Yes we know this is not news, but you'd think it was based on the various stories around the web like this one from Yahoo Tech. We don't mean to pick on this one specifically because honestly it is a very common mistake -- although this particular article is way off as the newer Macs do support HDCP -- but as draconian as CableLabs and the AACS can be, the analog hole is still open. Now that doesn't mean these DRM requirements aren't crazy or that this protected path we always hear about is a joking matter, but it is all for naught when the HD signal hits the analog outputs -- the digital outputs do require HDCP though. This means you can watch any Blu-ray Disc or digital cable program recorded with an ATI Digital Cable Tuner at full 1080i via VGA or component -- Blu-ray Discs can be played back at 1080p via VGA but component doesn't support it. Now we're not trying to say this will always be the case, as both technologies support down-rezzing via analog outputs, but as it stands now these bits have never turned on. Now to the main point of this particular article, which is why Macs don't have a CableCARD option. Our best guess would be that Elgato doesn't want to pony up the $200k for the CableLabs certification process and honestly we don't blame 'em.

There has been a bit of a ruckus lately about the fact that Hollywood recently petitioned the FCC so that the ban on selectable output control (SOC) would be lifted. The articles go on to say that the this could impact the way you record with your HD DVRs, but it really isn't the case. As DirecTV HD DVR, TiVo HD and Vista Media Center owners (among others) can tell you, there are already flags out there that can either limit the amount of time you can keep a show, or prevent you from recording something entirely. The copy never flags are not supposed to be used, but it's obvious that they are, and the copy once flags get abused by some providers as a rule, rather than the exception. But SOC has nothing to do with recording on your HD DVR; SOC is all about closing the analog hole.

Moving beyond day-and-date releases via internet and HD video-on-demand, movie studios may be ready to move towards regularly putting movies online ahead of the DVD release date for a premium price -- that surveys say some of us are willing to pay -- but prepare to have your analog hole plugged again. The MPAA petitioned the FCC earlier this month to lift the existing ban preventing cable and satellite providers from remotely disabling analog outputs on their set-top boxes via selectable output controls (SOC). In a bit of ICT redux, the movie studios haven't said definitively that they will use the technology, but insist on having the ability to force anyone wanting to view high definition movies to only see them through an HDCP-protected HDMI output to a compatible TV. The failure of AACS and BD+ to prevent high quality copies isn't a deterrent to the MPAA's push, so while ICT has gone unused on Blu-ray and HD DVD, we're still too fond of our component outs, switchers and homemade cables -- and too wary of a future change in policy -- to support any changes in the law.

If you have been following the site for some time, you are all too familiar with ICT, HDCP, AACS and all the other bad words that make up the next generation DRM, but most of main stream media is just now realizing what is going on because Vista is right around the corner. All the chicken littles are coming out proclaiming how bad Vista is for consumers because of all this new DRM. The long and the short of it is that if the studios ever set the ICT bit on their titles and you don't have all your DRM ducks in a row, you will be forced to watch your HD DVD and Blu-ray movies at 540p (we wonder if you would even notice on a 14" laptop screen), this also goes for CableCARD content. While this does kinda stink, it would be more worrisome if there wasn't already a crack for AACS, so if it causes you any trouble just rip the movie first before playing it back. For a clearer more in-depth explanation of Vista's new DRM check out Chris' run down.

NVIDIA, like Intervideo, wants to help you build that next Blu-ray or HD DVD drive-equipped media PC, and has released new ForceWare drivers for GeForce 7-series graphics cards to enable PureVideo HD acceleration. It'll take plenty of processing power to move that HD video, with a recommended minimum of a dual core processor and 1GB of RAM. FiringSquad got an early look at a PureVideo HD-powered setup, and confirmed that on PCs, unless ICT is enabled, you will be able to play back AACS-protected discs at full resolution over VGA. DVI connections without HDCP support on the graphics card and monitor get nothing, but HDCP support on both ends enables full resolution playback in any situation. NVIDIA has also launched an nZone store with links to all the graphics cards, monitors and software one could ever need -- how nice of them. Since FiringSquad's tests showed even on a Core 2 Duo system high bitrate h.264-encoded files were chugging without assistance, we see a system upgrade in your future.

[Via DV Guru]

Read - NVIDIA PureVideo HD with HD-DVD Quick Shot
Read - NVIDIA Enables an Outstanding HD DVD and Blu-Ray Movie Experience with Newly Released NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology

Just when we were getting used to the reality of no digital video outputs for our Xbox 360s, a hardware manager for Microsoft has re-stoked the rumor fires. Despite the claims of some that such a cable may not technically be possible, the FiringSquad quoted Microsoft's Rob Walker as stating that the company is "still discussing" what to do if movie companies begin to restrict high definition playback to digital outputs only, that they are "looking into" making an HDMI cable for the Xbox 360, and of course another no comment on the price of the HD DVD add-on. The remarks came during a panel discussion at the Gamefest conference where Microsoft also announced tools to allow users to make their own games. At this point we don't know what seems more (or less) plausible, that Microsoft is willing to sell a device even if by their own admission they don't know if copy protection could soon render it useless -- a potential weakness for the cheaper Playstation 3 variant as well -- or they have an agreement in place to guarantee analog outputs will continue to work for some time and this is all just subterfuge.

Once again, Xbox Live's Major Nelson has hosted some high definition experts from Microsoft on his weekly podcast, this time three members of the team behind the upcoming HD DVD add-on for the console. Unfortunately, there wasn't much new or interesting information about the upgrade beyond what is already available. The Toshiba-manufactured drive connects via USB 2.0 and outputs video through the Xbox 360's AV connectors, it will support the various interactive menus and iHD features, including the ability to download additional content from the internet. No price still, although they did state it would be the cheapest HD DVD player available. Whether they were referring to its price by itself, combined with an Xbox 360 Core System (>$200), or a Premium System (>$100) remains to be seen. Much like the previous podcast with Amir M., they were noticeably bolstered by the positive reviews HD DVD has received in comparison to Blu-ray and are very confident about its viability.

Given an opportunity to comment on any potential issues due to not having HDMI or DVI outputs they totally ignored potential problems with ICT and only chose to comment on the issue as pertaining to video quality. While we can certainly appreciate analog HDTV connectors as much as anyone and the budget Playstation 3 shares the same restrictions, we'd like to hear more on how this player won't be rendered useless by copyright protection before we buy.

After all the debate over AACS, ICT, BD+ and all the rest, both Blu-ray and HD DVD's copy protection system has already been hacked, if you can even call it a hack. In the oddest way to sidestep DRM since the infamous shift-key to disable AutoRun incident, German mag C't has discovered you can record protected high-def flicks in full resolution via automating the print screen function of the provided Intervideo WinDVD software. Both Sony's Vaio and Toshiba's Qosmio laptops with Blu-ray and HD DVD drives respectively come bundled with the software, and are vulnerable to the hack. Quite simply, it can be used to capture the movies frame-by-frame, and then reassembled to create the entire movie. Not the most elegant solution, but they claim it works.

Toshiba has already confirmed the problem, and has announced updates for the software and drivers that disable the print screen function. Interestingly, if you have the software it does not appear to violate AACS and would potentially not face being locked out by a future AACS key update. Expect a pirate run on all remaining non-upgraded laptops and to see the aforementioned WinDVD OEM software floating around your local file sharing network any time now. All those delays, and all those licensing fees, defeated by a button thats been around as long as we can remember. The article detailing their find will be published Monday July 10, unless the DMCA ninjas get to it first.

HD Beat reader Mark writes in with a common question:

"I really have no idea who else to ask about this: Given that most of the new HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players will be at least theoretically capable of outputting an HD signal over component cables, it seems odd to me that all the upconverting DVD players only offer the upconversion over HDMI. Are there any that offer upconverting over component?

Hell, maybe they all do, and I'm just misreading the specs... but if so, I blame the specs."

If you can get high definition formats to output at 1080i or 720p via analog connectors, why not existing DVDs? One word: DRM. 

After at one point it seemed like Macrovision would be rendered irrelevant by AACS, they are now a part of it. Perhaps in a move to justify stalling the implementation of ICT, AACS LA will include Macrovision's analog content protection technology in their next update. This isn't that surprising as ICT or no, the analog hole is still a major concern for content providers, in fact Macrovision VP Adam Gervin predicted this back in 2004 (he also predicted that high definition DVD formats would be very slow to take off, DVDs had 5 years of growth left in them and that AACS would be cracked). Of course, one has to wonder how this will affect Toshiba's HD DVD player and PC Blu-ray drives that are already on the market.

That's the rumor that has been floating around the interent since E3. This German site (translated via Google) claims to have knowledge of a "backroom agreement" between hardware manufacturers and studios that would allow for full-resolution output through analog connectors until at least 2010. The theory is supported by the Xbox 360's HDMI-lacking HD DVD add-on, and the budget PS3's similar lack of a protected output. Still, rumors and back room agreements won't do much to ease the concern of HDTV owners with only analog inputs, and people considering buying a next-gen console to double as a high definition DVD player.

The longer the issue remains in limbo, the longer prospective buyers will be content to ride the fence, so lets hope they make a public decision and soon.

[Thanks for the tip via AVS Forums David!]

There has been a huge outcry from the gaming community about the lack of HDMI on the $499 PS3. Sony has responded by saying that the reason for the lack of HDMI support is that many HDTVs do not have HDMI on it and there is not a big difference in the picture quality.

Fair enough. Many older HDTVs do not have HDMI but all the current and future ones do and will support HDMI. And no, there isn't a huge difference in the picture quality between component and HDMI, but lets think of the future here. The PS3 is a huge part of the Blu-ray strategy but without HDMI you aren't going to get 1080p and the ICT thing is huge. If, and we are saying if, the movie studios start using the Image Constraint Token, then you less expensive PS3 will not be able to watch your expensive Blu-ray movies at any resolution past 480p.

Sony has been claiming the the PS3 is future proof and we just do not agree with it concerning this model. People do not care about the lack of built-in card readers or WIFI but HDMI is a major concern. When Microsoft launched two different priced XBOX 360s, they were just simply difference versions not different models. You could always add to you cheaper 360 what you choose not to buy initially, where with the PS3, you cannot simply buy an HDMI port.

You heard right, these are shots of the expansion to Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, if not in the wild at least roaming about its padded enclosure. And enclosure is the right word, as it appears it will be little more than a standard 5.25-inch PC drive inside a 360-matching box. No HDMI output in sight, just USB and AC hookups, nothing direct to an HDTV. Has no one told Sony and Microsoft about ICT?

Still no word on price or specifics about the release date.

It's like Christmas except ... Christmas was on time. After what seemed like delay after delay, you can now walk into your local electronics retailer and purchase a high definition DVD player. No upconversion tricks necessary here, you'll finally be able to buy discs with more resolution than current players can output. With what would favorably be described as a handful of titles and a launch shipment of only 10,000 players, HD-DVD is coming in with more of a whimper than a bang, but at least its finally here, ICT and all.

There are already a couple reviews of the first HD-DVDs, and more impressions of the launch players and discs will be on their way in the coming days and weeks. Will HD-DVD's early launch help much as Blu-ray still looms this summer? It's too early to say really, but I do know that of the four of us at HD Beat, only Ben has said he is buying one of the first players available and even then may return it if more content doesn't become available soon. If our reaction is so muted, how long will it take for either format to catch on with the general public? I still haven't seen any of the HD-DVD "So real you can feel it" ads.

Have any of you gotten a hold of one yet or seen them in action, or if you haven't, why not? Let us know in the comments.