ah well, HTPC = Home Theater PC, which is really a broad term. Technically, an xbox could be defined as one, but it wasn't where I was going. Basically, you build a regular ol computer, put it in a pretty (usually overpriced) case, throw a few tv tuner cards in there (usually one to pick up HD), and now you have the capability to record and store tv shows. you can schedule it just like a tivo, but what this computer is capable of is really dependant on the software and your effort put into it. a few links for software:
http://www.team-mediaportal.com/
http://www.snapstream.com/
also, if you arent interested in recording anything, you could use this pc to surf the internet to download video via a torrent or whatever, and watch it right there. no burning dvds necessary, no being tied to your computer in the bedroom (if youre like most people!)
basically, the idea is all of your entertainment needs can be met without you even having to leave the couch. we are quickly approaching a convergence between how we perceive tv and computer entertainment. it wasn't so long ago that a computer and a tv were two very seperate worlds for most people. now, it's almost silly to keep them seperate!
As far as the dvd jargon is concerned, AACS was/is the copy protection scheme used for HD (blue ray, too?) DVDs. Old DVDs, the ones we still use now, are "protected" with something called CSS. Long ago, this was cracked due to its inherent weakness. To this day, it remains possible to break the encryption and copy discs almost effortlessy. There have been some attempts by the industry to slow this down by implementing additional forms of copy protection, but the simple fact remains: it must still work with a standard dvd player. and that means, if you can read it, you can copy it.
anyway, my rabbit trail aside, AACS is the industry's attempt at not repeating their mistakes. They failed again, not surprisingly. They "foresaw" their failure and had a plan to mitigate the "damage" caused by someone cracking the protection; blacklist any player that was compromised. Basically, this means that if the industry knows a certain model of Sony Bluray player was used to crack the protection, then it represents a threat to them. All blueray discs produced form that point on would NOT WORK in that model of player. Tough luck for the customers.
Lately though, as I understand it, the protection was broken in a way they did not anticipate. I don't remember the details, but their scheme of blacklisting players will not work. What else do they have up their sleeve?
overall, I think that bluray and hddvd drives won't be blacklisted, and that anyone that buys one now will probably be fine, but why? like we've already mentioned, they are overpriced, like all bleeding edge hardware is. wait awhile, see which format gets more adopted, then buy a decent player when the price drops.
man i get wordy. haha