaler etc. What's the worry here?

    1. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      From the article:

      Lest you think that this won't affect existing players, note that after January 1, 2011, the manufacturers of Blu-ray discs will be able (at their option) to insert an Image Constraint Token into any Blu-ray disc. This is a sort of "digital flag" that will turn off the high-definition component video output in the player (effectively turning it into a low-resoluton 480i/576i output). The goal is to make sure that all high-definition video will only be made possible through "secure" digital connections like HDMI.

    2. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by cmiller173 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      After January 2, 2011 someone will have a way to rip a copy of the blu-ray disc that will also remove the Image Constraint Token in the process.

    3. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RTFA before asking questions?

    4. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Duradin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yet another reason not to bother with BR.

    5. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Any rip also removes that. Can do it today.

    6. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amen to that.

    7. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by SQLGuru · · Score: 1

      Oh ye of little faith. The internet will have that crack available on Dec. 31st 2010 (if they don't *ALREADY* have it). The spec is defined, it's just a matter of implementing it. Of course, those "BluRay is great" commercials they show on the regular DVDs will need to have some more asterisks added.

      BluRay is great [*]

      [*] except for people with older hardware that we've jacked your picture down to regular DVD resolution. For you, you can't tell the difference but you'll buy our crap anyway because we quit making regular DVDs and you're just screwed. Make us richer. NOW!

    8. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have to admit since I started pirating movies ripped from bluray my viewing experience has improved considerably.

    9. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by dotgain · · Score: 1
      Not the point - those of us with HiDef component analog inputs (we have our reasons) will no longer be able to go out and buy gear to plug into them. Even when HDCP is cracked, we'd still need an HDMI to Component converter to use our HDMI-less televisions (which we went to quite some trouble to source).

      Fortunately, however, Joe Sixpack got to decide what technology was better for us (thanks a fukken' lot mate!) Either the "HD" in "HDMI" sounded pretty goddamn awesome to him, or the salesman convinced him that HDMI tvs are bigger, or something. Either way, we're stuck with it now.

    10. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 1

      So, what this means is that as people get more Blu-Ray players they will pirate more and buy less. Since once again the industry is preparing to make the pirated version more valuable (and less of a hassle) to the end user than the legitimately purchased copy.

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
    11. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Totenglocke · · Score: 1

      Yet another reason not to bother with BR.

      Yea, who the hell wants high quality picture? Not me! Fuck that high quality shit, give me low-def and grainy images any day!

      --
      "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
    12. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Duradin · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What good is a "high quality" picture if you aren't allowed to watch it?

      "High quality" is intentionally quoted as all the extra crispness and chroma filters they run the original source through to make some BR content can make the BR look worse than the original and/or the DVD.

      VHS to DVD was an obvious improvement in both quality and convenience.
      DVD to BR is meh at best.

    13. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And let the lawsuits begin as the early adopters, the one's who paid the most, can no longer use their overpriced blu-ray players to watch hi-def content.

    14. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Totenglocke · · Score: 4, Informative

      VHS to DVD was an obvious improvement in both quality and convenience. DVD to BR is meh at best.

      You obviously don't watch many movies. In some rare cases, if the DVD is done just right, yes, it's hard to tell the difference between Blu-ray and upconverted DVD. However, if you're talking standard definition DVD and Blu-ray, the difference is incredibly noticeable. Even upconverted DVD and Blu-ray normally has a pretty noticeable difference in quality.

      --
      "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
    15. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      You obviously watch some damn crappy movies. Anything good enough for me to watch should keep my attention no matter if it is super shiny or not.

    16. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Totenglocke · · Score: 1

      The quality of a movie and whether or not it holds your attention has nothing to do with image quality.

      --
      "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
    17. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by cynyr · · Score: 1

      even more MEH seeing as with all that space they can't provide a "compressed" or normalized audio track, so i can watch my movies with explosions and gun fire at night with out waking the whole house up, and yet still hear the characters whisper.

      --
      All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
    18. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      VHS to DVD was an obvious improvement in both quality and convenience.

      Even then, I didn't buy a DVD player until they were $15 and the video store had a vanishing VHS section. Even then, the back catalog of DVDs took years to catch up to VHS.

      Maybe I just grew up watching snowy pictures... or maybe I still remember being awed by the picture on a Sony Trinitron, but picture quality is pretty far down my list on things that make a movie more enjoyable. Home sound has gotten absurd as well... how many channels do we need in a 12x18 room?

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    19. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by ToasterMonkey · · Score: 1

      Head phones.

    20. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Krneki · · Score: 1

      Yet another reason not to bother with BR.

      When you have fast Internet why do you need physical media?

      --
      Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
    21. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      Fortunately, however, Joe Sixpack got to decide what technology was better for us (thanks a fukken' lot mate!) Either the "HD" in "HDMI" sounded pretty goddamn awesome to him, or the salesman convinced him that HDMI tvs are bigger, or something. Either way, we're stuck with it now.

      Don't worry he's screwed too when everything switches over to DisplayPort.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    22. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What good is a "high quality" picture if you aren't allowed to watch it?

      "High quality" is intentionally quoted as all the extra crispness and chroma filters they run the original source through to make some BR content can make the BR look worse than the original and/or the DVD.

      VHS to DVD was an obvious improvement in both quality and convenience.
      DVD to BR is meh at best.

      I don't know what you're watching these BR-D's on, and who's modding this post insightful, but even my color blind friend would disagree with you. Halfway through the remastered edition of The Fifth Element on my HT setup, he was considering finally upgrading his SD HT setup to HD and BR because of the difference in quality he saw.

    23. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by initialE · · Score: 1

      Call me a conspiracy theorist but I think they're sabotaging the quality of DVD to make the BR stand out even more. Certainly they do that for those comparison videos I see at the shops - the ones where they split the screen in order to show DVD on one side and BR on the other. And they probably did do it earlier to promote DVD sales over VCD - in my region VCDs are still popular, and sell for half the price of DVDs

      --
      Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
    24. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      DVD to BR to me as big of an improvement as it was for when going over from VHS to DVD. I own a 50" TV and an upscaling DVD player. Pretty much most of the DVDs I own are either pixelated or dull in comparison to their Blu-ray replacement.

    25. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Rennt · · Score: 1

      Huh? There are other routes to HD content then BR. Bittorrent comes to mind...

    26. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by blackraven14250 · · Score: 1

      Then the explosions blow out your ears so you can't hear them whisper anyway.

    27. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bollocks. The Digital_Only_Token has been in the CCI information for BD for a long time. The latest relevant AACS spec that defines it is here: http://www.aacsla.com/specifications/AACS_Spec_BD_Prerecorded_Final_0.951.pdf. You and TFA make it sound like something new.

    28. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's the point. The topic was image quality and then some idiot said something about watching many movies.

    29. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Yes it does. Check out some good black and white films on DVD. For the first couple of minutes you notice how poor the image quality is, then you're concentrating on the film and don't. You might not even remember that it was black-and-white, because your brain is filling in the colours. Then watch a rubbish film in the same medium and you'll spend the whole thing noticing the film grains and the lack of colour.

      The same thing happens with DVD and BD. If you're watching a good film, you won't notice whether it's HD, DVD-quality, or iPlayer-quality streaming. If you're watching something dull, then all of your attention is on the quality of the picture.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    30. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      I went to university a few years after DVDs were introduced, and they were great for students. You were already taking a computer (not a laptop back then; too expensive and no 3D support), and if you got a DVD drive then you could watch movies on it. DVDs in their boxes were half the size of VHS tapes, so you could transport them much more easily.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    31. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Totenglocke · · Score: 1

      Just because you don't care if the image quality is bad, doesn't mean you don't notice. Take Baldur's Gate - those graphics are seriously bad by modern standards, but I don't care since it's a great game. It doesn't mean I'm not aware that the graphics are bad though.

      You might not even remember that it was black-and-white, because your brain is filling in the colours.

      Riiiiiiiiiight. I think you need to lay off the LSD my friend - then you'll stop seeing colors where there aren't any.

      --
      "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
    32. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      You are slightly younger than me... when I went to college my desktop had a CD-ROM player that still used a caddy. DVDs weren't even on the radar.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    33. Re:Summary contradicts itself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm still surprised that Sony didn't realize that BS ist one better than BR.

  6. Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by BlueTrin · · Score: 1

    It seems that lately every manufacturer is trying to impose new standard in order to maximize their future sales.

    --
    Don't you know it is now both immoral and criminal to think beyond the next quarterly report?
    1. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      Lately????

      I'd say that being there is a standard is freaking amazing just by it self.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    2. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by sexconker · · Score: 0

      It seems that lately every manufacturer is trying to impose new standard in order to maximize their future sales.

      It seems that since the first standard every manufacturer has been trying to impose new standards in order to maximize their future sales.

    3. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by Darth+Sdlavrot · · Score: 1

      It seems that lately every manufacturer is trying to impose new standard in order to maximize their future sales.

      After 25 and 20 years I finally replaced my two TVs. I was going to wait for them to die, but the content I watch these days is mostly high def and they were really no longer suitable.

      I didn't feel the least bit coerced into buying the new sets. I could have hung on to the old sets a lot longer but I didn't want to.

      I wish them luck trying to maximize future sales -- it'll be tough to do if the new sets last anywhere near as long as the old ones did.

    4. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by geekmux · · Score: 1

      It seems that lately every manufacturer is trying to impose new standard in order to maximize their future sales.

      Give me a break. The only thing that's "standard" these days is the never-ending mantra in Sales that says as long as you continue to make something that falls into the "latest and greatest" bucket every 3-6 months, you'll have gullible customers out there buying it up like hotcakes.

      I mean c'mon, I like Apple and all, but they are the WORST (and the BEST) at "new and improved"...Like they REALLY did a whole hell of a lot to the "new" iPod that replaces that 6-month "old" model.

    5. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by causality · · Score: 1

      It seems that lately every manufacturer is trying to impose new standard in order to maximize their future sales.

      I guess creating quality products that people want to buy and delivering them at competitive prices is not exciting enough anymore.

      --
      It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
    6. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by ae1294 · · Score: 1

      it'll be tough to do if the new sets last anywhere near as long as the old ones did.

      O don't worry, they won't last anywhere as long...

    7. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by Nadaka · · Score: 1

      They won't. They will last approximately 2 weeks after the warranty expires and then they will die. You might want to experiment with setting the system clock forwards and see what happens.[/paranoia]

    8. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by natehoy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is just the first time they've removed the old standard by legal caveat, rather than simple obsolescence.

      Component can easily handle very high definition, but it won't be allowed because (snicker) of course it's only possible to (chortle) copy video if you (guffaw) have access to an analog data stream of it. (HA HA HA !!!!! snort)

      I mean, it's just not going to be possible (tee hee) to make an unlocked copy (ha ha) of the video at its full resolution.

      BWAAHAHAH!!!!! Sorry, sometimes I kill myself.

      Don't you worry none, as soon as BluRay turns on this flag there'll be an MKV extractor and you won't have to fret about this silly flag nonsense.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    9. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by AndersOSU · · Score: 1

      I bet you know with a whole lot more accuracy what year your car is than how old your TV is. Tech companies are just adopting a long standing buisness practice.

      Interesting tidbit, DeLoreans (a la back to the future) don't have model years because John DeLorean considered the practice gimmicky. The downside is if your doorhandle breaks on your 1981 Ford Pinto, you know what to ask for at the junkyard, if your door handle breaks on your 1981 DeLorean you have to figure out what month your car was made in.

    10. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by natehoy · · Score: 1

      I assume your two new TVs have HDMI inputs, right?

      Because if they don't, you'd better buy some extra BluRay players in the next couple of years. After that, any new BluRay players may come with analog component ports, but they'll only be able to put out low-definition video.

      If they do, then you're probably all set. Until the industry decides that HDMI isn't secure any more and you need to upgrade to HDMI2 in 2015 to run the new GreenRay standard.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    11. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by iksbob · · Score: 1

      Actually, engineers have refined product failure time to something of an art.
      My two-ish year old (out of warranty of course) 19" Princeton LCD monitor started having trouble waking from sleep mode, then finally wouldn't wake up at all. I opened it up and discovered a few capacitors in the backlight inverter circuit had overheated and blown their tops. It's not that these caps had been somehow overworked... No, no, they had been boxed in on five sides so there was no ventilation. Not only that, but the bottom and one side of this box consisted of a sheet metal aluminum heat sink for a couple of hefty power transistors. These capacitors had been carefully baked to death. Several other caps just inside the open face of this oven were showing a little bulge, while ones outside the box (a distance of about two inches from the failed caps) looked perfectly normal.

      Yeah, I know... "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity", but to not only fail to notice such a cooling flaw but put some of the displays most heat sensitive components in this area... It's just too much to believe, especially when profit is involved.

    12. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by sjames · · Score: 1

      To be fair, they also seem to be spending a lot of time figuring out how to force poison firmware upgrades to take back the functionality you already paid for.

    13. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 1

      The audio on my cable box drops out if I use HDMI. The cable company said that the workaround is to use component.

      --

      ---
      ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
    14. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is just the first time they've removed the old standard by legal caveat, rather than simple obsolescence.

      It isn't by law; it's by mutual agreement.

      You want HDMI on your set? You pay the price as specified by the HDMI cartel.

      It is that simple.

    15. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by Com2Kid · · Score: 1

      Comcast's HD cable boxes in my area do not even support HDMI out.

      What back water region do I live in?

      Seattle WA. :(

    16. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 1

      "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity"

      But in the case you have describe, it IS malice !

      --
      Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    17. Re:Are the manufacturers getting more greedy by marcop · · Score: 1

      I don't understand why they are so upset with the "analog hole". It's far quicker and easier to simply rip the DVD than to try to record an analog signal in real-time. You're right, if they think their copy protection will keep people from ripping DVD's or BR disks, then they are truly ignorant. Once one person rips it, the video will be shared on the net quite easily. However, capturing and converting the analog signal is a PITA.

  7. Where? by Mashdar · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Where is this happening? Dare I assume the United States? Epic description fail.

    1. Re:Where? by T+Murphy · · Score: 2, Funny

      It doesn't have to tell you where, you can already tell:
      Stupid regulation motivated by greed: USA
      Stupid regulation motivated by stupidity/gullibility (often caused by the USA): mainland Europe
      Stupid regulation inspired by Orwell: UK, possibly Australia
      Not stupid regulation: anywhere else

    2. Re:Where? by HogGeek · · Score: 2, Informative

      I believe pretty much "everywhere" (at least on this planet).

      The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management, intended to restrict access to and copying of the next generation of optical discs and DVDs. The specification was publicly released in April 2005 and the standard has been adopted as the access restriction scheme for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD). It is developed by AACS Licensing Administrator, LLC (AACS LA), a consortium that includes Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Warner Bros., IBM, Toshiba and Sony. AACS has been operating under an "interim agreement" since the final specification (including provisions for Managed Copy) has not yet been finalised.

      Since appearing in devices in 2006, most AACS decryption keys have been extracted from weakly protected software players and published on the Internet.

      So, if you Buy/rent DVDs and/or Blu-ray - you're screwed (at least in 2011, or until the stream can be modified to remove the security...)

    3. Re:Where? by RightSaidFred99 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Everywhere. This is a licensing requirement to be able to play protected content, not a US regulatory requirement.

    4. Re:Where? by Late+Adopter · · Score: 1
      The summary does a bad job of describing that this is part of the licensing terms for AACS output devices, i.e. Blu-ray players (worldwide). This does nothing to change what inputs/outputs will be available on TVs or DVD players, even from the same manufacturers.

      From TFA:

      2.2.2.1 Analog Sunset – 2010. With the exception of Existing Models, any Licensed Player manufactured after December 31, 2010 shall limit analog video outputs for Decrypted AACS Content to SD Interlace Modes [composite video, s-video, 480i component video and 576i video] only.

    5. Re:Where? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This isn't by law or regulation: This is a licensing term. If you want to include HDMI connectors on your TV, then you must follow the rules specified by the HDMI licensing companies.

      This is a world-wide rule that impacts every country that upholds the HMDI contract.

      It feels like HDMI has a MONOPOLY here. Congress SHOULD pass a law making this kind of contract term illegal. Here's a place where some regulation would do some GOOD.

    6. Re:Where? by Imrik · · Score: 1

      Except that the regulation would probably go the other direction.

    7. Re:Where? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Note to moron libertarians, this is the lasseiz faire free market at its best.

    8. Re:Where? by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 1
      If you want to include HDMI connectors on your TV, then you must follow the rules specified by the HDMI licensing companies.

      Or sell unlicenced product manufactured in a jurisdiction where no one cares.
      Anyone want to fund my manufacturing plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo,? (Sierra Leone actually has a "Pirate Bay" see Google Maps)

      I am confident that even the HDMI consortium are not going to pay to fix the DRC to fix DRM. There is no evidence that money will fix the problems of the DRC anyway.

      --
      Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
    9. Re:Where? by KillShill · · Score: 1

      Please call it "crippled content".

      Thanks,

      --
      Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
    10. Re:Where? by fritsd · · Score: 1

      the standard has been adopted as the access restriction scheme for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD).

      Do normal DVD's also have this problem? Or are they still ok to buy?

      --
      To be, or not to be: isn't that quite logical, Slashdot Beta?
    11. Re:Where? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you forgot germany, italy, france, UAE, iran, iraq, syria, egypt, just about every country in south america etc.. plenty of stupid to go around.

    12. Re:Where? by cynyr · · Score: 1

      what if i have a 1080P TV that only has component inputs? that i bought 4 years ago for 7kUSD? So when my player breaks, or they force an upgraded version to watch a disc i bought, i'll be unable to fully use my TV. It seems that the current crop of players already support this flag, so it could be as soon as 2011 when new discs actully start using the flag.

      --
      All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
    13. Re:Where? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      A real libertarian wouldn't support the government interference in the free market called "copyright".

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    14. Re:Where? by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 1

      Well ...

      Re-read what you have written.

      It's an agreement between the manufacturers, withOUT the consent of the consumers.

      I believe pretty much "everywhere" (at least on this planet).

      The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management, intended to restrict access to and copying of the next generation of optical discs and DVDs. The specification was publicly released in April 2005 and the standard has been adopted as the access restriction scheme for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD). It is developed by AACS Licensing Administrator, LLC (AACS LA), a consortium that includes Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Warner Bros., IBM, Toshiba and Sony. AACS has been operating under an "interim agreement" since the final specification (including provisions for Managed Copy) has not yet been finalised.

      Since appearing in devices in 2006, most AACS decryption keys have been extracted from weakly protected software players and published on the Internet.

      So, if you Buy/rent DVDs and/or Blu-ray - you're screwed (at least in 2011, or until the stream can be modified to remove the security...)

      --
      Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    15. Re:Where? by blackraven14250 · · Score: 1

      germany, italy, france

      None of these countries are from mainland Europe, I swear!

    16. Re:Where? by blackraven14250 · · Score: 1

      Nah, it has a bad ring. It's added value content.

    17. Re:Where? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Not stupid regulation: anywhere else

      I think you misspelled Pixieland.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  8. no analogue holes by russ1337 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm sure there will be a $1000 cable from Monster that has 'no analogue holes'. "Use this for your composite video to ensure you get the best composite signal with no analogue holes" Buyers will SWEAR their 480i show 'looks as good as HD'. I love Monster Cable, they collect 'stupid tax'.

    1. Re:no analogue holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Monster cables do look better. Does the normal consumer need them? Not necessarily but it definitely looks better than the standard hdmi cable. Don't confuse you needing glasses with Monster trying to rip you off. :)

    2. Re:no analogue holes by Steauengeglase · · Score: 1

      I can remember when I only saw them in audio supply catalogs. At the time you didn't purchase a Monster cable because of their "wooden knob" claims (though they did stretch the truth, even back then), instead you bought them because of the lifetime warranty. Sure, I just paid $100 for a 20 foot guitar cable, but it "should" be the last 20 foot guitar cable I have to buy. No idea if they still do that.

    3. Re:no analogue holes by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well you gotta be careful you know. You can buy the $20 cable, but we can't guarantee it has no analogue holes. Now imagine yourself sitting down to watch the latest rental. Do you want to have to get up in the middle of it to realize you're leaking analogue all over the floor?

    4. Re:no analogue holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Monster cables don't look any better than any other quality made cable... (see Blue Jeans )

      You shouldn't confuse Psychosomatic Video Nirvana with Monster successfully ripping you off!

    5. Re:no analogue holes by qoncept · · Score: 1

      You're full of shit. HDMI is digital. If you get a picture, there's no signal degredation.

      --
      Whale
    6. Re:no analogue holes by Camann · · Score: 1

      If you don't like the idea of a $20 cable we also sell Analogue Floor Cleaner and Analogue Plugs for $19.99 each in case your current cables ever spring a leak.

      --
      I can't believe you don't know what a Hasemalphaginnojinglanaporphomism is.
    7. Re:no analogue holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, they sell the lifetime guitar cables still, though for quite a bit less.

      They also completely suck compared to most cables both in durability and sound quality.

    8. Re:no analogue holes by Yamata+no+Orochi · · Score: 1

      but it definitely looks better than the standard hdmi cable.

      jajajajaja

    9. Re:no analogue holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I don't know, but I have a lifetime warranty power strip from them that also "cleans power" and it's actually pretty nice just in general. Spaces for large plugs, labeled places to plug in my TV, receiver, etc. And it recently got killed by a power surge.

      They replaced it, but not no-questions asked. They asked if any of my electronics died. Why? They wanted to honor their $150K guarantee my electronics won't fry.

      Frankly, it's worth the extra cost if you're willing to pursue painless warranty claims. I plan to make them make good on this for the rest of my natural life.

    10. Re:no analogue holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought that the word would be spelled analog here in the US of A.

      Did the magazine formerly edited by John W Campbell start enforcing their trademark?

    11. Re:no analogue holes by natehoy · · Score: 1

      You'll never even know it until you get diagnosed with cancer 20 years later. That's right, folks, we gotta plug the analog hole because analog is radiation, and if there are holes in it it'll cause cancer.

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    12. Re:no analogue holes by UnknowingFool · · Score: 5, Funny

      Monster cables are higher quality than your basic cables. When most the signals were analog, this made a difference especially on a good AV system. Now that the signals are digital, the quality does not suffer as much due to the signal degradation.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    13. Re:no analogue holes by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      I believe he was indicating that the cable itself looks better, not the picture carried by the cable.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    14. Re:no analogue holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Why is this funny? Bad grammar?

      +1 Informative, or a technical refutation, if you please.

    15. Re:no analogue holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I don't know, but I have a lifetime warranty power strip from them that also "cleans power" and it's actually pretty nice just in general. Spaces for large plugs, labeled places to plug in my TV, receiver, etc. And it recently got killed by a power surge.

      They replaced it, but not no-questions asked. They asked if any of my electronics died. Why? They wanted to honor their $150K guarantee my electronics won't fry.

      Frankly, it's worth the extra cost if you're willing to pursue painless warranty claims. I plan to make them make good on this for the rest of my natural life.

      Someday you'll forget to click post anonymously. And we'll enforce the terms of that 'lifetime' for once and for all...

      Sincerely,

      Monster Customer Service

    16. Re:no analogue holes by rockNme2349 · · Score: 1

      Check his username.

      --
      Sewage Treatment Facilities - "Our duty is clear."
    17. Re:no analogue holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      There is actually one (and only one, I believe) function for which Monster Cables are the best to purchase.

      Instrument cabling.

      Guitar cables from Monster are only about $10-15 more than the generic ones (for a 20-30' cable, I can pay 50 cents more per foot) and come with a LIFETIME GUARANTEE. Let me repeat that, lifetime guarantee. No questions asked. Just take it to any place that sells Monster guitar cables and say "it broke," and they give you another one.

      If you play gigs and you're tired of having to keep 6 extra cords in your backpack (maybe THIS one doesn't have a short in it!) it can be a lifesaver. Of course, you still need an extra cord or two, but now you don't have to keep paying for them over and over.

    18. Re:no analogue holes by mtmra70 · · Score: 1

      poop from a golden duck is still stinky poop

    19. Re:no analogue holes by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Every time someone mentions Monster, I want to post something reasonable-sounding that encourages people to buy overpriced cables. Not because I think they actually make a difference, I just think it's dangerous for fools to have money (with which they could possibly buy influence), and Monster does a good job at reducing this public danger.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    20. Re:no analogue holes by greg1104 · · Score: 1

      HDMI signals that aren't quite good enough for the transmission length and bit rate they're being challenged with do not necessarily fail in a binary "get a picture/don't get a picture" way. On the edge of failure, there's a class of bit errors that are measurable and possibly visible but not so bad that the connection drops altogether. There's a decent intro the topic on the Blue Jeans HDMI Cables Overview, and the visual pattern just before the connection becomes unusable is usually described as a "sparkle". This is not unique to HDMI; similar DVI sparkles have been described for years.

      This is not intended as a defense of Monster's products though. Even those paying attention to sparkle issues and the like know that there are plenty of cheap models from sources like Monoprice that work just fine; the comments at CNET on HDMI are a fair description of the marketplace.

  9. Nintendo Wii without Component? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What about the Nintendo Wii? There is no HDMI cable for it currently available. Will it be illegal for monoprice.com to sell those sweet $6 Wii component cables that allow... get this 480p resolution, which would not be allowed by this.

    1. Re:Nintendo Wii without Component? by nolife · · Score: 3, Informative

      The Wii can still put out whatever they want over RGB and there is no law stating your device (TV) can't accept RGB as an input and still be included..
      It states anything playing licensed MPAA content over RGB will be forced to be artificially limited to 480i.

      Now what if you have your own video over 480i on say a camcorder or on a BR and would like to use RGB? That I do know if the law or the technology will differential that from "protected" content.

      --
      Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
    2. Re:Nintendo Wii without Component? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where does it say you can't sell component cables? It says you can't sell devices which play HD movies over component cables. Since the Wii neither plays Blu-ray movies nor outputs HD signals, it is already compliant.

    3. Re:Nintendo Wii without Component? by Anonymusing · · Score: 4, Informative

      Purely FYI: AC means this cable. Thanks for the tip on monoprice, had not heard of them before. Geek fail.

      --
      Liberal? Conservative? Compare perspectives at Left-Right
    4. Re:Nintendo Wii without Component? by PitaBred · · Score: 1

      Those cables are well worth it for the Wii if you have an HDTV. All the text and everything is much sharper.

    5. Re:Nintendo Wii without Component? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I got a component cable because the level "title" screens (the screen you get just as you start a level) on the New Super Mario Brothers Wii game seemed to have distortion/interference on what looked like it was supposed to be a plain gradient. So I thought a component cable would fix that, it didn't, it looks just the same. I would say that on the whole the component cable provides a slightly better picture, but not much. Hardly a must-have upgrade. On the plus side the component cables go into the back of the telly rather than the side like the composite.

    6. Re:Nintendo Wii without Component? by PitaBred · · Score: 1

      Try it with Mario Kart. The scores and everything cleared up quite a bit when I used the component instead of the composite. Make sure you change the settings in your Wii to 480p after plugging the cables in, otherwise you won't see any change.

  10. VGA? by Mashdar · · Score: 1

    Does this include VGA or DVI with analog composite outputs? Because the idea of a 640x480 CRT monitor makes me tear up.

    1. Re:VGA? by wagnerrp · · Score: 1

      The ICT will be enforced on any display that does not support HDCP. That includes all VGA and some DVI monitors. Of course if you're using 'analog composite', you have already constrained yourself to 480/576i.

    2. Re:VGA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      VGA and the analog portion of non '-D' DVI is an analog composite format. My question was will they ban VGA?

    3. Re:VGA? by wagnerrp · · Score: 1

      They will not ban VGA, however any video with the ICT flag will be downscaled to 480i, before being upscaled back to your output resolution.

  11. Well, its like the old saying goes... by deisama · · Score: 1

    When you're having trouble selling a product, try and limit your available audience even more!

  12. Not Shortly After, if not already. by Icegryphon · · Score: 1

    We will have ways to split the HD signal anyways.
    Do they honestly think they can stop someone from splitting the source device?
    I have many Y adapters, Not all work well, but I am sure HD has many will have many solutions.
    Output a laptop HDMI to a Capture card on another system, TADA
    Why don't they just give up and stop making it hard for the common user
    When I hear unbreakable technology it always sounds like a challenge just calling me

    1. Re:Not Shortly After, if not already. by Z00L00K · · Score: 1

      Their idea is that the content in the cable is going to be encrypted.

      But a decoding of that content is needed in the TV, so there will be hacks sooner or later that decodes the signal.

      --
      If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
    2. Re:Not Shortly After, if not already. by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 1

      They just don't get it.

      Instead of making harder to pirate, why don't they make it easier to consume original content? That's what apple did with itunes, and it works!

  13. Hmmm...time to buy by HikingStick · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If I were one with a little extra cash (or a lot of available credit), I might just buy up a lot of the desirable components now, and then make a modest margin by reselling them on Amazon or eBay after remaining stocks dwindle.

    --
    I use irony whenever I can, but my shirts are still wrinkled...
  14. Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Up to about 2001-2002 I was a legitimate consumer, but when the trend of shafting legitimate consumers became the industry standards, I went 100% piracy.
    My entire entertainment system is a lean, mean, swashbuckling, pirating machine. There is no hole in which to insert a physical media; why would I need a DVD or Blu-ray source, since I have no intention of buying any discs? DVD player went to the dump with my VHS.

    Now my country does levy a blank CD tax...Oh yeah, I never buy any blank discs because EVERYTHING is on Hard drives or flash cards.
    I'm laughing man, because I am so not legit.

    Ok, queue up the haters, I don't give a shit what any of you think.

    1. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Up to about 2001-2002 I was a legitimate consumer...

      You've failed to grasp that as far as these "content cartels" are concerned, there is NO such thing as a legitimate consumer. To them the world is consists of them, and pirates. There is nothing in between, and all are guilty.

    2. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by Ksevio · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'd keep the dvd drive around at least so you can make some backups or live disks

    3. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by jollyreaper · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Now my country does levy a blank CD tax...Oh yeah, I never buy any blank discs because EVERYTHING is on Hard drives or flash cards.
      I'm laughing man, because I am so not legit.
      Ok, queue up the haters, I don't give a shit what any of you think.

      You know what I think? You're not going to have to re-buy all your stuff when they come out with the next standard after blue-ray. You'll just have to download things again. Not too shabby.

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    4. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ..with you entirely, Sir.

      In a world where Apple tells me what I can (and mostly cannot) run on my hardware, Game Producers tell me I cannot play *my* game unless I am 100% online, 100% of the time, now the Hardware Industry ties me to some BS "standard" for which I cannot purchase a fucking cable that will run around the corner without the additional purchase of fuck knows how many Strom-Sucking Dongles and Converters, I say, fuck em all, our time has come.

      The "industry" will fuck us, the "Consumers" over, everytime, every chance they get otherwise. Enough is enough, lets tell them where to take this shit, finally. We are not the problem here, the Suckers who continually buy this shit, with no regard whatsoever for the long-term consequences of consumer choice are. For those who say smugly "I'll still buy their latest shit, Ill figure a way round it.." - Fuck you too, youre a bigger part of the problem than the assholes who dream this up - at least, they *know* they are assholes.

    5. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Ok, queue up the haters, I don't give a shit what any of you think."

      It's people like you who give the movie studios one more reason to make things miserable for their law-abiding, paying customers.

      It's okay, actually. I don't hate you, because I know that if the movie studios keep doing what they're doing, the rest of us will join you soon enough, even if we keep paying money for the product. As it is I've downloaded a couple of movies after buying the DVD because the !#%!$!$ studio put copy protection on top of the regular DVD format such that: A) the disk is non-standard, and B) I can't easily copy it to my other machines at home and use it the way I want. You'll sort out all the bugs in the circumvention systems we need to properly enjoy our purchases. And for that I'm quite grateful to you.

    6. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      USB ftw

    7. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      Considering that it is all likely encoded using standard codecs, he'll probably be able to play it on hardware manufactured 50 years from now, or if it really does become truly obsolete (as if mplayer would ever drop a codec), then it can all be transcoded. Mpeg-2 has been around since the late 80s and yet just about every video player out there will handle mpeg-1 just fine. You could probably rip a laserdisc and play it with VLC.

      Even if you have to transcode, just double the bitrate and you'll have around zero-artifacts, and 50 years from now his 50 hard drives full of movies will probably fit on the head of a pin so it isn't like doubling his space requirements will matter...

    8. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by TheTyrannyOfForcedRe · · Score: 1

      Up to about 2001-2002 I was a legitimate consumer, but when the trend of shafting legitimate consumers became the industry standards, I went 100% piracy. My entire entertainment system is a lean, mean, swashbuckling, pirating machine. There is no hole in which to insert a physical media; why would I need a DVD or Blu-ray source, since I have no intention of buying any discs? DVD player went to the dump with my VHS.

      Now my country does levy a blank CD tax...Oh yeah, I never buy any blank discs because EVERYTHING is on Hard drives or flash cards. I'm laughing man, because I am so not legit.

      Ok, queue up the haters, I don't give a shit what any of you think.

      I have a close friend who did exactly the same thing. People keep asking him when he's going to get a bluray drive for his PC, "But they're only $60 now!" He just laughs...

      --
      "Liechtenstein is the world's largest producer of sausage casings, potassium storage units, and false teeth."
    9. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/2/19/

      Penny Arcade has a point, there is a real reason studios are worried about piracy. What you are doing will in no way end the attempts by the studio to enforce stricter and stricter controls. If that were your goal, you would neither purchase their products, nor would you pirate them.

      But ending the DRM is not really your goal, right? Your goal is to watch their movies in the way you want to, and you have more or less achieved that, at the same time as getting them free. Good job.

      --
      Qxe4
    10. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Ok, queue up the haters, I don't give a shit what any of you think.

      Well, I appreciate your honesty. There's no suggestion that you'd switch back to paying for stuff if the piracy went away.

    11. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Doh! I mean if the anti-piracy mechanisms went away...

    12. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by LainTouko · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm fully with you as far as the likes of the ??AA go, but I find it worthwhile to make a distinction between the (generally large) companies which deceive, bully and engage in corruption at every turn, and smaller outfits which are still concerned only with creating (perhaps) good media.

    13. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by ngg · · Score: 1

      Mpeg-2 has been around since the late 80s and yet just about every video player out there will handle mpeg-1 just fine. You could probably rip a laserdisc and play it with VLC.

      Sweet! I've been looking for a digital media player that can handle the NTSC codec for the longest time! I'll have to check out this VLC thing.

    14. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by ScrewMaster · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It's people like you who give the movie studios one more reason to make things miserable for their law-abiding, paying customers.

      As if they needed one. Their approach (and that of the music outfits) has always been to murder in the womb any media reproduction technology more advanced than the LP. Forget video ... go to the theater and get in line, sheep. That's how they think ... if a new tech is capable of making copies, they want it gone. Period. Doesn't matter what we think or want. You will consume whatever crumbs we offer, and you'll pay whatever we ask. Hell, left up the likes of Jack "Ding dong the bastard's DEAD!" Valenti the VCR would have been made illegal at the Federal level. Now, that was before anyone had even begun to distribute pre-recorded tapes that could be copied. They can't even entertain the concept that someone, somewhere, might enjoy something without paying the proper amount of juice money to a bunch of literal gangsters. Fact is, these sociopaths just want absolute, unquestioned, end-to-end control of media consumption and if they don't get it they go crying to Congress, pay a few bribes, write a few laws that their tame Congresscritters then dutifully have signed into law. It's disgusting, the level of corruption the media companies are capable of, and anyone who feels the slightest twinge of guilt over a torrent of the latest theatrical release is just uninformed. The Internet and Bit Torrent gave, and is still giving, these jerks exactly what they deserve.

      My point being that blaming people who commit copyright infringement for the actions of the media moguls is misguided. The pricks that run the content cartels are, well ... pricks.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    15. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by Rocketship+Underpant · · Score: 1

      I'm with you. I've chosen not to board the Blu-Ray train/bag-o'-hurt, and I haven't bought a DVD in years The media oligopoly has clearly shown they despise me and don't want me as a customer, though they lust after the contents of my wallet and would rob me on the subway if they ever had a chance. Screw them.

      Internet + FrontRow + iMac 27 is all I need for media now.

      --
      He who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.
    16. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by b4dc0d3r · · Score: 1

      I bet you let your automotive oil go around the car several times before you let the injector replace the used oil, and your car is being destroyed from the inside out. You don't even know it. And I think I saw you wear that shirt before - did you happen to buy two of the exact same style accidentally, or was it a subtle joke about Germany? I wasn't sure, but I did chuckle and told my psychiatrist. She's the best - you'd like her. She tells me exactly which purchases will make me feel better about myself, and when it's time to switch to donations. You can never give enough to help those poor people who have to reuse things. I feel so sorry for them sometimes. I mean, do I want to carry an entire movie around with me, or do I want to just want to download it from hotbox again whenever I have time - HELLOO?? It only takes a second to download and then when the scene's over SHOOMP! and it's off the desktop. I just can't stand all that clutter. Besides, I have to buy new shirts anyway because I keep getting them dirty when I return the 25% of food I don't have a right to digest. I'm glad they passed that law, it was unfair to the food industry, and without them we'd not have food, so it's better overall. I'm on a diet, so I dropped down to the "less than morbid" plan. It's less food licensing, so I make up the difference by straight up eating dollar bills and shitting them out at the Windows® Media Center® Toilet Edition®, which gives half of it back to the creative people who make the music and movies you watch while donating cash out your ass and takes the other half and sets it on fire as a way to motivate those creepy artists to produce more. I mean, how can you fit in to a world when you don't even think like everyone else? Oh, sorry, have to get to the ATM.

      [captcha: halcyon]

    17. Re:Shrug. Only affects legitimate consumers by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      If you're serious, the project that you're actually looking for is GNU Radio. I'm not sure that they have an out-of-the-box configuration for laserdisc rips, but you almost certainly can play them back using existing GNU Radio components, or transcode them to something a bit better suited to digital storage.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  15. Bye bye Wii by RobVB · · Score: 0, Troll

    At least in its current form. Maybe Nintendo will come up with a new HDMI version (which would be unnecessarily more expensive, and would most likely still only deliver 480p because of the Wii's technical limitations), or they will rush out Wii2, which will be buggy as hell because of insufficient testing (they have little over 10 months).

    That, or Nintendo > AACS. I figure this last option is the most likely.

    --
    I'd rather you rationally disagree than irrationally agree.
    1. Re:Bye bye Wii by fruitbane · · Score: 3, Informative

      None of this says HDTVs have to abandon analog inputs. There will continue to be models that feature them. It's more about Blu-Ray players and other devices that decode AACS protection on video not being able to output analog signals. The HDTV is the receiver, not the sender.

    2. Re:Bye bye Wii by Wovel · · Score: 2, Funny

      Huh? We need a "poster misunderstood the point of the article" flag.

    3. Re:Bye bye Wii by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

      I think you have this backwards. The article is talking about high def streaming over component not being allowed by the devices that will stream the content to your TV. You're talking about the Wii's low-def streaming over component to the TV... the Wii would have to purposefully downgrade it's quality to be affected by this but it's already at SD so it wouldn't be.

    4. Re:Bye bye Wii by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What? The Wii isn't new hardware, and it doesn't rely on other devices supplying HD over composite outputs either, they need only accept it over composite inputs, which don't have anything to do with the matter at hand. This doesn't affect the Wii in any way.

    5. Re:Bye bye Wii by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      I hope they call it the WiiII

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    6. Re:Bye bye Wii by Saishuuheiki · · Score: 1

      How many TV manufacturers will continue to have analog inputs on their TVs when a minority of devices use them? Most people only use VCR/DVD with their TV anyways, so if these lose analog, I imagine many if not most TVs will lose the analog support as well

    7. Re:Bye bye Wii by bws111 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Any manufacturer who wants to make his TVs attractive to the millions of people who already use component video inputs from their existing DVD/Blu-ray players, cable boxes, Wii's etc. In other words, all of them.

    8. Re:Bye bye Wii by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Same reason you can still get hooooge HD TVs that have the old antenna-coax screw-on attachment.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    9. Re:Bye bye Wii by damien_kane · · Score: 1

      Many stations broadcast digital TV free-to-air. Many even broadcast digital HDTV (720p) signals.

      That "old antenna-coax" screw-on attachment is still useful if you bought a TV with an ATSC digital decoder built in, which will take the signal received from an HD-compatible antenna (you can buy them for around CDN$25, or build one for a dollar or two) and convert it to a picture for you.

      You don't need cable to watch sports and get local news and weather (and some children's shows).

    10. Re:Bye bye Wii by Duradin · · Score: 1

      So what makes an antenna HD-compatible? Did they change the frequency ranges used?

    11. Re:Bye bye Wii by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All of them?

      Really, you have to buy one of the noname ultra cheap TVs to get one input on it. The higher end TVs actually compete based upon how easy it is to connect various devices. TVs typically now have USB connection, some have firewire, flash slots, and maybe 6 HDMI, 4 component inputs, as well as S-Video, RCA and coax. I was just looking at $1000-$1500 LCD TVs at costco the other day, Sony, Panasonic, Vizio, etc.. Most has USB, most had flash slots, I think the least HDMI ports one had was 4, and they all had 3 or 4 component inputs as well as the legacy SD.

      The TV is just a monitor anymore, certain broadcasts and signals they wish to encrypt to the TV but that doesn't mean the monitor can't play non-encrypted signals. Even if most homes typically only have a DVD player and a line from cable going in to the TV. People still want to play stuff off their camcorders, people want to show their digital photos on TVs. I expect we'll be supporting SD signals for decades.

    12. Re:Bye bye Wii by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some HDTVs have FireWire A/V output capability, and so can be senders beyond passing through audio.

    13. Re:Bye bye Wii by pjbgravely · · Score: 2, Informative

      There are plenty of over the air broadcasts which are 1080i. All old TV antennas are digital and HD compatible. It is just hype that you need a new one.

      --
      Star Trek, there maybe hope.
    14. Re:Bye bye Wii by cynyr · · Score: 1

      nothing, if you have a UHF/VHF antenna it should just work(as long as you get a decent signal and that it doesn't drop bits and make the sound stutter, and cause artifacts in the video)

      --
      All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
  16. Yes, Just like the last few times. by bferlin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I seem to remember the same argument with Region Codes and DIVX. People voted with the wallet last time, why would this time be any different?

    Even if they do get their way, all they will do is create a cottage industry of security-defeating technologies. And like always, the real pirates who make tons of money selling counterfeits will find ways around it.

    It's the actual consumer that can't watch that latest DVD because of DRM that doesn't quite work right that get screwed.

    --
    - Brett
    1. Re:Yes, Just like the last few times. by westlake · · Score: 1

      I seem to remember the same argument with Region Codes and DIVX. People voted with the wallet last time, why would this time be any different?

      The 6 ft. HDMI 1.4 cable costs less than $10.

      HDMI 1.4 supports Ethernet over HDMI. 4Kx2K video, 3D over HDMI, Audio Return and more. HDMI M/M Cable Version 1.4

      The geek can keep his rat's nest of cables. Everyone else will go HDMI.

      There are only three Blu-Ray regional codes. But the geek needs to be realistic. Regional codes were vexing only to the video enthusiast with special interests or those living on the regional borders.

      Netflix support is built into your home video devices - and bundled with other free and subscription services. It makes for a very easy to use and attractive package.

      The Blu-Ray video with 100 GB of content is about two or three days away by post from Amazon.com. Star Trek or The Dark Knight $15-$20. The geek won't want to hear this - but nursing the P2P download is becoming a waste of time.
       

  17. 2010 The year blu-ray gets bypassed... by voss · · Score: 3, Insightful

    An overpriced underperforming platform get bypassed in favor of digital media players with increasing sizes of flash storage or hd storage.

    Its a story of a clever technology undermined by its own advocates. Why buy a blu-ray player that may not play new favorites 3 months
    from now when you can get a digital download. The old tech people may stick with DVD while the new tech people may switch
    over to direct digital download. If Im gonna hook my player up to a network to get firmware updates, I might as well just get a network
    media player.

    1. Re:2010 The year blu-ray gets bypassed... by Ostracus · · Score: 1

      "If Im gonna hook my player up to a network to get firmware updates, I might as well just get a network
      media player."

      Any good suggestions?

      --
      Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
  18. Optical storage is dead anyway by ickleberry · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There is so much streaming stuff out there now, torrents of stuff ripped from streams and paid downloaded movies that optical storage is not really necessary or useful anymore. I have never had more problems with optical media than anything else, discs that go bad after a certain time, coasters and silly copy protection schemes.

    Blu-ray is the latest mainstream optical storage has to offer and it's a nasty proprietary format pushed forward by the notorious DRM worshippers that are Sony. The discs are too expensive and fewer people are going out to buy movies. There isn't much point either since when you buy it it's not even yours.

    Unless low-cost holographic storage becomes available without restrictions or DRM I'd say optical storage has had it's day. and anyone developing optical storage these days has to be in the least position to force DRM on the market. The SD card guys have had much more luck with peddling DRM to the masses and I expect that SD-DRM usage will become widespread any day now

    1. Re:Optical storage is dead anyway by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      There is so much streaming stuff out there now, torrents of stuff ripped from streams and paid downloaded movies that optical storage is not really necessary or useful anymore.

      I'm not sure where you're from, but in the USA, 25% of the population doesn't even use the Internet.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  19. No more intelligent responses... by fruitbane · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I typically try to express some kind of intelligent or informed opinion on /. stories, but all I can come up with here is, "Screw you, AACS." I have not yet moved to Blu-Ray or an HD TV, and this makes me much less likely to want to. Bastards.

    1. Re:No more intelligent responses... by jedidiah · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well, considering the fact that we are the early adopter crowd that does have some relevance.

      How else is grandpa going to know that there's the nifty new tech out there that he should be buying.

      He's certainly not going to stumble upon this himself. And no, all of the ads and displays at Frys and Best Buy aren't going to clue him in.

      After 70 years of media saturation, he probably doesn't notice any of that stuff anymore (assuming he doesn't have his hearing aid turned off).

      If I can't play it in the device of my choosing, then I'm not really interested. My only BD device only has a USB output as it is.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    2. Re:No more intelligent responses... by rdnetto · · Score: 1

      I typically try to express some kind of intelligent or informed opinion on /. stories, but all I can come up with here is, "Screw you, AACS." I have not yet moved to Blu-Ray or an HD TV, and this makes me much less likely to want to. Bastards.

      Actually, it seems to me that having already bought a HDTV is advantageous here, since it will still have support for HD component.
      That said, I predict an increasing trend of watching TV on desktops/netbooks. It's been ages since I used mine.

      --
      Most human behaviour can be explained in terms of identity.
    3. Re:No more intelligent responses... by fruitbane · · Score: 1

      You put far more trust in the build quality and longevity of modern electronics than I do ;)

  20. Oblig... by AmigaHeretic · · Score: 5, Funny

    Though not exactly on topic, I feel like I should post this like I always do...

    "24K gold-plated connectors help protect the cable's optical lens to ensure consistent signal transfer"

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Rocketfish%26%23153%3B+-+8'+Digital+Optical+Cable/8315147.p?id=1174694191675&skuId=8315147&st=optical

    1. Re:Oblig... by Wovel · · Score: 1

      Thank you.

    2. Re:Oblig... by Anonymusing · · Score: 1

      Thanks, I needed that laugh.

      --
      Liberal? Conservative? Compare perspectives at Left-Right
    3. Re:Oblig... by AmigaHeretic · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If you really want a laugh, read the customer reviews of that cable. :-)

    4. Re:Oblig... by Wovel · · Score: 1

      I bet none of those reviewers (or in fact anyone on the planet earth) could tell the difference between that cable and my cable where both of the plastic connectors are cracked in a blind listening test.

    5. Re:Oblig... by clarkkent09 · · Score: 5, Funny
      --
      Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
    6. Re:Oblig... by VisceralLogic · · Score: 1

      Though not exactly on topic, I feel like I should post this like I always do... "24K gold-plated connectors help protect the cable's optical lens to ensure consistent signal transfer"

      To be fair, they don't actually say that being 24K gold-plated actually helps anything; if read carefully, it actually just says that the connectors that protect the lens (said lens being required for signal transfer) are 24K gold-plated.

      --
      Stop! Dremel time!
    7. Re:Oblig... by AmigaHeretic · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I know there are a ton...

      Furutech RD-2 Optical Media Demagnitizer
      http://www.svalander.se/furutech/Rd-2.pdf

      Cable Towers
      http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/dedicated2/cabletower.html

      And hundreds more.
      These other ones you have to be a special kind of stupid to buy those.

      The BestBuy ones though, well, BestBuy should know better. The brand "RocketFish" is their own store brand too! SHAME!

    8. Re:Oblig... by AmigaHeretic · · Score: 1

      >>>To be fair, they don't actually say that being 24K gold-plated actually helps anything; if read carefully, it actually just says that the connectors that protect the lens (said lens being required for signal transfer) are 24K gold-plated.


      I know. It's nice they chose one of the softest metals to use as protection. :-)

      I suppose they could have used Cesium. ;-)

    9. Re:Oblig... by crono_deus · · Score: 1

      What's great about it: an excellent value for the money

      What's not so great: haven't found one so far

      Reviewer says: "These days, it's mostly about the Benjamins. These cables more than adequately fulfill their purpose albeit with a cheaper purchase price."

      Oh, I'm sure they do...

      --
      Ne Cede Malis.
  21. So, basically, don't bother buying blu-ray? by dr2chase · · Score: 4, Insightful

    because one way or another, you'll get screwed?

    1. Re:So, basically, don't bother buying blu-ray? by Wovel · · Score: 1

      No not really. It means don't buy a new HDTV with only component inputs (impossible anyway so I can stop here, but I won't) in hopes of adding a blue-ray player that will be manufactured more than a year from now.

    2. Re:So, basically, don't bother buying blu-ray? by sjames · · Score: 1

      To me it means just skip the whole thing for a while and wait for the black market to sort it out. Why give your money to companies that specn so much time and money thinking of new ways to screw you?

      Since part of this is about disabling capabilities you have already paid for and been enjoying, it proves that consumers would be wise to not buy anything newer than 5 years old so there's time to see what traps will be sprung after the fact. That and don't buy anything at all that the manufacturer can force an update on.

    3. Re:So, basically, don't bother buying blu-ray? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, really. Don't buy into their insidious control freakery.

    4. Re:So, basically, don't bother buying blu-ray? by fritsd · · Score: 1

      Yes, that seems to be the most legal and cheap option. Maybe, if you dare, even telling your friends and family about this Blue Ray and AACP problem.

      --
      To be, or not to be: isn't that quite logical, Slashdot Beta?
    5. Re:So, basically, don't bother buying blu-ray? by dr2chase · · Score: 1

      No help there; I'm a known malcontent, clearly impedance-mismatched with reality. People already spend too much time in front of the various tubes, it's not like high definition will make that time less wasted.

  22. Wii will work by voss · · Score: 1

    480p component inputs on tvs will work fine its just 480p outputs on dvd/blue-ray disc players wont. Wii doesnt play DVD's
    so it wont be affected by the AACS action.

    In any event most wii players dont care about the difference between 480p and 480i

    1. Re:Wii will work by RobVB · · Score: 1

      Well I don't know what the AACS does or doesn't do, I just read

      After December 31, 2010, manufacturers will not be "allowed" introduce new hardware with component video outputs supplying more than an SD resolution (480i or 576i).

      --
      I'd rather you rationally disagree than irrationally agree.
  23. So... by i_ate_god · · Score: 1

    I run a media PC. I want to buy a BD-ROM for it.

    It's DVI -> HDMI for video, and a Tascam USB sound module for audio.

    Should I be concerned about blurays breaking my setup in any form or fashion?

    --
    I'm god, but it's a bit of a drag really...
    1. Re:So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone who buys DRMed media should always be concerned. You can sometimes get things to work, but it won't necessarily be easy. Or it will be easy for a while. You could buy Blurays and maybe be able to play them for a while, and then just throw them away in the few months. If that's ok with you, then you probably don't have to ever be concerned about anything, ever, since you're the kind of customer they want. Just buy all new media every year.

      Assuming you're not in the ridiculously improbable situation, though....

      It depends on how your media PC is playing the Bluray. If you are using a licensed player, then presumably you'll be "encouraged" *cough* to upgrade to a new version (perhaps automatically) which won't work anymore. And that point, you're fucked.

      If you illegally play (violate DMCA) your blurays, then you won't be using HDCP anyway, nor be subject to the contractual terms that specify that it's not allowed to work, so you shouldn't have any technical problems. The only problems are legal risks. You'll be violating DMCA when you play your disk (but nobody ever gets caught; it's a totally unenforced law), and whoever makes your software is violating too (they'll have to go underground or jurisdiction-shop, because this does tend to get enforced enough to seriously chill things).

      If you want things to Just Work without headaches, then you should abstain from Bluray and just download pirated copies of the movies on them. Well, that has the headache of legal risks due to copyright infringement, but it's the easiest thing. Stick to private trackers.

      The best thing to do is to lobby to outlaw DRM, or lobby to reduce incentives to use DRM (e.g. DRMed things should not be subject to copyright protection). We should try to repair the entertainment market before it kills itself. We (consumers, creators, even middlemen) all win if we outlaw DRM.

  24. It's only reasonable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think your setup is perfectly reasonable. How much moralizing do you see companies go through when they employ slave laborers to make goods or outsource your job to some third-world worker for a pittance? They are taking things away from others just because they can, so why shouldn't you do the same?

    Slashtards go on about how it's okay because "corporation are amoral" and they "have a responsibility to make as much money for their shareholders as possible." If that is the case, then it's perfectly sensible to do the same thing yourself. Pirating is cheaper than buying, and allows me to have more money for other uses, therefore it is the right thing to do.

    As they have sown, so they shall reap. All hail the false idol of money and bow before the might of the corporate gods.

    1. Re:It's only reasonable by TechForensics · · Score: 1

      As they have sown, so they shall reap. All hail the false idol of money and bow before the might of the corporate gods.

      Mammon

      --
      Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.
  25. Televisions without analog inputs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This sounds like a slippery slope to televisions without analog inputs. That really sucks for game systems, like the PS2 or Wii which don't have digital outputs.

  26. Not as bad as it sounds by Craig+Davison · · Score: 2, Informative

    The SD resolution you'll be restricted to is NOT 480i. It's 540p (960x540 in Widescreen). It's still better than DVD resolution (720x480 non-square pixels).

    1. Re:Not as bad as it sounds by Craig+Davison · · Score: 4, Informative
  27. Impact by qoncept · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Component video cables are hardly ubiquitous. Lots of people have never even seen them and even less could tell you what they were if you asked. The majority of people with HDTVs bought a $150 HDMI cable along with them.

    --
    Whale
    1. Re:Impact by DogDude · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but I beg to differ. Component video has been around for (30-ish?) years. HDMI has only been around for a few, and you've only seen HDMI if you have one of those overpriced HD TV's. I have tons and tons of component audio and video. No HDMI. I wouldn't even recognize an HDMI cable if I saw one.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    2. Re:Impact by Gizzmonic · · Score: 1

      You probably wouldn't recognize component cables either. They've only been around since 1997, and they aren't used for audio.

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    3. Re:Impact by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "You probably wouldn't recognize component cables either. They've only been around since 1997, and they aren't used for audio."

      Huhwhat? They've been around since the late 70's for three-tube projection televisions. And they're just a coax cable, they can be used for audio, speaker wire, network transfer, etc.

      It's as if everyone forgot even digital signals are just analog pulses.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    4. Re:Impact by stinerman · · Score: 1

      The gentleman is surely thinking of composite video rather than component.

    5. Re:Impact by Gizzmonic · · Score: 1

      You're thinking of composite, not component.

      --
      (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
  28. Confused by Uranium-238 · · Score: 1

    I'm confused, I mean obviously this is bad, but what exactly will it mean? As far as I can tell after having read the article and the AACS page on WP, all I can say fo certain is that this means we will have to use HDMI cables connectors etc etc or do it illegally via SD or other. So could someone explain this to me a little better?

  29. Patent Abuse by pavon · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The reason they can enforce this is because they can refuse to issue patents related to Blu-ray to any manufacturer that does not agree to their terms, which a blatant abuse patent system.

    The purpose of patents are to promote the development of novel ideas, and the primary mechanism for doing so is to allow the original inventor to be compensated when these ideas are used. A government-granted monopoly is completely unnecessary to accomplish these goals, and is a horrible anachronism in a free market society.

    Patents should be reformed to require all grantees to license their patents to anyone who is willing to pay a reasonable and non-discriminatory fee. This would at least solve the problem of patents being abused to force agendas and limit competition, while still achieving the goal of compensating inventors.

  30. HDFury2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I think you mean the "HDFury2"

    http://www.curtpalme.com/HDFury2.shtm

    I got one from Monoprice

    http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011402&p_id=5035&seq=1&format=2

    See the product review titled "Almost perfect" for my opinion.

  31. Any blu-ray players sending 1080p over component? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have an older projector that is component only. Does anyone know of a blu-ray player that will output the full 1080p to the component outputs? The one I bought does not.

  32. Like people need another reason to not use legit by LarrySDonald · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Content and components developed and made by legitimate providers should, in theory, be better then simply just DLing, connecting the HDMI to your laptop and calling it a day. That's of course a pipe dream - pirated components and content is always going to be slightly better, but is this really the time to make the legit side even worse? I've been hearing they're not exactly tolling in dough and this won't really hurt anyone willing to use non-licensed components, only those who bother to actually pay them (otherwise known as the last people you want to alienate further).

  33. The Real Analog Hole by LionKimbro · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The real analog hole is the display screen.

    With all the camera and video technologies coming out, I wouldn't be surprised if creating an exact digital replica in the future was as simple as putting a camera in front of a screen and loading in a "record video on a screen" app.

    Play the movie once, (perhaps even at a higher speed,) and you have a perfect copy of the video.

    Sound might be a bit trickier.

    1. Re:The Real Analog Hole by maxwell+demon · · Score: 3, Interesting

      With all the camera and video technologies coming out, I wouldn't be surprised if creating an exact digital replica in the future was as simple as putting a camera in front of a screen and loading in a "record video on a screen" app.

      You think so?

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    2. Re:The Real Analog Hole by mamer-retrogamer · · Score: 1

      Do you honestly believe that the content cartels have not thought of that? All one would require to disable this is to embed an invisible (to the naked eye) watermark in the video stream which can be detected by the video camera which causes your camera to record nothing.

      And don't think this is impossible. Have you ever tried to photocopy certain government documents on newer photocopiers? They simply will not allow you do so.

      --
      Schrödinger's cat is not amused—maybe.
    3. Re:The Real Analog Hole by LaminatorX · · Score: 1

      Both the lens and the image sensor would need an order of magnitude more resolution than the display for this to even be close to working. That's even before accounting for uncorrected edge curvature distortions in the lens, perspective skew if the sensor and display are not perfectly parallel, aliasing due to sync/frame-rate discrepancies, screen glare, lens flare, light pollution, color spaces...

      There's a reason I used to charge $$-$$$ to photograph works of art for reproduction. It takes a whole lot of know-how, attention to detail, and precisely calibrated hardware to make one near-perfect copy. Making dozens per-second in your living room would require technology indistinguishable from magic. Perhaps someday, but not any time soon.

      For all that, some people watch bootlegs made in theatres with hand-held phone-cams.

    4. Re:The Real Analog Hole by PitaBred · · Score: 1

      Sound is even easier. There's no protection on the LPCM streams... just pipe them to a file (over an optical out or whatever), and merge them with the video. Audio isn't affected by the Image Constraint Token (ICT)

    5. Re:The Real Analog Hole by Hatta · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why analog? At some point that content is being decrypted inside the screen. It should be possible to open the thing up and dump it and get a 1:1 digital un-encrypted copy. Sure, it's technically daunting but it only has to be done once per video.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    6. Re:The Real Analog Hole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      WAY cheaper/easier way, the interface between main board and panel driver is usually a bog standard LVDS link...

    7. Re:The Real Analog Hole by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      Not as easy as you make it sound... when videorecording a screen, you need to use a genlock to synchronize the source with the camera to prevent those black horizontal lines from running up the screen. But yes, ultimately anything that can be seen and heard by the customer has an "analog hole", the only question is what kind of loss of resolution results from using it.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  34. Re: Don't confuse... by colinnwn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Don't confuse a cable worth $10 you bought for $100, with the placebo effect. Ones and zeros look the same to a TV with glasses or without.

  35. you're silly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    go back to drinking ale with your bowling buddies up in the mountains, grandpa

  36. The more the industry does this, the less I buy. by kawabago · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I can almost see the day when I will turn off the television for good and I used to buy a lot of movies but now that is rare. The entertainment industry is walling itself off from it's own audience. I don't see how that is going to help them. All the technology is focused on the people who do not buy, the people who do buy keep getting shafted so they will stop buying also. DRM won't save the industry once it no longer has an audience.

  37. Bit off Topic but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    man do i wish there was something like this for PS/2 ports on PCs. i HATE how they are still around, someone should ban them!

  38. HDMI = PITA by Fishbulb · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Due to the enforced end-to-end DRM nature of HDMI, switching components can be a pain in the ass. I've had no end of trouble getting HDMI switching correct. It seems that if a component is already on before my receiver is up, or switched to that component, that HDMI won't negotiate correctly and often requires the whole chain to power off and power back on.

    Not that it prevents the piracy that HDMI exists solely to prevent...

    1. Re:HDMI = PITA by Ifandbut · · Score: 1

      I dont know what you are useing to switch HDMI sources but I bought a Psyclone HDMI selector 2 years ago when I got my HD TV. It switches between cable, Xbox, and PS3 just fine.

      http://www.psyclonegamer.com/products/index.asp?brandtype=competition&id=1060

    2. Re:HDMI = PITA by Kjella · · Score: 1

      If it works at all... my HDTV only works when plugged in directly via a source, when going through the reciever which has HDMI inputs and outputs it doesn't work. It works with my monitor and I found on the net it's a known HDCP handshake timing issue. Screw them.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  39. Market manipulation? by DeltaQH · · Score: 1

    Can the restrictions be interpreted as a market manipulation? Creating artificial scarceness to raise prises? Old business model trying to survive cornering the market? Wouldn't that be illegal in normal markets?

    1. Re:Market manipulation? by Hatta · · Score: 2, Informative

      Creating artificial scarceness to raise prises?

      That's what copyright is. It's not a normal market by any stretch of the imagination. If market forces were to take hold, competition would drive the price of copies of digital goods to zero, since the marginal cost is zero.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  40. Pirates laughing all the way to the home theatre. by azmodean+1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So once again we have more hoops for paying customers to jump through and perhaps have their legally purchased content automatically downgrade itself in order to "protect" the MPAA and member companies. Meanwhile everyone who has given up on the ridiculously outdated and self-defeating content distribution system suffers no inconvenience whatsoever.

    The further along this train wreck progresses the more my outrage turns into bemused detachment. I haven't bought any non-indie media in quite a long time now (occasionally I catch a movie or concert). I do feel somewhat sorry for the people who haven't figured out how totally messed up the system is and are going to be badly affected by this, but I just can't bring myself to the point of actual outrage over it any more.

    How many people are going to just give up trying to be "good consumers" and switch over to piracy based on this? I would expect it will be far more people than will be dissuaded from participating in casual "copyright infringement" by trying to make backup copies of their media or god forbid just trying to watch a movie they bought on the wrong type of TV.

  41. Yawn by wiredlogic · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I have no intention of ever buying into BluRay precisely because of the ability to play these sort of anti-consumer games. Wake me up when they start their attack on HD OTA broadcasts.

    --
    I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
  42. Re: Don't confuse... by lazarusdishwasher · · Score: 1

    I am not sure he is confusing the cables, as I also believe that the monster cables look better. Can you provide a picture of a $10 cable that looks better than a $100 cable?

    Since I have not switched my cheap HDMI cable with a Monster cable I can't comment on which produces better output from my TV.

  43. Advanced Access Content System? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Advanced Access Control System

  44. They will never heed the most basic truth by killmenow · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Lot's of comments already so probably nobody will see this but it's been said before and it's the most basic truth that the MPAA and RIAA et. al. need to come to grips with eventually:

    If it can be read it can be copied.

    The only way to prevent people from copying their precious Hi-Def movies and super awesome digital music is to prevent them from PLAYING them. Which in a sick and twisted sort of way appears to be what they are slowly trying to accomplish.

    1. Re:They will never heed the most basic truth by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      If it can be read it can be copied.

      At this point, they aren't trying to prevent you to copy it in general. Note that you can still set up SD analog output of an HD movie, and record that to your heart's content.

      What they want to do is prevent you from copying the movie in full HD - so that they can later truthfully claim that pirated versions are lower-quality.

    2. Re:They will never heed the most basic truth by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Of course you could just rip the disc, way less hassle.

  45. yeah, reall tricky. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    For starters your would need a camera that has the resolution to see every pixel without interpolation. Then how do you get the correct pixel color value after it's been corrupted by 1) ambient light, or if you are in a dark room 2) the light from the adjoining pixels? Perfect copy? Hardly. Once a signal becomes analog (from the pixel to your eye/CCD) it's impossible to be perfect.

    1. Re:yeah, reall tricky. by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

      For starters your would need a microphone that has the sensitivity to hear every harmonic without distortion. Then how do you get the correct frequency after it's been corrupted by 1) ambient sound, or if you are in a quiet room 2) the sound from the adjacent frequencies? Perfect copy? Hardly. Once a signal becomes analog (from the instrument to your ear/microphone) it's impossible to be perfect.

      And yet we seem to manage.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    2. Re:yeah, reall tricky. by maxwell+demon · · Score: 1

      It's not necessary to be perfect. It suffices to be close enough that no one notices the difference.
      Note that all subsequent copies are perfect.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  46. Failure of School system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Learning from history" and regurgitating information are two different things. In school, you rarely learn anything, instead the focus is to cram as much as possible. Both students and studies say most of it is forgotten within half a year, so it's all mostly a waste of time and effort.

    However, in order to have genuine interest in learning from past mistakes, you need to have lived alot of lives, with alot of mistakes. Most people are not mature enough to correct their mistakes, so it is also just a symptom of too immature souls living on earth yet. It will correct itself over time..

  47. not one part of which works for hearing impaired by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There is so much streaming stuff out there now, torrents of stuff ripped from streams and paid downloaded movies that optical storage is not really necessary or useful anymore.

    None of which works for folks who are hearing-impaired (either by birth, through age or temporarily accomdating the sleeping spouse in the same room).

    Netflix doesn't http://blog.netflix.com/2009/06/closed-captions-and-subtitles.html deliver closed-captioning or subtitles.

    iTunes can support closed-captioning/subtitles http://www.apple.com/appletv/whats-on/movies.html, but only some Paramount titles bothered to actually implement them http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1437172.

    Good luck finding a torrent where somebody bothered to rip both the closed-captioning and subtitles with it (oddly, just as the non-closed-captioning HDMI started becoming ubiquitous more and more DVDs started dropping subtitles and telling folks not to worry because they still came with closed-captioning).

    When the alternatives still lack such basic functionality after so many years, optical storage won't be dead for a long time to come.

  48. Wrong story line by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    It should read "Greed killed off.... "

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  49. The prophet as foretold it... by jaynis · · Score: 1
  50. Yes...and no... by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

    I would highly recommend purchasing Slysoft's AnyDVD HD. Yes, it will set you back $100, plus about $50/yr (they've gone to subscription since they continuously crack the BR keys - but they are very good at it). Once you have this in place, you can play the content you've purchased on any output from your machine. You can even back up the raw, unencrypted content so that you can play it with any software player which has the base (VC-1/x264) codec installed.

    Trust me, if you have a Windows based media PC, you want AnyDVD (HD). And you want to support Slysoft with your money so that they keep on top of the cracks which prevent you from enjoying the items you've purchased.

    (note: I am not affiliated in any way with Slysoft, except as a 4+ year satisfied customer with a 300+ title library on HD which I ripped from my own collection)

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    1. Re:Yes...and no... by i_ate_god · · Score: 1

      I would highly recommend purchasing Slysoft's AnyDVD HD. Yes, it will set you back $100, plus about $50/yr (they've gone to subscription since they continuously crack the BR keys - but they are very good at it). Once you have this in place, you can play the content you've purchased on any output from your machine. You can even back up the raw, unencrypted content so that you can play it with any software player which has the base (VC-1/x264) codec installed.

      Trust me, if you have a Windows based media PC, you want AnyDVD (HD). And you want to support Slysoft with your money so that they keep on top of the cracks which prevent you from enjoying the items you've purchased.

      (note: I am not affiliated in any way with Slysoft, except as a 4+ year satisfied customer with a 300+ title library on HD which I ripped from my own collection)

      What about Linux? Right now my media pc is running Win7 and it's doing a perfect job at it, but I own five DVDs. A collection I want to increase now that I own a proper TV. I know that Windows is quite DRM friendly and Linux is not, and XBMC, my media server software of choice, runs on both OSes.

      --
      I'm god, but it's a bit of a drag really...
    2. Re:Yes...and no... by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      How do you even play BluRay on Linux in the first place?

    3. Re:Yes...and no... by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      MakeMKV.

    4. Re:Yes...and no... by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Are you a troll?
      I ask because your name is wrong, it should be a P not a p.

      MakeMKV.

    5. Re:Yes...and no... by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Duh, you install a PS3-specific linux distro.

      Oh, yea, you latecomers don't get that option.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    6. Re:Yes...and no... by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      I ask because your name is wrong, it should be a P not a p.

      My nick is not wrong. You should drop the habit of assuming "Linux" every time you see something Unixy.

      Which doesn't preclude me from having an Ubuntu install on my desktop. So, back to my original question: how do you play BluRay on Linux? So far as I can see, there is a messy workaround, in the best tradition of Linux HOWTOs circa late 90s, but it seems like a temporary solution at best (until the keys are revoked).

    7. Re:Yes...and no... by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      Duh, you install a PS3-specific linux distro.

      And? Would it be able to handle HDCP (or whatever that DRM scheme is called)?

    8. Re:Yes...and no... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's very easy to do this in Linux. In fact, I find it easier than using some of AnyDVD or DVDFabs options.

      As I'm typing this k9copy is ripping the main movie from a DVD, with the 5.1 audio source. It'll then go into Handbrake to be converted into h.264 MKV with pass through audio and proper chapters.

      I also didn't have to pay a damn thing for it. All I had to do was install the libdvdread4 and libdvdnav4 packages to enable css decryption.

    9. Re:Yes...and no... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's very easy to do this in Linux. In fact, I find it easier than using some of AnyDVD or DVDFabs options.

      If you're just doing DVDs, DVD Decrypter works great. It's a dead project, but DVDs aren't changing their DRM so it continues to work just fine.

      As I'm typing this k9copy is ripping the main movie from a DVD, with the 5.1 audio source. It'll then go into Handbrake to be converted into h.264 MKV with pass through audio and proper chapters.

      Handbrake works just fine in Windows and Mac. In fact it likely works even better than in Linux since they have exactly one guy maintaining the Linux port.

    10. Re:Yes...and no... by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Yes, it does, and more.

      And we just beat the hypervisor - we've got powerhouses at our fingertips, now.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  51. Stepping back and watching the war by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This kind of crap is why I am sticking with DVD. Although I notice DVD formats are also warping to accommodate this kind of crap, fixing that is a small matter of programming.

  52. Mail to the Press inquery at AACS LA fails by sys_mast · · Score: 1

    I did the slashdot non-normal thing and decided to check this claim wiht AACS LA. The press contact is listed as anna.vrecheck@edelman.com, however. After sending a request to confirm the statements in the main article. I get a failure: This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification.

    Delivery to the following recipients failed.

                anna.vrecheck@edelman.com

    --
    Those who can, do.
    1. Re:Mail to the Press inquery at AACS LA fails by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      I believe it's a typo on the website. Her name is actually Anna Vrechek (no "c"), so try that

  53. Re:The more the industry does this, the less I buy by mikestew · · Score: 1

    Sums it up nicely for me. For a variety of reasons (primarily pricing for HD content), we got rid of the DirecTV satellite. For now it's just a Mac Mini, and whatever comes OTA, through Hulu, or Netflix. We still have more than we can watch. Sure, OTA is the only HD source (well, we still have our Xbox HD-DVD drive and a collection of movies), but that's fine.

    Getting to the point, we don't have BR either, and part of that is because I consider it to be a consumer-unfriendly format. Just like we decided we don't *need* to spend the money on satellite, we don't *need* to put up with the hassle of DRM. I'm techy enough to get around it, but I'll go find other things to do instead.

    So feel free, entertainment industry, to make consuming your product a pain in the ass. While you're doing that, I'll be finding other more convenient, and frankly more productive, places to spend my money like reading a book, coding up my next great idea, or (gasp) spending time outside.

  54. Toshiba-DR570 by i621148 · · Score: 1

    Already happened to me! Bought a 52" LG Plasma TV. When I got it home, forgot to do the research and was surprised to find no analog audio output! I had always wanted a DVR so decided to kill two birds with one stone: Hooking up my old 1980s stereo was as easy as looking on amazon.com and buying this box with old school cable in and hdmi and audio rca jacks out. http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-DR570-Recorder-Built-Tuner/dp/tech-data/B001TOD3KK/ref=de_a_smtd

    1. Re:Toshiba-DR570 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bought a 52" LG Plasma TV. When I got it home, forgot to do the research and was surprised to find no analog audio output!

      If you can hear the TV, I am 99.9% sure that there is at least one anolog signal flowing through a speaker coil or peizo element. Attaching audio connectors in parallel with the speakers should yield a ghetto line-out on any television.

      Granted, A proper factory installed audio output is better.

  55. Re:not one part of which works for hearing impaire by Knuckles · · Score: 1

    Good luck finding a torrent where somebody bothered to rip both the closed-captioning and subtitles with it

    You are aware that you can download the subtitles separately from a lot of sites and can easily make any video player drop them in, yes? Not all are high-quality, but many are, and always at least good enough. In the rare case that they are out of sync with the video you have, use a player like smplayer, which has keyboard shortcuts for syncing. Takes a few seconds to make them sync at the start of the movie.

    --
    "When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
  56. Analog by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Still using and quite happy with analog CRTs. Too much garbage going on in the world of HD including horrible plasma and LCD displays that I can't stand to watch because any motion looks like a blurry mess, even with the latest and greatest displays. (I think there is still a problem with actual refresh time with them despite companies saying they have bumped them up. I think the elements just can't refresh themselves fast enough for my eyes. Oddly this isn't a problem with CRT televisions and properly configured CRT monitors for me.)

    I'll care when they fix this problem and start waking up to the fact that we all want one single standard input, one single standard aspect ratio (seriously, what's the deal with videos having all sorts of different aspect ratios?), and most importantly, control over what we own. They need to figure out that there are going to be thieves no matter what they do, and they just need to deal with them and not punish the rest of us.

  57. Knock yourself out, blu-ray by 91degrees · · Score: 1

    I'm already not buying one because they're all region coded. This isn't going to affect my purchasing decision at all.

  58. What about Closed Caption? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    HDMI does not support closed caption. That is just dumb!

    1. Re:What about Closed Caption? by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Uhm... very few digital sources rely on closed caption. DVDs have their own subtitle mechanism. Few VHS players have a digital output.

  59. Does this apply to HD Satellite boxes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Everybody getting so worked up over their precious BD player. What I want to know is does this mean new HD satellite boxes will not transmit the HD signal using component but only HDMI?

  60. Personally, I say "so fucking what?" by kheldan · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I don't own a HDTV or a Blu-ray player, and have no immediate plans to purchase any of the above because I have better things to do with my money. I can live without these things. It would be nice to have, but if they're going to play bullshit DRM games with the hardware, then they can fucking keep it, I'll spend my money on other things, and they can go fuck themselves. I recommend everyone else do the same; vote with your dollars, that's the only way to make your voice heard in a capitalist system!

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    1. Re:Personally, I say "so fucking what?" by upuv · · Score: 1

      I hear you. I have honestly found ZERO need to purchase a Blu-ray player. I've ranted about this before. But it really boils down to. The hacked / cracked / ripped what ever versions of media are far more user friendly than the legit ones. People are simply choosing to break the law because it's just easier. The product even works better than the original. The media companies are simply shooting themselves in the foot. Seriously look at audio the DRM versions sucked, had issues, broke equipment etc. Then some exec has a light bulb moment and says screw it lets just sell mp3 versions. Guess what they are making even more money of the unrestricted versions. Well at least I know which stocks to short at the end of the year. I also know which ones to buy.

    2. Re:Personally, I say "so fucking what?" by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

      > The hacked / cracked / ripped what ever versions of media are far more user friendly than the legit ones.

      You mean like this? :-)

      http://i.imgur.com/GxzeV.jpg

    3. Re:Personally, I say "so fucking what?" by upuv · · Score: 1

      Exactly like that.

  61. Anolog TV has been shut down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and sold to the US telephone companies. Witness 4G. With all the greed from the FCC and the baby bells, I hadn't considered movie studio involvement in the analog TV shutdown. How much power do the studios actually have?

  62. ha Ha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At what point will you stop rewarding these people with your money?

    Turn your back on these bastards....stop consuming what dreck they pimp.

  63. This will hurt many businesses... by aceofspades1217 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Most businesses in which need to run a signal a long distance need to use a Cat5 to Component system. My family owns three businesses and they all use a system in which cat5 is ran to all three of our TVs and converted to component right before reaching the TV.

    As much as HDMI is great it simply is not as good as component for running an HD signal over a long distance. Component is much better with cat5 because it is split into 3 cords. That way you Cat5 can easily handle the signal. However Cat5 is insufficient for carrying the entire signal if your using HDMI.

    The AACS should not have the authority to break so many people's installations. We certainly can't afford to take out our nearly one thousand dollar system of splitters and converters and I'm sure many businesses can't either.

    1. Re:This will hurt many businesses... by steveha · · Score: 1

      As much as HDMI is great it simply is not as good as component for running an HD signal over a long distance.

      HDMI is terrible for running over a long distance. HDMI should have been a serial protocol, with a really high speed bitstream that you could put over a single shielded copper cable (or a single optical fiber). Just as SATA replaced parallel ATA, some sort of serial video standard will someday replace HDMI.

      steveha

      --
      lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
    2. Re:This will hurt many businesses... by Turmio · · Score: 1

      You can run HDMI over Cat5/6... http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.21489

  64. Media that downgrades itself? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What a quaint idea. It reminds me of the good old days, like when I bought 8-Track and cassette tapes. The tape was physically damaged by friction and tension when run through the player, so I wonder if the companies that manufactured the tape itself got a kickback from the music labels by selling cheap media that was guaranteed to shred itself. Perhaps the hardware manufacturers were in league as well. Sooner or later you were going to jam the player and cause internal damage in those, as well.

    At least during the tulip bulb mania of 1637 you knew you were buying something that had a limited lifespan (because it actually had a life).

  65. This already happened to DVI (without HDCP) by bored · · Score: 1

    A few years ago you could buy DVD players with DVI outputs, dumping up scaled 1080i without HDCP. Then a few years ago, when all the DVI ports disappeared so many of the players started refusing to dump 1080i over HDMI/DVI without HDCP. Instead they would only dump it at 720p or lower, that's when a lot of manufactures did the same thing to component. Its been really hard to find DVD players that would upscale to 1080i/p without HDCP for a couple years now.

  66. Re: Don't confuse... by Hawke666 · · Score: 1

    Well, I think this cable looks better than this one. The solid black is much nicer-looking than the ugly gray curvy bit and red logo. The one looks like a cable should, the other just looks like a blob.

  67. Re:Any blu-ray players sending 1080p over componen by h4rr4r · · Score: 1
  68. Re: Don't confuse... by cynyr · · Score: 1

    yes, wrap the $10 one around a hot chick, and add the $100 one to gotse.

    --
    All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
  69. Cable run length is a problem! by MojoSF · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I have a 70 ft. conduit run from my equipment to the projector in the back of my room. HDMI max run length is, what? 15 ft.?

  70. There is a very simple and effective solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you don't like the technology limitations or the licence terms, STOP WATCHING!

  71. You can boost HDMI for distance by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    But it costs more. It can go over Cat-5e up to around 60 meters or so, however you need 2 cables, not one. For longer distances or single cable there is a fibre solution but as I'm sure you guessed it is pricey.

  72. You don't even need to do that by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    HDCP is exceedingly weak. You can find devices to remove it, if you look around. Ok well you can also get cards with HDMI input for a computer. That would then be all you need to get a copy of the data.

    Of course all that is unnecessary since AACS and BD+ have been bypassed. AnyDVD HD will remove all that stuff so you can simply copy the data right off the disc.

    There is just no way to give someone a movie to watch, but then to restrict other uses. They have to be able to decrypt the data to watch it, that means all the keys needed are there somewhere.

  73. Why not swith to open standands? by lw7av · · Score: 1

    Connect devices through wifi or usb.

    --
    Let me show you my thing; it's the most advanced on the planet.
  74. Boo-hoo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh dear - another anti-consumer measure! Boo-hoo!

    Would I like to purchase a non-DRM solution over a DRMed solution? Yes. As far as I hate DRMs, one has to remember they exist for a reason. That reason is to stop people pirating goods which has cost a certain entity a fair amount of money to create. Even if companies tried the softer approach of providing non-DRMed content, the result will be that a far greater number of people will pirate it. Just search gnutella for music and see how many non-DRMed iTunes purchases you find there these days! This stuff hardly existed when music was DRMed!

    To those who say that media companies charge too much: people who pirate content do it not because of the cost of content, but because they can get it for free. Seriously, there are people I know who'd rather torrent a movie rather than pick it up from the $5 bin at their local Walmart.

  75. Big deal... by jonwil · · Score: 1

    I bet the amount of piracy that has happened since Blu-Ray and AACS came out that would have been prevented by this change (i.e. no 1080 output over unprotected outputs) is essentially zero.

    Anyone who wants to pirate will likely A.Use a ripping program (perhaps on a copy of the disk they rented from Blockbuster or Netflix) or B.Download a copy from the internet

    Ripping programs exist (or if they dont they likely will soon) that can run on Windows and can do single-click ripping of Blu-Ray disks into a file that you can then play with a suitable player (removing all the protection including AACS, BD+, ICT, Macrovision and Region flags in the process)

    And with the growth of HTPCs methods to easily play the pirated content back on the 50" TV in the media room will continue to grow.

  76. win-win by pydev · · Score: 1

    It's a win-win as far as industry is concerned: you have to replace your equipment, you have to buy all your movies again, they get to control the content in perpetuity in violation of copyright law, and they can threaten you with lawsuits for obscene awards and even win. And since it's collusion within an oligopoly, you have nowhere else to go. And it's all legal (after bribing politicians sufficiently well). Why wouldn't they like it?

  77. to quote Mark Twain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

  78. Fuck AACS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  79. DRM BS Again? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you trying to get me hyped up again about some kind of DRM BS? Is this a DRM backdoor story? WTF? Didn't you hear me the first time? NO MORE FN DRM. It's a frikkin cable. F. Why the F do we need DRM? WHY WHY WHY? Arrest the MFers who pirate the shit and leave every one else alone.

    F. I'm not buying no fn DRM cable BS. None. F U.

  80. Sad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's sad that more thought is now put into how to make things NOT work than how to make them perform well.

  81. Shrug. Only affects legitimate downloaders. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is Piratebay following that distinction?

  82. Re: Don't confuse... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why is your TV wearing glasses?

  83. Re:not one part of which works for hearing impaire by Winckle · · Score: 1

    Most blu ray rips on usenet have the subtitles in the file, toggle on or off in the player. It's one of the benefits brought on by MKV.

  84. Re:Pirates laughing all the way to the home theatr by Frankenbuffer · · Score: 1

    There's a young generation-and-a-half-growing up with the baked-in notion that consuming media "legitimately" is costly and a PITA compared to piracy options. As these people grow into more leadership roles in society, we'll start to see a sea-change in how media is consumed. The rise of the Internet was one such sea-change. The baby boomer generation that runs most things today barely figured that one out. But the boomers sure aren't surviving the piracy sea-change. Once the boomers are finally out of power, maybe then we'll start to see some real change in how media is distributed and consumed. These are deeply held cultural habits that tend to require a generation or two of evolution to evolve.

  85. Re:Complete and utter bullshit. by Hurricane78 · · Score: 1

    Whoohoo... we got a load of media moguls and their retard friends on the site, apparently.
    And they can’t take reality... well... obviously! :D

    Well, to those modding facts down: I laugh in your face, cause you are doomed!
    And to those who still watch TV or a standalone TV: Welcome to the 21st century! Throw them away! Together with the wax cylinders, fax machines and telegraphing equipment! :D

    You know, I just realized that there comes a time, when you have just outgrown Slashdot, and it starts to look... exactly like a very techy 4chan. Well, I also realized, that for me, that time is now.
    Cause when the trolls are in power, every normal person becomes a troll.

    So go fuck yourselves.

    --
    Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  86. the point of this is? by Nyder · · Score: 1

    considering that all tv are 720p to 1080p now, I don't see how this is an issue.

    You still have a SD TV? Then here's your warning to upgrade.

    --
    Be seeing you...
  87. dvd by Sharonmobile · · Score: 1

    Depends which side of the fence you are on - Sometimes people just do not realise the consequences of their actions and copyright rules, more needs to be done in order to educate people to the rules.. .

  88. not a comment by HisOmniscience · · Score: 1

    tagging for links