High-def ‘down-converting’ forced
By Paul Sweeting -- Video Business,01/19/2006
JAN. 19 | Some buyers of HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc players might not get everything they bargained for.
In a deal reached this week after tense negotiations, the eight-company consortium behind the Advanced Access Content System, created for use by both high-def formats to prevent unauthorized copying, has agreed to require hardware makers to bar some high-def signals from being sent from players to displays over analog connections, sources said.
Instead, the affected analog signal must be “down-converted” from the full 1920x1080 lines of resolution the players are capable of outputting to 960x540 lines—a resolution closer to standard DVDs than to high-def. Standard DVDs are typically encoded at 720 horizontal by 480 vertical lines of resolution.
The 960x540 standard stipulated in the AACS agreement represents 50% higher resolution than standard-def, but only one-quarter the resolution of full high-def. Whether a particular movie is down-converted will be up to the studio.
The players will be required to recognize and respond to a digital flag, called an Image Constraint Token, inserted into the movie data.
If the flag is set to “on,” the player must down-convert the analog signal. If set to “off,” the player can pass the full high-def signal over the analog connections.
The studios are divided over whether to require such down-conversion and are likely to follow separate policies.
Hardware makers had generally resisted the requirement, but under the new deal, ICT recognition will be included in the AACS license that all device makers and playback software vendors will have to sign.
Estimates differ on how many consumers might be affected by the new requirement.
Many first-generation HDTV sets are equipped only with analog inputs, because at the time they were manufactured, there was no agreed-on industry standard for copy-protected digital connections between devices.
Now that there is, however, the studios are anxious to move all signal traffic to protected digital inputs and outputs.
Although movies in both Blu-ray and HD DVD will be encrypted while on the disc, the digital encryption is lost once the signal is converted to analog. Some studios fear that pirates will be able to capture and record the unencrypted analog signal, which could then be re-converted into a pristine, unprotected digital copy.
Down-converting the analog signal from high-def to something closer to standard-definition would at least prevent pirates from starting with the highest-quality image.
The effect, however, will be to deny those HDTV owners with analog-only sets the full capabilities of the new disc formats.
As part of the deal with hardware makers, the studios will be required to disclose on a movie’s packaging whether the image will be down-converted.
Supporters of Image Constraint argue that few consumers will be able to tell the difference between down-converted analog and high-def.
Many so-called HDTV sets are actually capable of displaying only 720 lines of resolution, regardless of the source, so viewers would not be getting full high-def anyway, even over digital connections.
Once the analog image is down-sampled to 540 lines, moreover, players will be permitted to use a signal processor to “up-convert” it to 720 or 1,080 lines.
Although such up-conversion does not restore the detail lost through down-sampling, it does improve overall picture sharpness.
No studio would comment on whether it plans to take advantage of the Image Constraint option.
Within the AACS consortium, however, Warner Home Video was consistently the strongest proponent of the idea, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is not a member of AACS, but has argued against the idea in other forums.
AACS-member Disney, as well as non-members NBC Universal and Paramount, are likely to take advantage of the option, according to sources with knowledge of the studios’ thinking.
Although Sony is a member of AACS, where it sometimes clashed with Warner on the issue, sources said it is still unclear whether Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will take advantage of the ICT option now that it is in place.
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| Submitted by: | Donato Giambersio 2/18/2006 3:38:21 AM PT |
| Location: | Klamath Falls, OR |
| Occupation: | Retired |
You can be sure that this practice of denying the public who've already upgraded to HDTV, will only cause them to seek pirated copies that they will be able to view on their present equipment. By their paranoid practises, Hollywood will create a larger market for the pirates.
| Submitted by: | Erik Hanson 2/17/2006 7:00:14 AM PT |
| Location: | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Occupation: | Web Developer |
I, too, am an early adopter of HDTV and have equipment that only supports component inputs. Another thing to note is that EVERY piece of equipment requires HDCP, not just the TV. So those of us who have two or three sources going through their receiver/amp to do the switching and then to the HDTV will also be subject to reduced picture quality. As reported on another website recently, this number could be as high as 12 million sets, or up to 60% of the HDTV market. So much for a return on my hard-earned investment in HDTV. And the MPAA wonders why people are motivated to pirate films!
THANKS HOLLYWOOD!
| Submitted by: | Ted Nunn (tednunn@sympatico.ca) 2/14/2006 1:13:42 PM PT |
| Location: | Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation: | Marketing |
While I understand that studios want to protect their content, I find it incredible that they are alienating the very people that will make this next generation of DVD a reality. Those of us that bought HD when there was little or no HD should not lose this HD opportunity. Most upconverting DVD players have left us out of the equation. Now, HD DVD is robbing us of the very basis of our HD desires. (HD software) Of course they'll also wonder why there may be a huge underground following for bootleg videos. While I have no interest in pirated movies, I realize that cable black boxes and illegal satellite systems became very prevalent because of protectionist mechanisms regarding video and television. (CRTC CANADA) If the studios make too much noise, they could see an acceleration of iptv which could at best limit them to $4 per movie, and at worst have them lose out completely as Divx type services stream and download movies across the world for which they receive little or no compensation!!! While I hope that this does not happen, it is possible!
| Submitted by: | James Boyd 2/14/2006 11:01:23 AM PT |
| Location: | Ontario, Canada |
Why buy a technology that decreases the quality of the original recording? I think I will wait to see what transpires before moving to this new format!
| Submitted by: | Brian 1/31/2006 8:01:16 PM PT |
| Location: | PA |
| Occupation: | Electronic Engineer |
I find it amazing how little Hollywood actually respects comsumers. A lot of people wanted to be on the cutting edge of technology and bought hi-def televisions as soon as they became available. These people essentially fueled the development of HDTV. But now they are being told by Hollywood that 'we don't care if you can use the full capabilities of your 50-inch $6000 television, we're afraid that we might not make $10 billon this quarter.' I'm sorry that the equipment manufactures are caving-in to the demands of Hollywood rather that stand up for their consumers welfare, I think it would sell more products in the end.
I wonder if Hollywood will figure out how to satisfy ther customers, instead of ripping them off, before its too late. I do believe the end is near for Hollywood as we know it, I think they are getting awfuly close to the breaking point of most of their customers.
Just my $0.02.
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