Copy protection hole in AACS

Are Blu-ray and HD DVD movies still completely safe from pirates?

As is well known, one of the main reasons for the slippage of optical drives handling next-generation media was the delay in the completion of AACS (Advanced Access Content System). Now it seems that only their time (and possible extra revenue) has been wasted by the manufacturers.

A member of the German magazine c \\ ”t discovered a vulnerability in the copy protection system. The accessories include Windows XP, a first version of the player software, and an optical drive capable of handling HD discs (the latter two supporting AACS). All you have to do is start the movie in full screen mode using the player and then press the PrintScrn button on your keyboard and see the miracle: you can already take a full resolution frame of the movie with you.

From here, it’s just one step to automate the process so you can save the entire contents of the disc frame by frame, then stitch it together, make a sound, and you’ve already freed your favorite movie from copy protection. According to a German magazine, the performance of today’s high-end PC is enough to accomplish the task.

This discovery also affects Sony’s first Blu-ray PC Vaio VGC-RC 204 and Toshiba’s first HD DVD Qosmio G30 notebooks, which use InterVideo’s software player for HD movies. Maybe this will make the products even more marketable?