Blu-ray Disc vs HD DVD on amazon.co.jp (1 Viewer)

[Shawn Perron]

As long as BD+ is transparent to the end user with a set top box, it's as irrelevant as AACS is to the average user. If people are that paranoid, they do not have to connect thier player to the internet since it is not mandatory.

 

[Cees Alons]

Oh, but it's not "transparent" to your wallet, Shawn. Those functions you don't want to notice on your set top box are payed by the consumer, by yourself.

Also, you greatly ignore the principle difference between the implementation of the AACS system and a Virtual Machine approach like BD+.

You can see it as transparent now, because it isn't used yet on current BD releases. We still haven't seen its effects.

But in principle it is a very radical difference. E.g. new functionality on BD releases could make permanent changes to your player, or insist that you have your internet connection on: to fetch the necessary key. Or to enter your use of the disc into your central account. Or to gather statistics. Or else it won't play the disc.

Even some content providers aren't too happy with the BD+ implemetation (like Twentieth Century Fox is), because when hackers and - possibly - criminals will target the BD+ system and crack it, or find a "fatal" bug, the underlying AACS is automatically compromised as well (in fact: rendered worthless).
And a little program installed by studio A could also monitor the usage of products of studio B (and report it to A).


Again: BD is not used at the moment on any current release, as far as we know, but it's certainly not something you should ignore. Its possible uses include everything we hated in the first DivX system! And more.


Cees



From "afterdawn.com":


C.

 

[Shawn Perron]

Transparent to the average end user would be popping the movie into the player, hitting play and watching the movie.


Mere paranoia at this time. Let's see them even implement some internet features before we even start the "DivX" fear mongering.

 

[Cees Alons]

The "feature" would be in the script on the disc. And installed automatically by BD+, just like updates are (not automatically) loaded from a disc now.

And, really, who's "paranoia" do you think we will have to fear mostly?


Cees