In the HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray battle for hi-def disc based media dominance, one of the underlying issues was the new DRM implemented on both formats. One of the reasons I was a proponent of HD-DVD while is still existed, was because of the mandatory managed copy, and the less obtrusive DRM. Both formats implement AACS encryption, but Blu-ray, in addition to AACS, has another optional layer of protection in the form of a customized virtual machine that handles further plaback limitations. By encapsulating another level of encryption beneath a virtual machine as BD+ does, it makes the business of cracking such a scheme much more difficult.

Anyway, Slysoft’s AnyDVD HD has done it.

In the absence of mandatory managed copy, or the absence of a proper implementation that would allow a server based disc-less movie browsing and playback, this is huge news for the do-it yourself home theater PC crowd. This means that for the foreseeable future you will be able to rip Blu-Rays to your hard drive and stream them over your home network.

The only drawback is that it is not open-source. Proper litigation could limit the spread of the software. We won’t have a major media coup on the level of DeCSS. Slysoft has been doing this for years though and we’re probably reasonably safe from them just up and disappearing one day.

You can read the Slysoft press release after the jump.


Show me more… »

Tags: blu ray,encryption,hacking,hd-dvd,htpc
Categories: BJ, Entertainment
2 Comments »