Commentary
HDTV DVD Players:
Can the Studios Be Trusted?
Millions of high-def owners could get a sub-par picture if the studios include anti-copying software in new discs.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (March 23, 2006) -- I smell a rat.

Last month, I revealed that the new high-def DVD players from Sony (Blu-ray) and Toshiba (HD-DVD) may contain a surprise for approximately 12 million HDTV owners.

The surprise?

On some discs, the picture might only be slightly better than current DVDs. The reason: the studios might include anti-copying software in the discs that would dilute the picture on any HDTV that has analog inputs.

The Consumer Electronics Association says the number of high-def sets with analog inputs could  be as many as 12 million. (Later model sets would not be affected by the software.)

Since I wrote my article, there has been a small firestorm in the high-def community, with some people actually calling for a boycott of the new players.

Sensing disaster, several studios recently said they will not install the anti-copying software in the initial rollout of releases, which are scheduled to begin next month. (The software is designed to prevent pirates from making illegal copies of the DVDs and selling them.)

The studios, of course, are now suggesting that high-def owners no longer have to worry about getting a sub-par picture.

However, dear readers, don't buy it (literally and figuratively). The studios are only making a 'no-software' commitment to the early releases. They still could install the software several months from now.

(Sony, for instance, says only that it won't include the software in the "foreseeable future," according to the DVD industry web site, DVD-Recorable.org. In other words, if Sony suddenly 'views' the situation differently in a few months, they might install the software.)

So, if you buy a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player this spring, you have no guarantee that it will offer a true HD picture this winter. Or perhaps, even, this fall.

In some circles, they call that 'bait and switch,' but I'll refrain from attaching that label until the studios reveal their future plans.

However, buyer beware. Until the studios promise to guarantee a true HD picture indefinitely, the new DVD players are a risky proposition for those 12 million HDTV owners.

© TVPredictions.com

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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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