....looks like the hackers were simply waiting to see what the studios would do, and oops, they circumvented it completely.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/10/aacs-hacked-to-expose-volume-id-windvd-patch-irrelevant/

Up yours DRM supporters!!

"... a move that sends the ball back into the hackers' side of the court to see if they can come up with something to send it back."

There's no IF involved, it's only a matter of "how long". I also suspect that hackers have already been working on the next move, just like a chess player will be working out his opponents probable next moves and countering them, this move by the movie industry was entirely expected.

The real question is "how far can the movie industry take it before they get well and truly shafted in the courts by p***ed off consumers ?"

"Users who don't upgrade their copy of WinDVD will no longer be able to play protected HD DVD and BD content"

How is this possible if the PC isn't connected to the Internet? If it's not online, how will the software know to stop allowing access?

"There's no IF involved, it's only a matter of "how long"."

Not long - http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/04/10/aacs_hold_exposed/