One of the leaders in Graphics adaptors, nVidia has just unveiled its PureVideo HD technology, which enables HD DVD and Blu-ray video playback on PCs. The technology combines hardware acceleration of graphics processing unit and HDCP and includes an integrated high definition movie player, which makes it straight forward for consumers and system builders to build PCs with HD DVD and Blu-ray video support.
As expected, there is a catch. While most consumers are happy to keep their trusty monitor through several years of system rebuilding and tinkering, regardless of what features, resolution or capabilities their monitor may have, if it lacks HDCP, it will not be compatible. Besides this, all the user needs is an AACS compliant HD DVD or Blu-ray drive and a software player with PureVideo-powered support.
The system builders Sony, Toshiba and Acer all make use of nVidia's graphics adapters supporting PureVideo HD technology. MSI and Asus will launch graphics adapters later this summer with the same PureVideo HD features as nVidia. According to an IDC research director analyst, he predicts that over 35 million high definition optical drives will be shipped in PCs over the next five years. Thanks to D4rk0n3 for letting us know about the following news:
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But HD movies are encoded in new formats that require special HD optical drives, hardware acceleration, HDCP compatible displays, and new HD movie player software. PureVideo HD technology combines high-definition movie decode acceleration using certain Nvidia GeForce 7-series GPUs, HDCP circuitry and HD movie player integration to deliver cinematic-quality Blu-ray and HD-DVD movie playback. A graphics card featuring PureVideo HD technology combined with an AACS HD disk drive, an HDCP-compliant display and a PureVideo-powered HD movie player from companies like CyberLink, InterVideo and Nero make it possible for consumers to enjoy superb HD movie playback on their PC. |
For anyone who thought they made a wise purchase by going for a high end computer display, it looks like their monitor is set to become obsolete very shortly should that person also decide to fork out on one of these new HD optical drives and a PureVideo HD capable graphics adapter. It is a pity to see that display adapter manufacturers simply decided to take on HDCP and start expecting consumers to ditch their existing PC monitors just to keep the entertainment industry happy.
Now that several companies who make display adapters have decided to take on HDCP, it looks like there are going to be a lot of perfectly good monitors being thrown out all because they lack HDCP support. Even at this time of writing, the vast majority of TFT monitors and all CRT displays are not HDCP compliant.
Source: Vnunet News
Forced compliance comes to mind, as all new hardware will have these 'features' built in to 'help' the customer. Just don't buy the movies and they will feel like fools.
Someone will make a utility, like anydvd, I am sure, that will bypass all of these protections on the monitor. Something to send a false signal to the monitor for it to play. These companies attempt at limiting consumers' rights will fail because NOTHING is 100 percent unbreakable! 
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