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Tuesday 16th January 2007

HD DVD makes its cracked BitTorrent debut 10:44AM, Tuesday 16th January 2007

An HD DVD movie has turned up on BitTorrent file sharing sites, following reports that the format's AACS copy protection technology had been hacked.

Details of the link to the 1080p version of sci-fi flick Serenity on an unnamed torrent tracker were posted on HDTV Blogger after several hackers worked out how to extract the HD DVD's unique volume key.

Other movies, including Batman Begins, Chronicles of Riddick, 12 Monkeys and King Kong, are also said to have been cracked.

AACS (Advanced Access



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Content System) is the DRM used by both HD DVD and the rival Blu-ray format and was a key element in persuading Hollywood studios that the discs were a 'safe' vehicle for the release of high-definition content. The first indication that it had been cracked came at the start of the year, when a hacker known as Muslix64 posted a video and decryption codes showing how to copy several films, including Full Metal Jacket and Van Helsing.

Ironically, while movie studios have embraced both HD DVD and Blu-ray, they have, with the exception of Disney and, just last week, Paramount, been reluctant to make their movies available to download through iTunes, in part because they are unhappy with the terms of Apple's DRM. But that remains secure, unlike the AACS technology that they had a hand in developing.

Simon Aughton

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