Audio Video News

Managed copy will not be part of the final spec for AACS, the digital rights management used by Blu-ray (and HD DVD, but never mind).

For years Hollywood promised it would at least consider allowing some limited copying of disc content for legitimate and legal functions. The Advanced Access Content System would have given releasing companies the option of embedding a digital flag in a disc release that would have allowed managed copy to operate. But the feature, it now appears, will not be part of the final AACS spec expected this summer.

So forget about networking, bumping to portable devices, and limited backups. The studios will let you pay for Blu-ray content but they won't give you any latitude in the way you enjoy it. That, in turn, will have more determined consumers looking to hackers for solutions. The studios have always had an insufficient respect for the law of unintended consequences.