HD DRM + PCs. Sort out yet?

October 9, 2007 7:55 PM

I want a computer that can play Blu-ray and HD-DVD at full resolution out an HDMI port. And can play World of Warcraft. Can this be done yet? (Bonus points for an ultra-quiet solution.)
posted by krisjohn to computers & internet (6 answers total)

No.
posted by bigmusic at 8:03 PM on October 9, 2007

Yes.

You can currently hack an XBox 360 HD-DVD drive to work with your PC, and there are several Blue-Ray burners on the market, all of which will read the discs. Software solutions exist to play the files. Video cards exist with HDMI output at 1080p (too many to bother listing) at full frame rates.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 8:31 PM on October 9, 2007

No.

You can get video cards which have HDMI/HDCP outputs, but I don't think they're supported by any HD-DVD/BluRay playback software yet. If you're really an obsessive early-adopter, you can buy computers today that will probably be capable of playing HD content via HDMI soon...but you might also get really screwed. ("Screw the consumer" seems to be a theme for the HD upgrade.)

If you want to watch HD movies, you need a standalone player right now, and you can use either the digital or its analog (component) outputs, if it offers them.

But keep in mind that by December 31, 2011, the analog outputs on all HD-DVD and BluRay players will stop working for HD output, and on Dec 31, 2013, they will stop working entirely. Nice, huh?
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:35 PM on October 9, 2007

Should have previewed; I didn't realize ATI had a "compliant" card out yet, just the "capable" ones. So I guess you do have that option.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:42 PM on October 9, 2007

Thanks. Sounds like it's still roughly the same mess it was 6-9 months ago when I last looked.
posted by krisjohn at 8:46 PM on October 9, 2007

Stopping sales of analog devices makes some sense, but what would be the point of this: "Existing playback devices limit analog outputs to standard definition (SD) interlace modes only (composite, S-Video, 480i component, 576i component TBD)"? Does that analog include HD component?
posted by jmd82 at 6:23 AM on October 10, 2007