Blu ray to cripple component video outputs

[emoxley]

This is a quote from Home Theater Magazine, page 14:

Blu ray players that are manufactured after 2010 will down-convert high-definition content to standard-definition resolution through their analog component outputs. And no companies will be able to wiggle out; the licensing administrator for Advanced Access Content System (AACS, the digital rights management used in blu ray) will require the crippling of analog outputs.

However, the draconian new requirement won't apply to HDMI outputs. They are deemed sufficiently secure to continue to carry high-def signals at full resolution. The new rule will affect those who own TVs, projectors, and A/V receivers that use analog component video for their primary high-def interface. Some installers prefer component video for HD projector installations because it's more robust than HDMI over long cable runs.

Why this, why now? The major movie studios have long cast suspicious glances at analog interfaces in general because of the s0-called analog hole. They believe that analog interfaces are less secure than HDMI. This change has been in the making for several years, and it's happening on a schedule.

The new AACS adopter agreement says that licensed players that are manufactured after December 31, 2010 must downconvert HD to SD via component video. Existing models may be manufactured and sold until December 31, 2011, but those sold in between the two deadlines activate a periodic update that will limit analog video to SD.

A further analog sunset is scheduled for December 31, 2013. After that date, no licensed player may pass any decrypted content to the analog outputs, whether that content is HD or SD.