The next generation High Defintion video is already being illegally distributed on the Internet. It certainly did not take long after the HD-DVD copy proctection got compromised for the warez scene to start distributing movies in full 1080p quality.

The download size is hefty 25-30 gigabytes per movie so one will not be downloading a movie via a modem, but by using 2Mbit or faster broadband the download is doable. The movies consist of EVO files that are encoded in the VC-1 format and an unconfirmed rumour is that PowerDVD Ultra could be used for playback.

At least the movies Superman Returns, Batman Begins, Pitch Black and The Chronicles Of Riddick have been reported of being illegally distributed. Certainly the movie studios and producers are disappointed in this rapid progress, but on the other hand downloadable content will most certainly help in popularizing the High Definition formats.