AACS Specifications Released

April 16, 2005

pipemanid used our news submit to tell us that the Advanced Access Content System Licence
Association (AACS LA) has released version 0.9 of its specifications for AACS,
the successor of the current CSS protection system which is used to protect the
content of DVDs. AACS is chosen to be used for the next generation HD-DVD and
it's also predicted to be the most probable protection system for Blu-ray.

pipemanid added: The specs look like CSS on steroids: they use AES instead of proprietary crypto, but other than that they're basically the same. The main difference appears to be that AACS can revoke an entire player model if a hack appears against it, which I guess sucks if you own that kind of player.

To date, AACS LA has been working very closely with next generation optical media format promoters to help them understand the AACS LA technology, and to address format specific implementation issues. AACS LA has likewise engaged a diverse group of Contributor Members to provide in-depth feedback on the specifications and associated implementation requirements. The Contributor group is format-neutral, geographically diverse, and spans all of the potentially affected industries, including Motion Picture Studios, Consumer Electronics Companies, Information Technology Companies, Cable Operators, Record Labels, Chip Manufacturers, and Disc Replicators.

Based on the aggressive work schedule established by AACS LA and the extremely productive interactions between AACS LA, the format groups and the Contributors, it is anticipated that a public release of the license agreements and final specifications will be made in a timeframe consistent with the announced product plans for next generation digital entertainment devices that will use AACS LA technology.

You can visit the AACS LA website to find out more about this new content protection system. Page 3 of our Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD article is also a good place to learn more about the content protections for the next generation formats.

Source: AACS LA