Sony BD Titles Full Res on Analog
My friend Joshua has an HDTV television from a couple years ago. Unfortunately, this HDTV does not have DVI/HDCP or HDMI inputs, so watching any of the new BD or HD DVD movies in full HD was an iffy proposition for him, due to the “Image Constraint Token” which studios can use to down-res HD movies on the BD and HD DVD players’ analog outputs. (This is part of the AACS specification, designed to curb piracy. It makes the analog outputs only get a resolution of 960 x 540, half quarter of the 1920 x 1080 that full HD is capable of.)
Good news for Joshua, if he likes Sony movies at least. The Image Constraint Token is optional. And Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has opted not to use it. Therefore all Sony movies will be enjoyable in full HD from the component video outputs.
Why did Sony decide to do this?
Eklund noted that Sony’s key piracy concern isn’t with analog HDTV signals but with the digital HDTV signal coming off the disc, which both Blu-ray and HD DVD are protecting with the robust Advanced Access Content System (AACS) endorsed by the Hollywood studios. If analog copying does become a problem down the road, the policy could change, he said — but for now, “we have no plan to implement the Image Constraint Token. All of Sony’s titles will come out of the analog output at full definition.” He added that other studios still have the discretion to activate the token for all or individual titles.
And as a cool Easter Egg, BD discs from Sony will have HD test patterns for helping to calibrate your display.
Eklund also told the assembled technical editors at the briefing that the first Sony Blu-ray discs will have an Easter egg for the serious videophile or technician: high-def test patterns hidden on the disc that, in the right hands, can be helpful for tuning or assessing HDTV image quality. Here’s a hint: from a disc’s main menu, use the numeric keys on your Blu-ray player’s remote to enter the four-letter name of a famous electronics brand, just as you might on your phone. The menu of test patterns should appear.
[via HDBeat]
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March 10th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Maybe I’m pedantic, but 960×540 is not half of 1920×1080; it’s one quarter.
March 10th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
Um, yes. I meant to say half in each direction.
March 10th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Well I am somewhat happy that Sony has taken this decision. It wasn’t specified, but I assume this means that TVs with DVI or HDMI and not HDCP will still be subject to the downcast by Sony?
In any case, this is only a partial victory. Most or all the publishers will need to follow the same path before I would buy the player or the media. By the time that happens and the players are available at a reasonable price, I’ll probably have a new compatible TV.
I’ve already taken the hit by being an early adopter of HDTV and progressive scan DVD players. I’ll let others do it this time around.