Comments on: What is blocking Vista users from recording NBC shows?

An unknown number of Windows Media Center users were barred from recording two NBC Universal shows Monday night. Was it a glitch?

[MaLvaDo39]

I found the problem!

I looked deep inside each system that was acting up and found the issue on the hard drive.

It turns out they were all loaded with Windows!!!

[krosavcheg]

Why are air conditioners like computers? They both work fine until you open windows.

[humanssssss]

That's why I encourage the use of Ubuntu 8.02 instead of Microsoft Vista or Mac OSX. Microsoft and Apple get pay to do this by broadcaster to control the media. What you see and hear is what you know to react on. The alternative will die out. Ubuntu 8.02 is good for my own use. For those who aren't tech savvy stick with what you know, for those who like to have an adventure and seek freedom even if it takes you a bit more time, effort, and frustration, Ubuntu 8.02 is calling your name.

[Riquez-001]

"Microsoft and Apple get pay to do this by broadcaster to control the media."

No they don't. They are FORCED to use DRM or the broadcaster wont allow them to provide the shows for people.

Using Unbuntu will not help you in a situation where the rights owner requires the content is DRM. In fact you will be worse off, because the content will just be unavailable to you.

[techprophet]

Um, I think you mean 8.04 There is no Ubuntu 8.02 Of course that doesn't mean dont use it, it just means you made a couple typos.

[gregorytga]

Yes, because everyone loves an OS that severely lacks in the basic multimedia functions. Linux is only free if your time is worthless.

[montex66]

NBC and Apple are not on the best of terms right now, so I refute your claim that Apple's DRM is in any way capable of preventing users from recording NBC's programming. Unless, of course, you'd like to provide some evidence for this.

[awelbel]

OK another reason not to switch to Vista. This DRM controlled OS is still not ready for public use. I have not had this issue with any Win Xp Machine, Ubuntu Linux or OS X. Remember SAVE XP!

[catch23]

XP Media center behaves the same, but thanks for the mindless Vista bashing. Nice to see you pay so little attention and talk so much...
It has been an issue with Media Center for a long time. No one else seems to honor that 'do not record' (I use GB-PVR on Vista, and it ignores it)

[Mr. Salty]

"A person identifying themselves as Alex from Canada"

Copy editing note: You're mixing singular and plural. It should be "A person identifying himself as Alex from Canada ... "

[sandonet]

Thanks Mr. Salty. I fixed. GS

[IAMRU]

Wrong-o! "Themselves" is correct when used to reference a person of unspecified gender previously mentioned as the object of a verb or following a preposition, where the person is also the subject of the verb.

My aunt Alex would hate me if I called her a "him".

[edub617]

It definitely was not limited to a single cable provider. I was effected by it as well and I don't have cable. I have two ATSC tuners in a Vista Premium machine and I had that message on the screen when I got home after failing to record American Gladiators. Luckily Hulu has that episode online already. One of my tuners is ATI and the other is Hauppauge, but I have no way of knowing which tuner was attempting to record the episode.

[AppleSuxLeo]

HD looks the best over-the-air with my HDTV Wonder...built BEFORE the "broadcast-flag" went into effect ;) And XP has been rock solid for over five years !

[timdg]

I just have over the air antenna - I've had this happen before too.. So far it has only happened on Raymond reruns on the local FOX channel... I'll check NBC with Law and Order tomorrow...
I have two tuners - ATI HDTV Wonder and Hauppauge HVR-950...

No cable, no digital cable tuners, nothing like that...

[delf76]

I've recorded a ton of shows on my Vista DVR, and I have never seen this. I'm really curious about this.

[superswiss]

The reason none of the other OSes have these kinds of issues is because they don't have DVR technology that allows the recording of premium HD content (all the encrypted channels like HBO etc.) DRM was forced on Microsoft by the studios and cable providers. The only games in town to record premium HD content is Vista Media Center, HD Tivo and Tivo Series 3. Tivo users have had these same issues in the past. It's not clear why they weren't affected yesterday. Apple is affected by this, too. They haven't ventured into the DVR space yet, but AppleTV only gives you 24hrs to finish a movie once you started viewing it for example. A restriction forced onto Apple by Hollywood. Vista is ahead of the curve in this space. Let's talk about this again when the other OSes have actually caught up to Vista in this space and see who does a better job. BTW, Ubuntu will probably never support this kind of stuff, because it requires an expensive certification process forced onto the vendors by CableLabs.

[Renegade Knight]

Either we have the right to record a show for later viewing or we don't. If we do...nobody has the right to prevent it. Since VCR's solve the question years ago the right is long established. It would take MS working against it's users to do what they did. Media should have no control on the issue of a DVR.

[techprophet]

Not so. Linux has the ability to record premium HD content. MythTV does so. CNet wont let me post a link, so you will have to google 'MythTV'. The first one on the list is the official site. Look and learn, Linux and Mac OS X support confirmed.

[superswiss]

No MythTV doesn't record premium HD. Recording premium HD requires a CableCARD tuner certified by CableLabs. The certification requires that the system implements a secure video path, so that the content cannot be intercepted on it's way from the cable to the display. The only systems that have a secure video path is Vista, HD Tivo and Tivo Series 3. There is only one tuner option for premium HD. It's the Ati Digital CableCARD tuner and it only has drivers for Windows Vista. Linux will never get CableLabs certification in its current form. Why? Because Linux is open-source. The source code for the secure video path would be available to anybody and anybody could modify the Linux kernel to intercept the content. This is not gonna fly with CableLabs.

[superswiss]

Also, the ATI tuner requires a digital cable ready PC from an OEM. It needs a special BIOS and a second product key for Windows Vista to enable the CableCARD support. HP, Dell and a couple of others sell digital cable ready PCs with ATI tuners. None of them come with anything other than Windows Vista. This is the only legal way you can get a PC based DVR that records premium HD content. MythTV and others can record over-the-air and clear-QAM HD. That's not premium HD. Premium HD is all the channels that you can't get over-the-air. They are only available encrypted from your cable provider. There are some hacks with modified Set Top Boxes that people have been able to record premium HD content with, but this isn't exactly for the average user.

[LaserWolf]

It's not just Vista machines! I tried to record American Gladiators using a standalone Toshiba DVR (no Windows tech) and I repeatedly received the same error. It was very frustrating, and unlike Media Center users I'm not expecting any upgrades or workarounds. I'm at the mercy of the networks and their twitchy DRM fingers. DRM must die!

[kool_skatkat]

Do you still believe Micro$oft when they say that they didn't plan to have content cop in the Zune? mmm.... Apple has recently tried to fight the DRM, but studios are resisting... NBC is showing it's colours? Keep the flight Apple.

[kool_skatkat]

Do you still believe Micro$oft when they say that they didn't plan to have content cop in the Zune? mmm.... Apple has recently tried to fight the DRM, but studios are resisting... NBC is showing it's colours? Keep the flight Apple.

[nmcphers]

NBC said they were working on a content cop with Microsoft for the Zune. Microsoft issued a statement denying they had any plans to implement a DRM cop. Read between the lines. Microsoft didn't deny "working" on it, but they were hoping to confuse you into thinking NBC's statement was false by saying they have no current "plans to implement it."

[kingwr]

Jessica Zahn's post on TGB is over a year old. She is no longer with the Microsoft Media Center TV group. She, like Microsoft, has moved on from this issue and Media Center in general to "greener" pastures.

[McPlot]

Did anyone miss that the users blocked were not only using Vista, they were using ATi tuners as well?

Could it be that ATi has made yet another crappy driver causing problems? The driver would be specific to the operating system it was made for, in this case Vista.

[nmcphers]

Did anyone miss that a user with a standalone Toshiba DVR had the same problem? It's NBC that did it.

[pmfjoe]

@McPlot
The problem appears to be something other than ATI tuners, I have 2 Hauppauge tuners pulling off Dish and had the same problem on gladiators.

[DrtyDogg]

I've also had this problem with XP media center in the past. It was really random though. I remember trying to record Rome once, and got this error, but was able to record the re-airing the next day.

[befuddledms]

It is very simple. If a broadcaster wants to prevent me from recording a show so I can watch it later, then I just won't watch that show. How is that going to help them sell advertising?

[jtodd_98]

As someone else has mentioned, this is not happening only with Vista. I have been having this problem somewhat regularly for over a year with a XP media center pc using an analog pci tuner card by Hauppauge. I have posted some of my problems in that same thread as well as a few others on The Green Button. Microsoft representatives have come and gone, some saying a fix was on the way, only to be told a month or two later by a new MS rep. that they are not sure if or when they will fix it. This is an operating system made and advertised as a computer dvr, that actually can't work as a dvr. It goes so far sometimes as to not even let the user watch a show live if the flag is is set in such a way.
This is one of the longest running problems and threads on the site, yet MS hasn't even officially recognized it with a yea or nay as to what will be done. This is why DRM is viewed as a 4 letter word. I have no use for it, all of these shows are widely available for download all over the internet for free, and in a much higher quality than what media center can record. It just doesn't make much sense.

[techprophet]

Another option is to get a NetFlix subscription and get the season collections once they come out. Sure, it'll be a little bit late, but then you don't have to mess with DRM. *cough*DVD Rip*cough*