HD-DVD / Blu-Ray - Any Region Encoding news?

[AndyH]

It occured to me the other day that I hadn't read any fact or speculation around region encoding for upcoming Hi-Def DVD.

Are they going to bother this time around? Will there be a new evil form of Region Encoding not easily worked around?

I'm assuming we'll get the same region locked DRM content (Based on IP address geo-info) for the included WMV version, but what's happening in the set top box HD players?

[GarethH]

I highly doubt they'd ask you to verify the region via a dial-up, it'd be pointless and stupid. It'd mean portable HD players would be out of the question. The region coding is likely to be the same as standard DVD players methinks, even if it wasn't i'd buy a US player. 80% of my titles are Region 1 anyway.

[cjb110]

but it could well be stronger, ie they'll be less forgiving on the manufactures with simple remote hacks. Might even start using DRM to force their antiquated business practises on us.

[AndyH]

I wasn't suggesting the set top box players would dial up, but was figuring that titles including a Windows Media file would work in the same way the current R1 Terminator 2 titles does.

That requires a license to play, and you need to connect (once) to the license server from a US based IP address.

[camaj]

I'm assuming we'll get the same region locked DRM content (Based on IP address geo-info) for the included WMV version, but what's happening in the set top box HD players?

What included WMV version? I doubt they'll be (m)any HD discs with a second WMV version. There's only one DVD that has that and that's only because the other disc is a SD version

I'm quietly hopeful they'll drop the region coding idea. It was stupid, easy to curcumvent and even outlawed (in Australia at least). I don't think it's helped the studio's at all either.

[AndyH]

Windows Media is already in the spec for HD-DVD.

My understanding is that there is sufficient space on the disc for both the MPEG-2 file and the .wmv, in much the same way that we have discs with both Dolby Digital and DTS today.

http://www.winnetmag.com/windowspaulthurrott/Article/ArticleID/42976/windowspaulthurrott_42976.html

"The DVD Forum steering committee recently approved the initial specification for High-Definition DVD (HD-DVD), a next-generation DVD standard. According to the specification, HD-DVD devices will have to support VC-9, the basis for Windows Media Video (WMV) 9, Microsoft's most recent video codec. HD-DVD will also support the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) formats, according to the DVD Forum".



Edit - To be fair, that does say that "devices" must support Windows Media, it doesn't necessarily dictate that every disc will have that content.

[camaj]

I know all that AndyH, I'm just trying to understand what you mean by "included WMV version". Do you think that discs will have a WMV and MPEG-2 version?

The WMV codec is in the spec but that's for discs encoded that way rather than a seperate version. There'd be no reason to have two copies on the same disc just with different codecs

[AndyH]

Sorry, yes, you have a good point there.

I can think of a reason that fits my usage scenario. I have a high-end DVD player which I don't really want to upgrade any time soon.

I also have a Home Cinema PC, which one day will be hooked up to a HD capable display.


Mm, poo.. just shot myself in the foot with my own argument. Have realised I'd have to upgrade the DVD-ROM drive to a HD capable unit to read the included .wmv. But of course, at that point I could just access the HD MPEG 2 version.


So, yeah, what is the point?!

*confused*