M+E Daily

Implications of Reported HDCP Encryption Crack

Reports of a “master key” leak for the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection protocol — a key anti-copying technology for Blu-ray disc publishers and consumer electronics makers — have entertainment executives assessing the possible commercial implications.

Most news sources downplay the alleged incident. Wired muses that the security breach, if real, would hardly threaten the Blu-ray business the way DeCSS did for DVDs a decade ago. The Washington Post, meanwhile, notes the free availability of Blu-ray ripping technologies for those who want them, quoting an unnamed IP lawyer as saying the reported HDCP compromise has “no commercial meaning.”

But Engadget, which was early to the HDCP story, points out that the incident could ripple beyond Blu-ray players and physical media. The Intel-developed encryption scheme — which is also built into TVs, PCs, receivers and set-top boxes — is one of the “digitally secure interfaces” that would enable studios to market new theatrical releases electronically — via premium video-on-demand services ostensibly in development.