Apparently, the AACS LA hasn't learned anything from the revolt at Digg. According to an article at the BBC, the group plans to continue to use both "legal and technical" steps to prevent the processing key from spreading. Here are some of the comments made by Michael Ayers, chair of the AACS business group:
"Some people clearly think it's a First Amendment issue. There is no intent from us to interfere with people's right to discuss copy protection. We respect free speech.

"They can discuss the pros and cons. We know some people are critical of the technology.

"But a line is crossed when we start seeing keys being distributed and tools for circumvention. You step outside of the realm of protected free speech then."
At this point, tracking down every blog and website with the key is probably a futile effort. The AACS LA has already done what they can by revoking it. By continuing this legal campaign though, its just going to spread more. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
Sony Europe has officially launched their new website, the "Museum of Low Res". Developed to showcase Blu-ray Disc's capabilities, the musem takes visitors through a number of virtual exhibits showing other, less than successful, attempts at creating a high definition experience.
The Museum of Low Res (MoLR) is a voyage of discovery and enlightenment, enabling consumers to learn what Blu-ray Disc means and how this high definition (HD) technology can improve day-to-day life.

The Art of HD Room is a visual display of Blu-ray Disc and the effect it will have on viewing and listening pleasure. A giant TV sculpture demonstrates the resolution power of Blu-ray Disc through the representation of nine TV's banded together.

Discover alternative designs which could have revolutionised the market before the advent of Blu-ray Disc, such as a robotic arm sculpture which methodically changes up to 12 CD's at a time. This could have caught on if only Blu-ray Disc didn't offer the vast amount of storage space that it does.
Surprisingly, Sony doesn't make any digs about HD DVD. Then again, they do talk about some "Pink-Ray" technology that tried, but failed, to take over the world. More information about Sony's new website can be found here. Add a comment
It appears that the HD DVD format will be getting its own form of copy protection. New Medium Enterprises (NME) has announced that they've partnered with Optikey to provide a solution to protect content on HD-VMD discs. While the details are sketchy, Optikey reportedly uses a submicron three dimensional optical structure that can't be forged.
The Optikey/HD-VMD system architecture will prevent the unauthorized reproduction of protected content on HD-VMD discs or any system that has our proprietary technology. Optikey doesn't rely on digital encryption, however, it has been proven that when added to encryption systems as a pass/fail portal, it provides an unbreakable layer of protection for the digital domain. The submicron analog Optikey structures provide precise threshold measurements to be matched with either a reference structure or discrete optical signatures. The Optikey/HD-VMD system will be compatible with existing legacy formats.
NME and Optikey plan to hold a joint press conference at Media Tech on May 16th to elaborate on the technology. In the mean time, you can read more about the technology here. Add a comment

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Last month, the AACS licensing authority sent legal threats to various websites and blogs, demanding that they remove the AACS processing key as well as any links pointing to a certain thread on the Doom 9 forums. Digg.com initially gave in to the AACS LA's demands. However, after receiving a flood of complaints from their readers, they decided not to delete stories or comments containing the processing key. Here's part of a blog post made by Digg founder, Kevin Rose:
In building and shaping the site I’ve always tried to stay as hands on as possible. We’ve always given site moderation (digging/burying) power to the community. Occasionally we step in to remove stories that violate our terms of use (eg. linking to pornography, illegal downloads, racial hate sites, etc.). So today was a difficult day for us. We had to decide whether to remove stories containing a single code based on a cease and desist declaration. We had to make a call, and in our desire to avoid a scenario where Digg would be interrupted or shut down, we decided to comply and remove the stories with the code.

But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.
The AACS LA might as well throw in the towel. While legal threats may slow it down, there is no way they're going to prevent the key from spreading. I think at this point, the only thing left to say is "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0". Add a comment

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Plextor LLC has announced a completely redesigned and updated version of the ConvertX Digital Video Converter. The PX-AV200U is not only considerably smaller than previous models, it can be used to convert videos for playback on portable devices like the iPod and PlayStation Portable.

The PX-AV200U is rebuilt from the ground up to deliver a host of new benefits to users. The plastic enclosure case has been replaced by a dongle with connectors for USB 2.0, S-Video In, Video In, and Audio In. It takes up no desk space at all and fits in a shirt pocket for easy portability. In addition to MPEG-1/2/4 video formats, the new ConvertX model supports iPod and PlayStation Portable file formats, enabling videos to be viewed anywhere on portable players. The PX-AV200U runs on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, as well as Windows XP.
The PX-AV200U will be available in May 2007 for a suggested retail price of $69. More information is available on Plextor's website. Add a comment
It's been awhile, but Goldenhawk has released a new version of CDRWIN. According to their website, version 4.0E now supports Windows Vista. If you'd like to check it out, CDRWIN 4.0E can be downloaded here. A Unicode version is also available for those using multi-language versions of Windows XP and Vista. Add a comment

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While 20th Century Fox won't be releasing another title on Blu-ray until June, that hasn't stopped the company from launching PerfectHiDef.com, a website dedicated to the Blu-ray Disc format. Taken from Blu-ray.com:
For the past few months, Amazon has been linking to a Blu-ray informational website hosted by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in their Blu-ray Disc Store. The webpage offers basic information on Blu-ray and its capabilities; it contains enough information to answer the questions of anyone looking to enter into the high definition movie arena. Fox has now moved this page to its own dedicated website: PerfectHiDef.com.
As many of you know, Fox has pushed back the release of many of their Blu-ray titles. While it is rumored that Mr. & Mrs. Smith will ship in June, its unknown when other postponed titles will show up. Add a comment