Introduction

An HD DVD, short for "High Definition Digital Versatile Disc”, is an optical disk engineered to store data and high definition video. The HD DVD, the intended successor of the DVD, can safe information in high densities, which allows the disc to store about three times the amount of data of its predecessor. With a storage capacity of 30 GB and enhanced video and audio quality, this new disc format has become quite popular among film producers. The first player was released in late March of 2006, but only until very recently, has the Toshiba designed technology become notorious among consumers. The Blu-ray, an optical disk format similar to that of the HD DVD, has become HD’s rival in what people have called a “format war”.

Like with any new technology, the HD DVD has been witness to numerous digital right violations. Since the release of the new disc format, people all around the world have been exploring the content protection systems employed by the HD DVD in order to find ways to copy the information. Several attacks on the format have already been successful. The most notorious one (and the case study for our project), was the discovery of a processing key capable of decrypting all HD DVD content released so far. The Advanced Access Content System (AACS), the consortium in charge of protecting the content of the HD DVD, has been fighting energetically against groups that have engaged in such behavior. Most efforts to prevent the discovery and disclosure of copyrighted information have proven futile however, in great part due to the plurality and anonymity allowed in the Internet these days.

On to History         

The HD DVD disc is designed to be the successor to the standard DVD format. It was first released on March 31, 2006.