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January 4, 2007 11:28 AM PST
Vista testers get unexpected holiday gift: No TV
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Microsoft sends out final test version of Vista
October 6, 2006 -
Microsoft wants more Vista testers
September 14, 2006 -
Near-final Windows Vista version issued
September 1, 2006
Media Center, which is included in the Home Premium and Ultimate versions of the Vista operating system, allows remote-control access to a variety of entertainment options, including television, for machines that have a TV tuner.
However, for those running the "release candidate 1" version of the software--the most broadly distributed of the Vista test versions--the TV feature stopped working on December 31.
Microsoft blamed the issue on the fact that it has a paid license for the video decoder and Dolby sound technology, and it only licensed those through December 31. The overall RC1 software is not scheduled to expire until June.
"As of December 31, 2006, users running Windows Vista RC1 beta code will no longer have access to the Media Center functionality, due to the expiration of the MPEG 2 decoder and Dolby Digital components built into Windows Vista and used by the Media Center experience," Microsoft said in a statement in response to inquiries by CNET News.com. "Because these technologies are licensed and royalty bearing, they will expire within a certain time period, according to our license agreements."
A Microsoft representative declined to comment on whether the company could have extended its license, saying it doesn't comment on the terms of such licensing deals.
Windows wait
Some enthusiasts have installed their own third-party video decoders. But that won't solve the TV issue, as many have discovered.
"There is not a solution Microsoft can provide around this in RC1, as it is not within our rights to extend the trial period for these licensed technologies," the company said in its statement.
The representative noted that Microsoft did recommend that users not try Vista on their main machines. The software maker said that testers who are members of its MSDN developer network have access to the final version of Vista. That version, along with a revamped Office suite and new Exchange e-mail server, went on sale to business customers in November.
However, many consumers who installed RC1 won't have access to the final version of Vista until it is made broadly available. Microsoft has said that it will release Vista and Office 2007 to consumers worldwide on January 30.
The first release candidate version of Vista
Microsoft has high hopes for Vista adoption in the coming months. CEO Steve Ballmer said this will be the most widely marketed launch of any set of products that the Redmond, Wash.-based software maker has ever done. It will spend "hundreds of millions of dollars, a very big number," on Vista and Office 2007 marketing, he said in November. "It's more than we spent of Windows 95 and Office 95."
Both Vista and Office had originally been slated to arrive on store shelves and new PCs in time for last year's holiday season. However, last March, Microsoft said it would delay the mainstream launch of the products and instead make the software available to businesses only in November 2006.
See more CNET content tagged:
tester, Media Center PC, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office 2007
85 comments
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Besides, why should anyone expect Microsoft to pay to entend the license on something that won't be available for legal download in less than a month?
understand. Its also a licensing issue - not a technical one and its
one that would have hit *any* other group incorporating licesnsed
software into their product.
Everything will stop working. This is how betas go. Eventually, the entire OS will cease to function.
You are so very prescient.
I have one machine that I have to keep for work related stuff, but otherwise I even my self see using it less and less.
:- )
The office 2007 is a nightmare, I wouldn't use it for free, let alone pay the licese, I loved Office 2003, and the upgrade ruined it pretty much. I guess I have to learn now SQL Server, as that is the only thing left that I like.
Mac, Linux and BSD are all a better path to follow.
have a drastically different user experience by design. The fact
that it works differently (or much differently) than previous
versions of office doesn't necessarily mean it is poorly designed
or broken.
I haven't used it myself, but I haven't heard such an unqualified
panning of the software yet. The reason I bring this up is that
people experience nearly identical thoughts when switching to
alt operating systems. They see they're different and assume
different=worse.
Their are many current OS options such as Linux and BSD that will work on even a unit 10yrs old.
Do you really need all the Vista eye-candy. Every Windows after 3.1 has been nothing but a broken promise. With every upgrade we have been told how it will be the best one so far.
Lies, lies, lies and more lies.
How long must the mainstream PC user get abused before the can see that their are other real options.
Quit listening to the Windows Techs. They will also lie to you. Most have a financial interest in sticking with Windows.
They don't have to retrain and they are the ones who get paid for Microsoft's shortcomings.
Use anything but Windows. Use Linux, BSD or Mac.
There is life after Microsoft and also life a without Microsoft.
I know of at least a dozen or so people who were die hard Windows supporters that have now moved on this month alone.
I'm not upgrading anyway.
Bill Gates eventually arrives at the the day of judgement.
St. Peter greets him, and explains that while he did contribute a
lot of money to charities, he also ripped a lot of people off when
they were forced to pay for his software if they wanted to buy a
piece of hardware from a store.
St. Peter says that under the circumstances, he will give Gates
the choice of going to heaven or going to hell, and offers a tour.
Gates accepts, and first St. peter takes him to heaven. In heaven,
Gates sees a very serene place, with people discussing
philosophy and walking together through a wooded landscape.
They then move on to hell. Gates sees a big beach party, with
everyone fornicating, smoking cigarettes, eating gourmet food,
and drinking.
When Gates is asked, he chooses to go to hell, and is
immediately plunged into a firey furnace with the screams of
tortured souls deafening him.
"Hey, St. Pete, what's all this?" screams Gates "Where's the beach
party?".
"Oh, I only showed you the demo version." St. Peter replies.
lol
Made my day.
convince XP users of the worthiness of Vista. Again, Microsoft
has payed their way, to appear legitimate with these
ADVERTORIALs labelled "HIGH IMPACT." Hopefully, their aren't
too many idiots out there who'd actually believe in this garbage.
For the uninformed, "HIGH IMPACT" is a CNET moniker
(advertising product) designed to elevate (to the masses) the less
than exciting developments of a company (like Microsoft) into
legitimate ones.
Advertise here:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.cnetnetworks.com/advertise/gallery/index.html#" target="_newWindow">http://www.cnetnetworks.com/advertise/gallery/index.html#</a>
High Impact articles here:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://news.com.com/2320-12359_3-0.html" target="_newWindow">http://news.com.com/2320-12359_3-0.html</a>
(And yes, it is true, they are still pushing Origami. Shhhhh!)
MS Marketing knows no bounds usually. And yes folks, they are
trying to convince you (their cash cow), the importance of
upgrading. But when all is said and done (while exercising a
healthy skepticism), is there really any legitimate reason too?
Other than keep Microsoft on top of the tech world, with their
"self-labelled" innovation.
For the really bright tech people of the world, this teaser should
be considered a TURN OFF. Don't get me wrong some CNET
articles are legitimate, but when the articles are about Microsoft
you can usually tell where reality ends and the bull**** begins
Yes we get it, Bill, for the last time, for Pete's sake, we know you
spent more money in developing Vista than you did with
Windows 95. Now cut the crap.
I guess your justification for that is that they pay for those sites, too?
No offense, but without solid proof of either you sound like a conspiracy theorist to me.
Mainly because of their latest licensing garbage - I will NOT purchase Vista. If my company has me using it, fine, I'll use it - but certainly not for my own personal computing needs.
I'm sticking with Macs running OS/X and/or Linux after this.
Their licensing tactics have already gotten stupid on XP with their "WGA" program. My sis-in-law came to me with a laptop I purchased for her with XP on it. Somehow her date had gotten pushed up in the future (bad enough, I know) and it was telling her she was possibly using a pirated copy of XP. Had to jump through a minimal number of hoops to fix it, but nonetheless, I don't appreciate Microsoft making me do it when nobody was doing anything illegal.
This has gotten ridiculous. Go after the people ripping the software off and stop screwing over legitimate customers.
Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com
"A beta version or beta release usually represents the first version of a computer program that implements all features in the initial requirements analysis. It is likely to be useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers, but unstable and not yet ready for release."
Note the "unstable and not yet ready for release." Sure, Microsoft should have told people that this-and-that will expire at so-so date. But still, people who applied for RC1 use should have continued to use earlier versions of Windows for their production use, and have Vista RC1 running only in a test environment.
Sure, some people will say, "Well, golly gee, how are you supposed to test it unless you actually use it in a production environment?" Two answers to this:
1. If you do use RC1 for production use, you have absolutely no right to complain about it if something doesn't work.
2. If you need zero-downtime, then don't even consider running RC1 in a production environment.
I was a RC1 beta tester myself. But once I was done testing for two months, I re-formatted the hard drive and gone onto other things. Beta Software 101, people!
They have bad Quality Control and the OS is basically faulty at the base level so they never truly leave Beta.
They also have no real desire to fix it. They talk about fixing it and make all sorts of promises but don't deliver on them.
All Vista is is Eye Candy and lies. So was XP, Me, 2k, 98 & 95.
Microsoft takes about being the best OS ever.
Yet more lies.
and they know it.
That's why they are so afraid of the alternative OS's available.
Their business model only works when you are a monopoly. If they have real competition (and they do now) they will fail.
It's time for the lies to stop.
According to Microsofts white-papers (and EULAs), the "DRM" elements within "Vista" will actually allow post-sale deactivation (revocation of access) to almost ANY "media" (or OS-component) for any number of different, alleged, "copyright-issues" (or, potentially, ALMOST ANY legal-dispute)...
...in other words, "MS-Windows Vista" (specifically Microsofts "DRM", and "Trusted Computing" elements) ARE actually specifically designed to allow Microsoft to render virtually ANY "media" (music, video, software, applications, functionality, or even, YOUR-OWN-DATA, etc.), on YOUR-OWN computer, UTTERLY USELESS... at "...Microsofts discretion" (whim). Or, more frighteningly, this could be invoked at the arbitrary order of ANY court that decides to issue an "injunction" because of, say... some future "copyright", or other "intellectual-Property", "dispute".
Thats one of the VERY-REAL THREATS of "DRM".
Common-sense says that everyone should JUST SAY NO, to "DRM", ...and NO to "Vista", ...In fact, essentially, everyone should just say, ...NO to ALL SUCH RABIDLY ANTI-CONSUMER technologies and products.
Until then, figure out a way to make analog backups.
Number 2. They lie about competitors products.
Number 3. They encourage DRM because it is a way to eliminate other DRM free OS's like Linux.
Number 4. They don't do proper Quality Control.
Number 5. They attack their own Customers.
Number 6. They attack their own business partners.
Number 7. They overcharge for their products considering they never left the beta software level.
Number 8. They are a Dictatorial Monopoly.
Number 9. They refuse to make their OS secure at the OS level making security add-ons needed.
Number 10. They promote and install virus' on customers PC's and tell them they are doing them a favor.
Recently I recall music files being unplayable due to DRM, and MS's answer was to violate the license.
"Some enthusiasts have installed their own third-party video decoders. But that won't solve the TV issue, as many have discovered"
I bet the DOJ and EUC would have a thing or two to say about that--"Interoperability?"
I am using Starchoice Satellite TV <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.highspeedsat.com/starchoice-tv.htm" target="_newWindow">http://www.highspeedsat.com/starchoice-tv.htm</a> and don't have any problem!
If the linux crowd wanted to make it easy to convert, they would think of something easier. Heck, if quotes morons end quotes at MS can figure out how to do an OS replacement on the fly from a simple download / web connection you would think that the braniacs pushing comsumer linux would be able to. Wait - nobody is paying them to do so so they wont. But they will certainly b*tch about it every chance they get. ROTFLMAO
Microsoft's OS for the masses is a utter failure. They have 90% of the market and product 90% of the problems by encouraging people to not get proper training before getting on a PC.
If the Jones' next door can do it so can they.
New Linux versions are simple. If people can't get them to work, they need to be supervised.
You start by firing anyone in business that doesn't follow security guidelines. That of course means you gave them proper training in the first place.
You go to a job interview. They ask you "Do you know Quickbooks" not "please define spyware, trojan and phishing ant then state how you would prevent them."
with the following comment:
"Why would anybody EVER need to know how to burn an iso?"
Why would anybody think buring a simple iso is so hard? I did
this for my Debian disks, all it took was a little light reading (just
look for the key phrase "directions"). When all else fails, read the
directions. Assuming you CAN read.
Here I thought prostitution was illegal (except in Nevada, of
course). Only a Micro$loth paid SHILL would make a big deal
about burning an iso. Really, it's not hard at all.
"Heck, if quotes morons end quotes at MS can figure out how to
do an OS replacement on the fly from a simple download / web
connection you would think that the braniacs pushing comsumer
linux would be able to."
Are you telling us that you can upgrade to Vista "from a simple
download / web connection"? I thought you had to buy the disks
and install them through your dvd drive. If you were capable of
reading and following directions, you could save quite a bit of
money by staying away from the trashware that is Vista. Plus you
could make copies of the OS install disks in case the original got
damaged or lost - try that with Vista!
The only reason to buy Vista is because you like being a slave or
are too stupid to realize you are a slave. Just wait until M$ drops
a bomb on you and locks you out of your own machine (it
happened to me already - on XP! It's called "WGA" for those who
live with their heads burried in the sand, look it up.) Then watch
as everyone LAUGHS at you for crying about being treated badly
by your master.
ROFLMAO!!
By openly advocating DRM they have a way to say Linux is violating copyrighted materials since it doesn't support DRM.
Do you really think Microsoft cares about the music industry. When Microsoft is done using them, they will destroy them because they have a history of wanting to be the only one to decide the future of technology.
They won't give that power to anyone. That is why anyone making a business deal with them is screwing with their own future.
Do you here this Novell? Recording Industry? PC Makers? etc...
Peter
party license to use a specific codec and really has nothing to do
with managing access to digital media information.
It does show what might be considered by some to be poor
planning but thats about it.
5050
That will pretty much tell you everything you need to know.
were expecting to have Vista shipped by now and when they
pushed the release back no one bothered to extend the license,
after all what's a few extra weeks when you can save a bit of cash.
It's just a shame that they forgot to tell anybody about the
expiration.
Cnet Editors, put this fix on your homepage, so other users could benefit from it.
You do need to get specific TV Cards that are supported though.
That in itself is also funny, although I imagine maybe not for Microsoft... Instead of saving my money to buy an expensive OS that I didn't particularly like, I got mysekf a mec mini with MacOSX. God, what a GOOD descision that has been!
No Vista for me, thanks.
There beta is obviously better than MS beta.
Ash Gilpin
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.ashgilpin.com" target="_newWindow">http://www.ashgilpin.com</a>
Afterall, we're talking about bashing Microsoft, where any kind of logical thinking or valid solid argumentation is totally unnecessary.
Either Cnet doesn't know what a BETA is or these testers are not that favoured in the brain department.