Hi-Def DVD: no special Internet needed

That Blu-Ray or HD DVD disc player that you have your eye on for future purchase won’t require a dedicated Internet connection after all, according to a high-ranking member of the Advanced Access Content System. W-Fi is just fine, says Richard Doherty of the AACS Licensing Administration. Further, he said, you won’t need any kind of connection for playback only.

The apparent problem surfaced recently with reports of specific Internet needs for the new players, with some experts raising the possibility of whole new systems being required for use of the new hi-def players. That is absolutely not a possibility, according to Doherty and the AACS. Rather, any old Internet connection will do (even Wi-Fi) for making backup copies for personal use and no connection at all will be necessary to simply watch.

That making of backup copies, by the way, is the main point of contention between disc player manufacturers and the makers of movies, music and other DVD features. AACS specs would presumably still be in effect and enforced for this process. You can’t copy everything, you know.