2010: The Year AACS and HDMI Kill Off Component Video

[Patrick_Wolf]

HDMI's plan for world domination is moving forward faster than I had anticipated...

I hope this means there'll be a Wii HD by 2013.

 

[GlocksRock]

I know this sucks, but it doesn't mean that all of your current blu rays will stop playing at 1080p come 2014, it's just that going forward all new blu rays may or may not have ICT implemented, but your old ones still play at full resolution. Plus, I'm sure there will be software which will allow you to rip the disc to a hard drive while stripping off the ICT and making it playable over component once again, and by then blank blu rays will be less expensive. I'm not saying that I agree with what is being done, but there will be ways around it, it's just up to you whether or not you chose to go that route. But if you are a true audioholic you will either do what it takes to convert your discs, or you will just upgrade your equipment.

 

[Stereodude]

Did anyone actually read the article? From all the whining and moaning in most of the 20 replies so far I'd assume not. Maybe this will help some of you...

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). If the manufacturer has existing models in its line-up, it will be able to continue selling that model until the end of 2013.

Guess what, your existing hardware will keep working just as it does now!

 

[gonk]

I certainly don't think that what AACS is doing is a reasonable move, but it's a move that we've known is coming for some time. I remember hearing about these two steps in the "analog sunset" (the 2010 restriction on component output and the 2013 elimination of component output) last year some time. Stupid? Certainly. Useless for deterring piracy? Completely. Detrimental to consumers? Yep. Surprising? Sadly, not so much so.

The one thing that I wonder about is the possibility of some smart manufacturers exploiting the "loop hole" in the 2010 sunset rules. Take a player like the BDP-80 - relatively modest price, same video processing capabilities for component and HDMI video outputs (aside from restricting DVD output to 480p via component), and a multichannel analog output for folks who don't have support for HDMI audio. It's in production now, and thus exempt from the 2010 analog sunset requirements. In theory, they could keep building and selling that player until the end of 2013. Not only would it let them serve a specific market that AACS is trying to screw, but it would make it less onerous on consumers in general when they start omitting component video outputs on other products to avoid the hassle of implementing the 2010 sunset rules for component outputs (firmware to control that output separately from the HDMI output) that no one will want to use anyway because of those 2010 sunset rules. Wouldn't that be funny...

One thing I found odd about the article was this paragraph:

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.

The ICT has been a "feature" of the Blu-ray format since the format came to market back in 2006. There was endless debate going back to at least 2005 about the ICT and its potential to render the large user-base of component video displays (those without HDMI or DVI-HDCP) "obsolete" for Blu-ray. The studios ended up all promising that they would not be making use of the ICT in their releases, a promise that so far they have kept. Is something changing about ICT after 1/1/11?

 

[JerryLove]

Guess what, your existing hardware will keep working just as it does now!

Until me receiver breaks and suddenly my component-only TV won't run HD any more because no new receiver will output it.

 

[TLS Guy]

Until me receiver breaks and suddenly my component-only TV won't run HD any more because no new receiver will output it.

I told you it is part of the stimulus package for Asia, so you will need a TV and a receiver.

 

[Stereodude]

Until me receiver breaks and suddenly my component-only TV won't run HD any more because no new receiver will output it.

Your receiver is also a blu-ray player? The restrictions only pertain to blu-ray players. If receiver makers want to keep component switching, upconversion, transcoding etc, in new models they still can.

 

[Patrick_Wolf]

Your receiver is also a blu-ray player? The restrictions only pertain to blu-ray players. If receiver makers want to keep component switching, upconversion, transcoding etc, in new models they still can.

It's not only blu-ray players. It also says "(and any other AACS devices)". But I don't know what devices fall under that category.

Until me receiver breaks and suddenly my component-only TV won't run HD any more because no new receiver will output it.

Good excuse to get a new TV?

 

[Stereodude]

It's not only blu-ray players. It also says "(and any other AACS devices)". But I don't know what devices fall under that category.

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players are the only devices that would be affected at this time.

 

[PhilCohen]

The movie industry keeps talking about stopping copying, but I have to say "copying to what?" since there's still no high-definition disc recorder in the North American or European markets, and the movie industry is going to fight tooth and nail against their introduction.
For the most part, digital television has been primarily a scam to turn back the clock to the days before VCR's, when no consumer could make a recording.
The lack of any great public outrage over this attempt to totally abolish home video recording of television programs suggests that the entertainment corporations are self-delusional about how many consumers they believed actually wanted to record the programs.

 

[cynan]

there's still no high-definition disc recorder in the North American or European markets, and the movie industry is going to fight tooth and nail against their introduction.

Ever heard of a personal computer (with a Bluray drive to rip discs to a hard drive, plus optional ~$200 Bluray recorder)?

I have all of my HD-DVDs and Blurays ripped to my computer's hard rive and the computer is connected to my receiver via HDMI. Passes through full resolution video and PCM 7.1 audio through my AMD video card (and I could always add an extra ~$200 sound card (or maybe future video card) if I thought I really needed TrueHD)

As long as the industry insists on implementing these restrictions, this type of setup is the way to go.

 

[Stereodude]

Ever heard of a personal computer (with a Bluray drive to rip discs to a hard drive, plus optional ~$200 Bluray recorder)?

Perhaps you can explain how preventing 1080p/i playback over component video affects that in any way.

 

[cynan]

Perhaps you can explain how preventing 1080p/i playback over component video affects that in any way.

It doesn't really. I was responding the above commend regarding the paucity of HD media recorders.

Although, if you had a media PC with ripped HD media, similar to the one I described, you could choose to output via HDMI, VGA D-SUB, component, or DVI at 1080p/i with the right software. Though now that the current video cards seem to be dropping analog connections, you may still need something like the monoprice HDFury 2 mentioned above.

 

[PhilCohen]

Ever heard of a personal computer (with a Bluray drive to rip discs to a hard drive, plus optional ~$200 Bluray recorder)?

When refering to the type of Blu-Ray recorder not being sold here, I was refering to stand-alone Blu-Ray recorders for use with(and playback through) a television; the type of Blu-Ray recorder presently being marketed only in Japan.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Perhaps you can explain how preventing 1080p/i playback over component video affects that in any way.

If past 2011 your new BR player will refuse to output 1080i over component you could rip the bd and play it from your pc desktop (most video cards sold today do have 1080i component out - I used it at home and it works just fine)

 

[Audioholics]

Did anyone actually read the article? From all the whining and moaning in most of the 20 replies so far I'd assume not. Maybe this will help some of you...[snip]
Guess what, your existing hardware will keep working just as it does now!

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."

Foot... mouth... repeat.

 

[gonk]

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."

Foot... mouth... repeat.

Clint, this part of the article actually confused me a bit. The ICT was always part of the spec, at least as I understand it. From all the format war debate I recall, the studios have always had the option of turning it on. Is there something formally changing about ICT next year?

 

[DavidW]

Foot... mouth... repeat.

Clint,

Hollywood will fight the future to the bitter end, just as the recording industry has.

It bears mentioning that this move is effectively plan B by Hollywood after last years attempt to once again get the FCC to allow SOC.

Because the FCC has denied them this feature as they like to call it over the years, they are attempting to just end round the issue by not letting anyone build new gear with analog HD out.

Perhaps it would be worthwhile for readers to send complaints to the FCC pointing out that through AACS, the movie industry is attempting to bypass the stance that the agency took in saying no to SOC and should perhaps investigate if this new move violates the current regulations for consumer protection in the matter of disabling consumer gear. The end result is the same, if not as direct as turning off existing analog gear, as parts of an analog based system fail and have to be replaced, thus crippling the rest of the system without a full upgrade to all of the other gear as well.

The MPAA will say and do anything to take control of your TV and force you to have to buy the same content again and again on different types of shinny discs.

David

 

[ronnie 1.8]

The goal is to make sure that all high-definition video will only be made possible through "secure" digital connections like HDMI.

It was mentioned earlier that, at this time, only Blu-ray and HD-DVD players will be effected. The above paragraph from the original article states that the goal is for "all high-definition video...". The original article also states the effected devices are "Blu-ray players (and any other AACS devices)".

What exactly are the effected devices? One of the most common components folks have in their systems are set-top boxes, i.e., cable DVRs, satellite DVRs, etc. I don't know if these are AACS devices, but they certainly output HD video over component, so I presume these are effected, too?

 

[panzeroceania]

it's not just about copying media either. I'm a bit of a purist and like my content raw from the source without any post processing or extra things going on that are going to alter the content or slow it down.

I'm not sad to lose component but I realy dislike the idea of all HDMI.

if I can at all help it, I watch my content over RGBHV, or DVI. They provide good quality, they are pure, unadulterated, fast enough.

HDTVs already have enough post processing going on in the background, please don't force me to use HDMI only!