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functionality could be added in the future, but it will launch the Blu-ray format with
the Java based support.
Maureen Weber, general manager of HP's personal storage division confirmed the
decision by stating "By joining the HD DVD Promotions Group and continuing work
with the Blu-ray Disc Association, HP will be in a better position to assess true
development costs and, ultimately, provide the best and most affordable solution for
consumers."
Content Protection for Hi Def DVD
Advanced Access Content System, AACS, is the Hi Def DVD digital rights
management system used for both formats, even though they have two different
format regulating organizations (DVD Forum for HD DVD, and BD Association for Bluray).
AACS was jointly developed by a group of companies including Intel, IBM, Disney,
Microsoft, Warner Bros., Toshiba, Panasonic, and Sony. The AACS content protection
system can revoke a number of levels of keys for content and players.
Additionally, the Blu-ray content protection system employs 2 extra components:
A) BD+ to provide content protection renewability, and
B) BD ROM Mark, to control against mass production piracy, mass duplication, and
unauthorized copies of pre-recorded media.
The BD+ controls the playback on players that have been attacked by updating the
security of the player that has been compromised. Players that have not been
attacked but still vulnerable would not be affected by this control, in other words if
one player of a model line has been attacked, the system will disable that player not
the entire model line.
The BD ROM Mark is an identifier in Pre-recorded BD-ROM movies produced by
licensed BD-ROM manufacturers to disallow playback on unlicensed players when
read by a player before the disc will be allowed to play. The ROM Mark is unique per
movie title, not per disc, and helps control illegal disc replication.
The BD Association (for Blu-ray) has agreed to adopt the Mandatory Managed Copy
(MMC) feature as a requirement on the format. MMC is supported by Microsoft and
Intel for the copying of video, however, the BD Association rejected the support to
iHD for now, as mentioned above.
MMC technology would allow the content of the High Definition DVD to be copied on
a home-server and stream it throughout the entire home network, although it would
not permit unrestricted copying.
In February 2006, the HD DVD Promotion Group confirmed that “negotiations on the
finished spec for the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) used to protect both
HD DVD and rival Blu-ray Disc content are nearing completion and should be ready
in time for the March rollout of Toshiba’s HD DVD first generation players, and since
AACS is primarily software it could be added to finished players in a flash-memory
upload.”
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