If you have old stuff (non HDCP compliance) likely you will still be able to view the new content but it will be intentionally donconverted to a lesser format, again most consumers won’t even notice and those that do will believe that all they need is an “upgrade” to fix it.

Sure Macrovision & CSS are easily defeated, and no doubt I’m sure that anything new will be as well, but how many people do you know who have the tools & knowhow to make backup copies of their DVDs or even purchased VHS tapes? In my case not very many.

The vast majority of cnsumers are already used to not being able to exercise their fair use rights to do things like make backup copies, I’d be willing to bet that a majority don’t even know that it isn’t illegal to make a backup copy of a DVD or VHS tape that you own.

Also as I pointed out before the vast majority are also used to constant upgrades and will totally believe that their year old PC just isn’t powerful enough or something.

As for boycotting the new media, you can try that but eventually as the old media becomes no longer available you start to look like the Unabomber to most of society? How would you feel if you met a guy who refuses to buy any videos except on Laserdisc? That’s what the guy who won’t buy Blu-Ray (or HD-DVD) will look like in 5 years.

The worst thing is that while the stated purpose of DRM is to “prevent piracy” but any DRM scheme that is remotely useable by your typical NASCAR watching AOLer or Grandmother is going to amount to little more than a speedbump for pirates. The copyright cartell is well aware that DRM is essentially useless at preventing paracy yet they still shove it down our necks at every opportunity, for the express purpose of interfering with fair use.

The content companies and the hardware manuafcturers aren’t going to say “We’re restricting this unless you buy compliant hardware” their going to say “You need to upgrade to the latest (and greatest) hardware to experience this”.

The computer and electronics industry has already set the expectation that you have to constantly “upgrade” to take advantage of a the neat new goodies.