Manage updates with the Download AppAugust 30, 2005 4:00 AM PDT
FAQ: Vista's strong, new antipiracy protections
- Related Stories
-
Vista's answer to PC power woes
August 25, 2005 -
Vista feature exposes beta machines
August 18, 2005 -
Putting Vista in the fast lane
August 8, 2005 -
Longhorn's new name: Windows Vista
July 22, 2005
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.
63 comments
Join the conversation! Add your comment
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.
So what they're basically saying is if you are going to want to watch movies or even cable/satellite tv in around 5-7 years time, you'll almost certainly have to buy new TVs (or monitors if you use your PC as a DVR or TV tuner).
Vista will just add your computer to the list of devices that support these protections, and you can expect the discs themselves to be incompatible with this hardware - as well as old versions of Windows, Linux, etc.
Think going switching to a Mac will help, I guarantee that Macs will also have similar protections built in - not just because Jobs is in the movie business himself, but because they'll become incompatible with HD DVDs and the like if the OS isn't made compatible with the copy protection.
Also you can thank congress for allowing themselves to be bought by Hollywood - and passing laws such as the Broadcast Flag (don't worry, eventually it'll become law either via the courts or via a new version of the bill) and expect a new law that demands all hardware includes the very copy protection software/hardware MS is talking about.
They did it with macrovision, it is illegal to produce a DVD player without it - even if it is broken on the PS2 (which technically makes Sony a violater - ironic considering the amount of movies Sony produces).
But not to worry. I also guarantee that someone will produce software that will beat all these protections - but not in South America or Europe or Asia - because the US Government is making trade treaties and applying political pressure in those parts of the world to make sure that Hollywood, the music industry and Microsoft are protected.
Good to know that all you need to get the US Government to do what you want is enough money.
We really need to start pressuring Congress and others to look into this and pass laws saying that any DRM that makes consumers have to go out and buy new hardware or that makes older hardware not work correctly or at a reduced clip, is illegal, period and done with.
Hollywood isn't really worried about filesharing and piracy with these things. They are more interested in "Oops, your download from our music/movie service got corrupted. PAY UP AGAIN, SUCKERS!!!! HAH, HAH, HAH!"
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.
So what they're basically saying is if you are going to want to watch movies or even cable/satellite tv in around 5-7 years time, you'll almost certainly have to buy new TVs (or monitors if you use your PC as a DVR or TV tuner).
Vista will just add your computer to the list of devices that support these protections, and you can expect the discs themselves to be incompatible with this hardware - as well as old versions of Windows, Linux, etc.
Think going switching to a Mac will help, I guarantee that Macs will also have similar protections built in - not just because Jobs is in the movie business himself, but because they'll become incompatible with HD DVDs and the like if the OS isn't made compatible with the copy protection.
Also you can thank congress for allowing themselves to be bought by Hollywood - and passing laws such as the Broadcast Flag (don't worry, eventually it'll become law either via the courts or via a new version of the bill) and expect a new law that demands all hardware includes the very copy protection software/hardware MS is talking about.
They did it with macrovision, it is illegal to produce a DVD player without it - even if it is broken on the PS2 (which technically makes Sony a violater - ironic considering the amount of movies Sony produces).
But not to worry. I also guarantee that someone will produce software that will beat all these protections - but not in South America or Europe or Asia - because the US Government is making trade treaties and applying political pressure in those parts of the world to make sure that Hollywood, the music industry and Microsoft are protected.
Good to know that all you need to get the US Government to do what you want is enough money.
We really need to start pressuring Congress and others to look into this and pass laws saying that any DRM that makes consumers have to go out and buy new hardware or that makes older hardware not work correctly or at a reduced clip, is illegal, period and done with.
Hollywood isn't really worried about filesharing and piracy with these things. They are more interested in "Oops, your download from our music/movie service got corrupted. PAY UP AGAIN, SUCKERS!!!! HAH, HAH, HAH!"
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.
So what they're basically saying is if you are going to want to watch movies or even cable/satellite tv in around 5-7 years time, you'll almost certainly have to buy new TVs (or monitors if you use your PC as a DVR or TV tuner).
Vista will just add your computer to the list of devices that support these protections, and you can expect the discs themselves to be incompatible with this hardware - as well as old versions of Windows, Linux, etc.
Think going switching to a Mac will help, I guarantee that Macs will also have similar protections built in - not just because Jobs is in the movie business himself, but because they'll become incompatible with HD DVDs and the like if the OS isn't made compatible with the copy protection.
Also you can thank congress for allowing themselves to be bought by Hollywood - and passing laws such as the Broadcast Flag (don't worry, eventually it'll become law either via the courts or via a new version of the bill) and expect a new law that demands all hardware includes the very copy protection software/hardware MS is talking about.
They did it with macrovision, it is illegal to produce a DVD player without it - even if it is broken on the PS2 (which technically makes Sony a violater - ironic considering the amount of movies Sony produces).
But not to worry. I also guarantee that someone will produce software that will beat all these protections - but not in South America or Europe or Asia - because the US Government is making trade treaties and applying political pressure in those parts of the world to make sure that Hollywood, the music industry and Microsoft are protected.
Good to know that all you need to get the US Government to do what you want is enough money.
We really need to start pressuring Congress and others to look into this and pass laws saying that any DRM that makes consumers have to go out and buy new hardware or that makes older hardware not work correctly or at a reduced clip, is illegal, period and done with.
Hollywood isn't really worried about filesharing and piracy with these things. They are more interested in "Oops, your download from our music/movie service got corrupted. PAY UP AGAIN, SUCKERS!!!! HAH, HAH, HAH!"
"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.
If Money TALKS, then you wont have any real choice. Run "Linux", it wont be allowed on the Internet. It wont be allowed to "talk" to any other "Trusted device". It wont be able to read any "Legal" media.
Or, buy a "Mac". "Apple" is also doing this type of DRM. And this, already "locked-down", and over-priced PC, has the potential for even more "control" over "users" choices.
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But, I DO hope I am wrong.
So, if the BIG-MEDIA interests pull the strings...
outputting any of my media,... must be all those other Mac's that
are locked down, mine seems to have skipped this step at the
factory,...
If Money TALKS, then you wont have any real choice. Run "Linux", it wont be allowed on the Internet. It wont be allowed to "talk" to any other "Trusted device". It wont be able to read any "Legal" media.
Or, buy a "Mac". "Apple" is also doing this type of DRM. And this, already "locked-down", and over-priced PC, has the potential for even more "control" over "users" choices.
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But, I DO hope I am wrong.
So, if the BIG-MEDIA interests pull the strings...
outputting any of my media,... must be all those other Mac's that
are locked down, mine seems to have skipped this step at the
factory,...
If Money TALKS, then you wont have any real choice. Run "Linux", it wont be allowed on the Internet. It wont be allowed to "talk" to any other "Trusted device". It wont be able to read any "Legal" media.
Or, buy a "Mac". "Apple" is also doing this type of DRM. And this, already "locked-down", and over-priced PC, has the potential for even more "control" over "users" choices.
Frankly, I am not optimistic. But, I DO hope I am wrong.
So, if the BIG-MEDIA interests pull the strings...
outputting any of my media,... must be all those other Mac's that
are locked down, mine seems to have skipped this step at the
factory,...
In other words, none of it will apply to media recorded or processed on a non-Windows OS. This will have no effect on file sharing networks.