AACS Sucks, Advanced Access Content System

Everyone…the boycott starts NOW!!! Why bother with HD-DVD and BluRay anyways?

In addition to the DRM mess, the image quality will not likely impress the average Joe to make it worth their while.

And, even with the small difference, you can still achieve respectable results using a decent DVD player that can properly de-interlace and upscale 480i video. And, on top of that, the AACS DRM malarkey is a non-issue with DVD-Video.

I think DVD was made too well in that it may end up like the CD; obsolescence and inferiority that is not readily noticeable on average, if at all, and sure AACS will work at launch, but that won’t last long.

In AACS, each player device is assigned a DeviceID (which might not be unique to that device), and is given decryption keys that correspond to its DeviceID. When a disc is made, a random ‘title key’ is generated and the video content on the disc is encrypted under the title key. The title key is encrypted in a special way that specifies exactly which devices’ decryption keys are able to extract the title key, and the result is then written into a header field on the disc.

When a player device wants to read a disc, the player first uses its own decryption keys (which are specific to the player’s DeviceID) to extract the title key from the disc’s header; then it uses the title key to unlock the content.

Decryption software for AACS, the scheme used to encrypt content on both next-gen DVD systems (HD-DVD and Blu-ray), was released recently by an anonymous programmer called Muslix. His software, called BackupHDDVD, is now available online. As shipped, it can decrypt HD-DVD’s but it could easily be adapted to decrypt Blu-ray discs.

Commentary has been all over the map, with some calling this a non-event and others seeing the death of AACS. I have been thinking about this question, and we believe the right view is that the software isn’t a big deal by itself, but it is the first step in the meltdown of AACS!

Has the AACS code been cracked??? If it’s true, this could change the system’s in-the-field recovery. Copy protection is not right. The best it can be is a never-ending arms race, which is why Big Media is increasingly relying on legal and social barriers. I’d think it would be great if AACS were cracked, as in ten years this may let me watch movies on VideoLAN in peace and calm instead of fighting a depressing battle with some spyware and adware infested commercial gimmick of a program.

AACS (Advanced Access Content System) is an industrial-strength encryption technology and an elaborate key-based system for authenticating hardware and software. These keys can be modified at any time so that if unlicensed players or drives come on to the market, updated keys can be added to new video releases. The new keys can also restrict playback to older title releases or even disable a HD-DVD or Blu-ray player by modifying its firmware.

AACS also has the ability to degrade the high def video signal sent to a TV or monitor if the user has an unprotected digital or analogue connection between a player and display device.

AACS supporters point out that under a provision called Mandatory Managed Copy (MMC), content holders will be compelled to provide options for consumers to, say, copy a disc on to a home server or download content to a portable multi-media player.

Do you really understand what’s going on in the video industry and their push towards High Definition? Under intense pressure from Hollywood, they are engineering a complete removal of the concept of fair use. They are also setting up systems that will completely control how, when, and where you can use content that you buy. Who says they can retroactively change the rules?!?

The AACS (Advanced Access Content System) organization announced availability of the interim version of their system for protecting content providers from their criminal customers. Their noble intentions are pretty much outrageous. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray have embraced this horrible system, and the studios are salivating at the prospect of you never actually being able to own YOUR content again!!

Manufacturers of drives for High Definition Digital Video Disk (DVD) and Blu-ray discs aim to stick to their launch for sometime in March. The first devices will have an interim license according to Blu-ray manufacturers. These licenses will allow the drives to be upgraded with the necessary AACS (Advanced Access Content System) keys before the specification is finished. Hollywood movie studios are insisting that AACS be included in all drives. Without AACS, it will not be possible to play high-resolution movies at all. A Mandatory Managed Copy (MMC) can, however, be made.

BOOOO, are you serious? I cannot backup the movies that I buy? Give me a break. I cannot imagine the fact of me never actually being able to own MY own content again.