So, I was looking for a new standalone BD player that would also support .iso files. It turns out that it is forbidden for any hardware manufacturer to construct a player that supports .iso files. (And yes, I know that there are media players such as Dune that actually do support .iso's, but I'm not looking for such a device.) Is there anyone that can clarify why and by whom it is forbidden for, let's say Sony, to implement .iso support?
With respect to ISO playback on officially licensed players I would expect that the BDA and AACS LA are respsonsible for it not being allowed. Upset those two powers that be and a company could run into licensing & certification issues with their devices which would would be a very big deal.