High definition managed copy may be available before year end
The AACS Licensing Authority has said that it expects managed copy functionality to be in place by the end of the year.
Version 1.0 of the Advanced Access Control System (AACS) will contain the complete specification for allowing users limited rights to copy and distribute the content on protected high definition discs.
Michael Ayers, spokesperson for the AACS LA, said that the ongoing attacks on the copy protection scheme are slowing development down.
Ayers says that, "The final version will include things like managed copy--which will address the main thing that hackers claim they're interested in."
I'm sure the hackers involved in busting open the protection will disagree. After all, there's absolutely no guarantee that all released titles can be freely copied.
"The structure of managed copy, how it's technically going to work, what will the rules and conditions for the offer of a managed copy be—part of it is just understanding the rights in offering a managed copy, the rights a content owner may or may not have," explains Ayers. "Potentially, you could have a situation where somebody has the right to distribute on disc, but nothing else; or, the distribution rights are limited to a specific region or continent."
Each disc can have different rights attributed to it. That's not going to go down well with those who are anti-DRM. Expect attacks and cracks to continue, whether or not managed copy makes it into the specification by the end of the year.
Hackers like to manage their own copy.
One more thing — high definition players will likely require an Internet connection in order to authorise copies, as well as firmware upgrades to move from the current AACS version 0.93.
