Consumer freedom received a boost this week following the release of AnyDVD HD version 6.4.0.0 from Slysoft, which takes Blu-ray's BD+ copy protection and gives it a swift kick in the groin.
BD+ is a copy protection technology developed exclusively for Blu-ray, unlike AACS, which was developed for HD DVD as well. BD+ sits atop a disc that's already AACS-encrypted and performs additional descrambling on the super-safe discs, provided you jump through the required hoops - buy the right graphics card, buy the right TV, buy the right player, etc.
AACS was 'broken' in an Internet furore some months back, although the technology is designed such that leaked keys can be revoked, meaning it still has some legs*. BD+, however, has stood largely unscathed, save a bug in the PowerDVD software player that meant it wasn't quite as strict as it should have been. Further, it was claimed by proponents of the technology that BD+ could last 10 years without being broken.
But AnyDVD HD - a piece of software that allows HD disc playback without having to use an HDCP enabled monitor link - can now remove the BD+ protection from discs.
Users can now backup their Blu-ray to hard disk, and get full-HD quality without using fully HDCP-compliant hardware. And playback doesn't need to be in a commercial package that supports the copy-protection technology. It's all about freedom, people.
Currently, only certain titles released by Fox have the added 'protection' of BD+, but others may follow... or not, now that it's been shown to provide no extra security.
This development is surely going to have the legal eagles of the Blu-ray camp lining Slysoft up in their sights, but the company is no stranger to legal dispute, having published the infamous and equally user-empowering CloneDVD.
Linux users and the 'free' crew will have to wait a while, though. AnyDVD HD is a Windows app, and one that'll set you back around €80, or less, when Slysoft has an offer on (which it does a fair bit), but if your graphics card and CPU is up to the HD task, and you lack HDCP, it may still be the cheaper option, assuming you already have the optical drive, of course.
Slysoft's shown it can be done. Whether future BD+ discs will remain breakable is uncertain. Regardless, the news will give other decryption enthusiasts a new rush of inspiration, so don't be surprised if free alternatives for multiple platforms start appearing in the next few months as other people work out how to break BD+.
It's a great day for the consumer, and a bad day for the control-freak movie industry. Now could somebody please produce a low-price Blu-ray drive?
* Some legs indeed, but a dwindling number by the day.
