they are hoping to have some protection in by the end of the year..this appears that even on future recorders, with capability to view a watermarket, DVD players (home theater ones) must have this built in. I wouldn't worry about it..people on this board become so paranoid about companies "trying" to limit their rights - Sound Blaster Audigy limiting mp3 playback (yeah right, I'm listening to mp3s right now), and the hard drive contents becoming encrypted are two that quickly come to mind. I doubt anything will come about that will be unbreakable - and dont forget, there are always used drives/players to buy, nobody forces you to buy the newest stuff.