You may have heard a couple of weeks ago that Blu-ray has plans to get managed copy - the ability to make a copy of your Blu-ray disk within limits as defined by the studios. That's a great step in the right direction but there are many negatives to the way it will be implemented. Ben Drawbaugh at EngadgetHD has the scoop on how it will work and the possible uses for this type of functionality.
We'll get out the bad things we know about this first:
The Bad:
- Will require new hardware - yes all that money you dropped on those shiny new Blu-ray players won't get you managed copy ever.
- Not free. It will have some cost as defined by the studio. Not a surprise, but still, do we really want to pay for the same movie over and over and over???
- Apple hasn't joined the group of studios for the finalized AACS license so it's unlikely we'll see support for putting that copy of Blu-ray onto your iPod or iPhone.
- You'll need an internet connection to copy the disk so it can check with the DRM server
- There's already an excellent (if not a bit of a stretch of the rules) way to do this called AnyDVD HD
The Good:
- They are at least trying to answer the need for more portability of the media albeit in the typical imperfect way
- According to EngadgetHD's interview with the chair of the AACS business group, managed copy was designed with the "movie jukebox" use concept in mind. So the use in a HTPC-type scenario just might work.
- The concept is a good one. One that has a lot of potential and at least acknowledges the studios know (or are starting to understand) how its customers want to use their purchased media.
- Apple could still get on board by the time managed copy goes live in 2010.
If you're at all interested in Blu-ray, be sure and read the article on EngadgetHD - it's a good one.
