So apparently the HDMI standard has been around for 10 years, though they only started enforcing it a year or two ago. Both Ultraviolet (an dmy associated Sony account) and Apple think that my perfectly capable, high end monitor and graphics card is not capable of playing HD movies, so they won't let me play it.

The copy protections, even if I purchase and download, won't let me play it. I can get a new monitor and cable just so I can hobble my system, but it's not worth spending the money--hundreds of dollars to get the same quality monitor and tens more to get the "pirate resistant" cable. They claim I can only use the HD version if I have a digital connection to the viewing device--WHICH I DO.

What burns me is that I can buy any of these blu-rays and play the HD version right on my computer, just as I always have. In fact, I can even make a digital copy of my purchased blu-ray and play it on any of my media players I have.

Apple recommends that I don't enjoy the full HD glory and instead purchase and download an "SD" version.

Luckily the 1080p high definition movies I've purchased previously from itunes still work, but this trend to disenfranchising their own content is starting to really get upsetting.

It's so sad that it's 2013 and this issue is worse than ever.