HDTV with HDCP/DRM/AACS
 

Best thing since sliced bread or a big elephant waiting to come crashing down to earth.

Most people who have subscribed to buying a HDTV recently most likely doesnt even have a TV that supports full HD even if it does support HDCP as theres very few sets around that actually do the full 1080p. Most are 720p and 1080i tops.

On top of that you will need a lot of new equipment to support it. New Sky or cable box. New players, new av recievers, new graphics cards or even a full new PC, because if the hardware you want to use doesnt support HDCP and work correctly with the TV then the output will be downsampled, or rather in most cases in the begining not upsampled as most current sources are not recorded in HD anyway and are just upsampled.

With all the restrictions planned with broadcast flags and media flags does this new technology have any life at all especially when they come up with such ideas and is a nice example of the kind of tricks the hardware and media makers are thinking about. So goodby channel hopping during breaks, and what happens if you hop prior to a break and hit another channel thats in a break. :D

It was hard to work out which forum to place this as its not just current affairs (remember this is all planned to be forced upon all with the pending analogue switch off), but lifestyle and cable TV aswell. Good topic for the site anyway.

Re: HDTV with HDCP/DRM/AACS
 

HDCP apparently is already breakable and the method to do it is already available on the net.

I envisage a 10 or 20 quid box that sits in between your eqipment and does the HDCP bit for you allowing you to watch what you want where you want and on what you want.

As the Prodigy said - **** them and their law!