What is AACS?
The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management, which will protect access to and copying of the next generation of optical discs and DVDs. System overview AACS utilizes cryptography to control the use of digital media. AACS-protected content is encrypted under one or more title keys using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Title keys are derived from a combination of a media key and several elements, including the volume ID of the media (e.g., a physical serial number embedded on a DVD), and a cryptographic hash of the title usage rules. The principal difference between AACS and earlier content management systems such as the Content Scrambling System (CSS) is in the means by which title-specific decryption keys are distributed. Under CSS, all players of a given model are outfitted with the same, shared decryption key. Content is encrypted under the title-specific key, which is itself encrypted under each model’s key.
