Revoking the keys

To complete the process, AACS released on April 23 a new Media Key Block (MKB) to companies who make HD disks. The MKB is printed on every HD disk to prevent any players who have had their rights revoked from reading the disks. Ayers said he expects sometime this month that all new HD disks made will have an MKB that refuses to allow any player using the released key to access their content. People could still use the keys to access content from disks printed before May 2007.

Just where CyberLink and InterVideo are in the process of tracking down all their software players and updating them is unclear. Calls and emails to the company on May 2 have not yet been returned. That leaves open to possibility that retail shelves may still be stocked with an undetermined number of systems whose HD disk players will not be able to play any disks released after May 2007.

Ayers said PC makers are likely to solve the problem by ensuring their systems are updated as soon as users turn them on and fill out an online warranty card. Nevertheless, the process is an imperfect one and some users may not discover the problem until they put in a new HD disk and see the screen go blank.

"There's a whole eco-system of content owners, software companies, PC makers and consumer here," said Ayers. "No one wants a consumer's screen to go blank—that doesn't help anyone," he added.

To some advocates of free software, that may seem like a threat, no matter how much money a company spent to create and distribute an HD movie. Indeed, the same people who are posting YouTube videos of the released key may be incited to post work arounds to the revocation system as well.

The AACS submitted multiple cease and desist orders citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act against the Web sites that posted the released key. The issue came to broad prominence after users on the Digg site revolted against that site taking down some of those postings. Many of those users went on to create the YouTube videos and other Web postings.

In light of the reaction, some are calling on the AACS to take a more moderate tone and not fan the flames of more postings by trying to stamp them out. Ayers said the AACS will not comment on its next moves, such as whether it will ask Google to take down the YouTube postings.

"If the local neighborhood gang is throwing rocks at your house, some people might tell you not to call the police because they will just throw bigger rocks," said Ayers.

In the end, the biggest casualty may be trust between Hollywood and the Web community.