Once the PC beta for BFBC2 comes out (early Jan they say) there should be a better picture of the DRM I would hope.

BF1943 will probably use online authentication since it's multiplayer only game. Think about Battlefield 2. 
@L1D3N said:

" Oooooo early Jan. for PC beta NICE! Do you have to sign up for it or is it open? "

Well Dragon Age: Origins  for the PC didn't use it. Only a standard disk check. So maybe this  will be the same? We'll see.

My money's on the old cd key tied to EA account that they've always used.
 
One thing about Battlefield games, you can enter you cdkey into EADM and activate it as a digital download. Removing any need for a disc and acting as its own DRM (similar to Steam). This is what I'll be doing after I buy the limited edition disc.
 
Also the download version is larger than the disc version, presumably due to asset compression necessary to fit it onto a single DVD. So I probably won't even put the disc in my drive to install.

" Oooooo early Jan. for PC beta NICE! Do you have to sign up for it or is it open? "

" @L1D3N said:

" Oooooo early Jan. for PC beta NICE! Do you have to sign up for it or is it open? "

You'll have to sign up on their website, and then they'll send you an invite. It should be pretty easy to get in. "

Most people want to play the beta/demo before buying (to see if our boxes can handle the game), so hopefully they'll be handing out beta codes for the PC.

" Most people want to play the beta/demo before buying (to see if our boxes can handle the game), so hopefully they'll be handing out beta codes for the PC. "

Well, given that the beta is testing the stability of Steam, I'll guess it's using Steam as its DRM.