And since cracking follows the path of least resistance, it's likely that the DRM would have been cracked if that was the only way to get at the content.
This is a case of deadbolted door, window left open.
I agree with you there - all HD video DRM is "deadbolted door, window left open" at this point since HDCP is fully opened (both by the ability to clone or purchase the HDCP hardware from a real TV and by the leaking of the HDCP master keys).
There's still some incentive to crack video DRM, since ripping through HDMI requires a re-encode and degrades quality, but the approach is good enough that the payoff is reduced substantially.
This is a case of deadbolted door, window left open.