August 30, 2005 4:00 AM PDT
FAQ: Vista's strong, new antipiracy protections
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The new technology, which could go as far as automatically turning off outputs connected to devices deemed insecure, is aimed at persuading Hollywood studios that the PC can be as safe as any consumer electronics device. Microsoft hopes that Windows-based computers will ultimately form the heart of digital home entertainment networks.
Here's what you should know about the new protections inside the operating system and how they may affect your equipment.
What's different about Microsoft's new operating system, from a content protection standpoint?
Video--and to a lesser extent audio--will have many more protections as it travels through the computer from a DVD or other source to its final destination. This will make it much harder to copy audio or video without permission from the copyright holders.
Is this like the anticopying technology on DVDs or on the songs I download from iTunes?
Not exactly. There are two different kinds of content protection.
Hollywood, Microsoft align on new Windows
has unprecedented features
guarding against video piracy.
The first, typically called "digital rights management," or DRM, wraps a piece of music or video in a layer of protection, and allows it to be played only by certain kinds of devices or under certain conditions (such as if you've paid for it). That's what happens with a DVD or iTunes song. Vista will be designed to read and respect rules attached to content.
The other type of antipiracy technology, often called "link protection," is a critical part of Vista. This tries to keep audio or video from being copied while it is sent from one device to another, or between different components inside a computer. Think of this as more like the secure telephone line between the U.S. president and the Soviet leader, which (at least in the movies) nobody could tap into.
How does this work?
One of the biggest changes in Vista is a technology called "Protected Video Path." This will essentially keep video streams encrypted and inaccessible as video is being sent from a DVD (or other copy-protected source) to the monitor, TV or other display. The operating system will also check what the computer is connected to (a monitor, a TV, and so on), do another check to make sure the device really is what it says it is, and then see what kind of plug, or output mechanism, is being used to connect the computer to the device.
Vista will go much further than previous operating systems in checking devices that are several steps downstream, if several digital components are connected to each other. If it finds that there is a device that doesn't respect DRM rules, or if it finds a plug that doesn't support transmission of those copy-protection rules, it might not let the video be sent through that output at all.
Doesn't that mean that some TVs or monitors won't be able to play high-definition movies, even if the computer can?
Eventually it might. Some early HD TVs have digital connections (such as DVI, or Digital Video Interface) that don't support transmission of copy-protection rules, and Vista won't let these show HD content. Many monitors and TVs today also have high-resolution analog connections that don't support protection.
Vista does have one workaround that will let these monitors and TVs operate, however. If the analog (VGA, or Video Graphics Array) plug is all that is available, for example, the operating system has features that will reduce the resolution of the video, and then recode it on the fly. The result will be video that's slightly fuzzier, without the high resolution of the original, but the video will be watchable at about the quality of today's DVDs.
Vista isn't alone in this feature. New consumer electronics devices that can play next-generation DVDs will also be incompatible with some monitors or TVs deemed insecure by studios.
How common will this be? Is it likely that my monitor or TV will have problems?
Microsoft hopes that problems will be infrequent, and that most consumers won't have any idea that these protections even exist. The company has released information about this system to the computer manufacturers in hopes that the secure connections will be standard on monitors and TVs by the time Vista is released. The secure connections--such as Intel's HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection)--are already standard on most HD televisions sold today.
Why is it all so complicated? Can't I just copy the video by plugging the computer into a recorder instead of a TV, anyway?
Not necessarily. Most new digital recorders are built with technology that checks for copy-protection rules and won't copy a video if it's marked "Don't copy." If Vista finds that there is a recorder that doesn't play by these rules, or if the video is going out a connection deemed insecure, it may simply shut down that output altogether (depending on what rules the studio has attached to the content).
Will this affect how I use my monitor with any other applications?
No. In the worst-case scenario, the computer will down-sample or shut down the outputs only while you're trying to play an HD movie or other content over a connection that the studio has deemed insecure. You'll still be able to use any other application on your computer at other times.
Will this affect me if I work with digital video or audio at home? Could my own work get trapped inside the computer?
In general, no. All of these safeguards will only come into play if there's content involved that has very strong digital rights management wrappers already applied. If you're working on your own projects, these flags won't be turned on, and your audio and video will flow through the computer the normal way.
See more CNET content tagged:
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Microsoft Windows Vista,
home entertainment
answer DRM questions and wade thru security features to watch a
video. As if we really want to cuddle up to our suck-as* PC and rely
on it to give us reliable entertainment. It will be the downfall of the
living room if it gets infected by having a PC in there as a TV.
Hopefully the world will be smarter than that, Microsoft could
better serve everyone by FIXING winblows security and leave the
TV, video and Music to smart machines that only require and On &
Off button.
answer DRM questions and wade thru security features to watch a
video. As if we really want to cuddle up to our suck-as* PC and rely
on it to give us reliable entertainment. It will be the downfall of the
living room if it gets infected by having a PC in there as a TV.
Hopefully the world will be smarter than that, Microsoft could
better serve everyone by FIXING winblows security and leave the
TV, video and Music to smart machines that only require and On &
Off button.
answer DRM questions and wade thru security features to watch a
video. As if we really want to cuddle up to our suck-as* PC and rely
on it to give us reliable entertainment. It will be the downfall of the
living room if it gets infected by having a PC in there as a TV.
Hopefully the world will be smarter than that, Microsoft could
better serve everyone by FIXING winblows security and leave the
TV, video and Music to smart machines that only require and On &
Off button.
"Microsoft hopes that problems will be infrequent, and that most consumers won't have any idea that these protections even exist."
Microsoft hopes?!? Reminds me of the old classic joke:
Q: If you wish in one hand and s**t in the other, what do you end up with?
A: A Microsoft product.
"Microsoft hopes that problems will be infrequent, and that most consumers won't have any idea that these protections even exist."
Microsoft hopes?!? Reminds me of the old classic joke:
Q: If you wish in one hand and s**t in the other, what do you end up with?
A: A Microsoft product.
"Microsoft hopes that problems will be infrequent, and that most consumers won't have any idea that these protections even exist."
Microsoft hopes?!? Reminds me of the old classic joke:
Q: If you wish in one hand and s**t in the other, what do you end up with?
A: A Microsoft product.
This is just like the hacker, unable to tap into network, puts on a gray jumpsuit and shows up at a branch office saying he's with MCI and he needs to adjust the VPN connection on your direct T1 to the main office. Poor little whatstheirname at the front desk, wanting to be helpful will often lead them right back to the utility closet, no questions asked.
As long as you're dealing in something intangible that can be moved from one piece of plastic to another, you're going to have people who have no trouble getting the digital bits to dance for them. If you want to be safe from illegal copying, go manufacture cars or something.
This is just like the hacker, unable to tap into network, puts on a gray jumpsuit and shows up at a branch office saying he's with MCI and he needs to adjust the VPN connection on your direct T1 to the main office. Poor little whatstheirname at the front desk, wanting to be helpful will often lead them right back to the utility closet, no questions asked.
As long as you're dealing in something intangible that can be moved from one piece of plastic to another, you're going to have people who have no trouble getting the digital bits to dance for them. If you want to be safe from illegal copying, go manufacture cars or something.
This is just like the hacker, unable to tap into network, puts on a gray jumpsuit and shows up at a branch office saying he's with MCI and he needs to adjust the VPN connection on your direct T1 to the main office. Poor little whatstheirname at the front desk, wanting to be helpful will often lead them right back to the utility closet, no questions asked.
As long as you're dealing in something intangible that can be moved from one piece of plastic to another, you're going to have people who have no trouble getting the digital bits to dance for them. If you want to be safe from illegal copying, go manufacture cars or something.
connected to (a monitor, a TV, and so on), do another check to
make sure the device really is what it says it is, and then see
what kind of plug, or output mechanism, is being used to
connect the computer to the device. Vista will go much further
than previous operating systems in checking devices that are
several steps downstream, if several digital components are
connected to each other. If it finds that there is a device that
doesn't respect DRM rules, or if it finds a plug that doesn't
support transmission of those copy-protection rules, it might
not let the video be sent through that output at all."
With Windows' less-than-stellar history handling devices, this
sounds like a recipe for a big mess. What a troubleshooting
nightmare if things don't work right. Another reason to avoid
Vista.
connected to (a monitor, a TV, and so on), do another check to
make sure the device really is what it says it is, and then see
what kind of plug, or output mechanism, is being used to
connect the computer to the device. Vista will go much further
than previous operating systems in checking devices that are
several steps downstream, if several digital components are
connected to each other. If it finds that there is a device that
doesn't respect DRM rules, or if it finds a plug that doesn't
support transmission of those copy-protection rules, it might
not let the video be sent through that output at all."
With Windows' less-than-stellar history handling devices, this
sounds like a recipe for a big mess. What a troubleshooting
nightmare if things don't work right. Another reason to avoid
Vista.
connected to (a monitor, a TV, and so on), do another check to
make sure the device really is what it says it is, and then see
what kind of plug, or output mechanism, is being used to
connect the computer to the device. Vista will go much further
than previous operating systems in checking devices that are
several steps downstream, if several digital components are
connected to each other. If it finds that there is a device that
doesn't respect DRM rules, or if it finds a plug that doesn't
support transmission of those copy-protection rules, it might
not let the video be sent through that output at all."
With Windows' less-than-stellar history handling devices, this
sounds like a recipe for a big mess. What a troubleshooting
nightmare if things don't work right. Another reason to avoid
Vista.
- bloatware
-
by mpotter28
August 30, 2005 2:05 PM PDT
- It wouldn;t be so bad if it was just one useless function but MS will add enough weird bs to VISTA that the new machine you buy to run it will perform at the same speed as your old one. The real question is why should I upgrade to a new os when all the features mentioned by MS have been dropped and they seem to be continually adding features (for free) that get in my way and help somebody else.
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