New DVD audio copy protection near

Approval of a new copy protection system for DVD audio could come within the next month, according to Japan's largest consumer electronics manufacturer, Matsushita Electric Industrial.

If approved, the first commercial products featuring the new system are expected to hit the market in the second half of the year.

The first version of the DVD audio format had already been approved and was ready to launch when the industry learned that the copy protection system for DVD video had been hacked.

Since DVD audio was based on the same system, Matsushita, Toshiba, IBM and Intel collaborated on the new system, currently under review by major music companies.

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