As reported by BusinessWeek magazine and tgdaily.com, Universal has reversed its public stand on the use of the image constraint token (ICT) in its forthcoming HD DVD movie titles, at least for now. The software-based flag is a portion of Advanced Access Copy System (AACS) copy protection that would automatically reduce the quality of the image produced by a high-definition video disc player to 540 lines of vertical resolution, when the player is connected to an analog display.
Universal's change of heart leaves Warner Home Video as the last of the six major studio groups (including 20th Century-Fox, Sony, Disney, and Paramount) not to have voiced an opinion against a technology feature which leaders in AACS say the studios had originally demanded.
In recent months, video aficionados and other consumers have voiced their opposition to the use of ICT, saying that perhaps a majority of displays sold under the moniker "HDTV," including first-generation analog sets, would be among those that could only receive 540p signal output from high-def players. 20th Century-Fox spoke out early against ICT, and the other studios have gradually followed. Now, Warner Home Video faces a tough choice, especially as a producer of discs for both formats. As the BusinessWeek article implies, images of Warner movies with the ICT flag turned on, may already have been geared up for production, as the studio is due to release its first three HD DVD titles in April.
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Universal's change of heart leaves Warner Home Video as the last of the six major studio groups (including 20th Century-Fox, Sony, Disney, and Paramount) not to have voiced an opinion against a technology feature which leaders in AACS say the studios had originally demanded.
In recent months, video aficionados and other consumers have voiced their opposition to the use of ICT, saying that perhaps a majority of displays sold under the moniker "HDTV," including first-generation analog sets, would be among those that could only receive 540p signal output from high-def players. 20th Century-Fox spoke out early against ICT, and the other studios have gradually followed. Now, Warner Home Video faces a tough choice, especially as a producer of discs for both formats. As the BusinessWeek article implies, images of Warner movies with the ICT flag turned on, may already have been geared up for production, as the studio is due to release its first three HD DVD titles in April.
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