Sony won't downsample Blu-ray flicks on analog HD

[dphirschler]

http://hdtv.engadget.com/2006/03/14/sony-wont-downsample-blu-ray-flicks/

Good for Sony. It pissed me off the early adopters were getting punished by DRM.


Darryl

[billolmesdahl]

That decided the issue for me. I'm one of those "early adopters" and my HDTV only has component inputs. I was VERY annoyed to hear that I wouldn't be getting full quality from HD-DVD. Blu-ray has my support now.

[waheed]

About time, at least some good news about next gen HD. Does that also include HD content viewing on a PC.

[ROF]

This is all quite interesting, not unexpected, but interesting that Sony would persue this route. I'm glad early adopters won't be forced to buy an external box or a new set. This is just one more tick in the win column for blu-ray. I'm still holding out hope for an HD/BD player but if one doesn't appear or at least begin being discussed by years end I'm still planning to buy a BD player.

[painkiller]

Hhhmph.

No real surprise here.

Only proves to me they are now fully aware of folks, such as us, complaining about the direction HDTV design has been going.

If they didn't take this approach, they would have lost a lot of consumer confidence.

They aren't that stupid, after all, it seems.

[unclebud]

1st off, as of now it's only the first 8 titles from Sony if things stand as is. It's still 2 months away and anything can happen.
2nd Sony will probable put a root kit on the DVD to keep you from copying it on a PC.

[ROF]

1st off, as of now it's only the first 8 titles from Sony if things stand as is. It's still 2 months away and anything can happen.

True.

2nd Sony will probable put a root kit on the DVD to keep you from copying it on a PC.

You are hopefully correct I just hope it's not like the last rootkit. Something must be done to prevent casual law violators and mass reproduction.

[dphirschler]

I was under the impression that it was in the player, not on the media.


Darryl

[ROF]

I thought it was both. That's the only way it would make sense to do it, but then again we are talking about Sony.

[unclebud]

DRM has to be in both the hardware and media to work.
All Blu-Ray and HD-DVD drives will have DRM built in. Hollywood would not let anyone make drives without it.
Media without the DRM will play anywhere in a compatible drive.

[BJ_M]

Hollywood would not let anyone make

it is not up to Hollywood really - not when sony owns about 65% of all the movie titles ...

[Skith]

Sony/Bluray would leave it up to the Studios to decide if they want to impliment the "token" that forces downsampling, according to this article at cdrinfo.com. http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=16565

Regardless, it is good to see that Sony has changed its tune. AACS may still be a pain, but at least this is a start, hopefully other studios will follow Sony's example.

On a final note, I wonder if this move has anything to do with the PS3. This move could potentially help the sales PS3 as a bluray player.

[robertazimmerman]

Anyone taking bets on how fast the HD-DVD camp will react? I'll bet the farm that the 2nd generation of players will allow full 1080p via the component output.

This is actually a hope, since I boycott Sony hardware.......

roberta

[MozartMan]

Universal opts not to downscale HD content; ICT dead on arrival?

Following on the heels of Sony, Universal has confirmed that they will not be using such capabilities to downgrade video on their offerings, at least for now. This marks what looks to be a major studio to turn away from the so-called image constraint token - the name given to the AACS software functionality that allows for downsampling video to 960x540 (approximately NTSC). Paramount, Disney and Twentieth Century Fox have all backed off of using the ICT, leaving Warner Brothers as the only major studio saying that they will use the it. According to BusinessWeek, sources say that Warner will use the ICT on "at least some" of their initial titles.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060327-6473.html

[oldandinthe way]

PANIC

The hardware makers have been counting on the studios to be their allies, offering everything that the studios have requested in DRM.

Unfortunately the studios are concerned that with rival standards and high priced hardware, potential online distribution methods and of course piracy, all forms of HD-DVD will be a bust.

The studios cannot afford to invest in failed markets.

What other concessions to lure early adopters will they offer? Time will tell.

[BJ_M]

free beer would get my bussness

[edDV]

Hhhmph.

No real surprise here.

Only proves to me they are now fully aware of folks, such as us, complaining about the direction HDTV design has been going.

If they didn't take this approach, they would have lost a lot of consumer confidence.

They aren't that stupid, after all, it seems.

I bet they are reading forums like this and see mobs in the streets in front of every Best Buy in their nightmares.

But I need to be convinced this is true and I want to see Sony et. al. back off the Broadcast Flag (especially the analog hole part) that is even more of a threat to their early adopter and very vocal buyers. I bought their overly expensive "HD Ready" Monitors and want to get at least ten years use. I would accept nothing less than an acceptable replacement for free for all early adopters. They need to support their "HD Ready" claim.

Each of us probably influence 100 purchases locally and thousands via the web.

[edDV]

These guys are on top of it.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060314-6377.html

"Oh, and if the possibility of making analog, high-definition copies from Blu-ray discs is of such small concern, then why do we need to plug the analog hole?"

Why is there a heavy lobby effort going on in Congress to plug the so called "analog hole"? Sony says they aren't concerned. So who else is worried? Why are Congress critters pushing this?

Sony has decided that the very same people that bought into $20-60,000 "HDTV Ready" are likely to buy $1000 Blu-Ray HDTV players.

Is this a magic act? Don't take your eyes off broadcast flags.

PS: The reader comments on that site are near 100% unimpressed. Many others think HDTV DVD won't take off until MPeg4 h.264 and at much much lower price points. If it doesn't sell for less than current DVD, it isn't ready for serious consideration.

[painkiller]

I expect the biggest reason Congress went gung-ho to "plug the analog hole" was because of the efforts coming from the MPAA (and their spontaneous contributions since it is now an election year).

Personally, I'd be very interested in knowing just how much $$ is being contributed to who, and what committees the legislators belong to.

I had an interesting discussion at lunch last week. As we were discussing the future (near and further down the pike) of recording abilities with new electronics as they pertain to high HDTV resolutions, a person at the adjacent table had to but in and give wrong information.

We asked him how he thought he was right and we weren't. BGE TV repairman, he said.

When I mentioned that when the average public finds out (in the future) that the Blu-Ray or HD-DVD recorders will not record their shows in they way they want - they will return the equipment en mass and demand refunds.

He hightailed it out of there in a flash.

[edDV]

Sensenbrenner (R) Conyers (D)

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051218-5797.html
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.4569:

[painkiller]

I should have known. Yeah, familiar with their (non)work.

I remember watching Conyers some time back as he was being interviewed along with two other individuals on violent dogs issue (pitbulls). I noticed that, for the two other persons on originally opposing views (not Conyers himself, this was somewhat of a triad interview, as I recall) were eventually coming together in their understanding of the issue and at least conversing civilly. A measure of professionalism and compromise in action.

But Conyers? He wouldn't hear any of it. His mind was made up from the beginning. He didn't appear to be even interested in acting nice at all.

I've seen Sensenbrenner do somewhat the same thing.

Some professional legislators we have.

And these are the folks driving our consumer electronics to - what we are gonna get.

[Edit:] Well, it appears the following is what was donated to -
Sensenbrenner, F James Jr (R-WI) $44,750
so far this 2006 from the TV/Movie industry.

Conyers didn't make the top 20 in this category, so I don't know what he got, if any.

[EAO]

That decided the issue for me. I'm one of those "early adopters" and my HDTV only has component inputs. I was VERY annoyed to hear that I wouldn't be getting full quality from HD-DVD. Blu-ray has my support now.

I'd be willing to bet that if Sony wins the format war they will simply go back on their word... but this will only happen after/if they win...

It's not like they're commiting to this decision for good.

Make that buck then figure out how to screw the masses.