It seems to me that home electronics are becoming more and more like computers, and not in a good way. Managed copy is finally going to become mandatory in 2010 and while that means you’ll be able to make a DRM fat copy of your Blu-Ray disks, it also means that in order to do so you’ll have to upgrade your Blu-Ray player.
There will of course be some sort of cost involved with making copies though that factor will be up to the whims of each studio.
While I see being able to make copies a good thing, the fact that you have to buy new hardware is just ridiculous. With managed copy having been talked about since the beginning of Blu-Ray. isn’t this something that should have been included from the start? Even if it was locked until a firmware update cut it loose?
Between needing a new Blu-Ray player and needing HDMI 1.4 if you want networking support and audio return, it seems as though home theater is going the way of the PC. If you’re not willing to upgrade every year, you’ll be lagging behind as far as features. While this has always been true, the changes have never come so fast. Will you buy the latest gear to keep up?
via EngadgetHD
