Longhorn to Require Monitor-Based DRM

[Gwarsbane]

http://it.slashdot.org/it/05/07/15/155216....tid=158&tid=155

Posted by Zonk on Friday July 15, @11:24AM
from the it's-everywhere-it's-everywhere dept.
Mr_Silver writes "Engadget has an interesting article regarding a new feature in Longhorn entitled PVP-OPM (Protected Video Path - Output Protection Management) which detects the capabilities of the display devices you are using and manages how (and if at all) content is sent to it. In short, this means that if Longhorn detects that your monitor is not "secure" enough, then your premium video content won't play on it until you buy one that is. Who gets to decide? The content providers of course." From the article: "So what will happen when you try to play premium content on your incompatible monitor? If you're "lucky", the content will go through a resolution constrictor. The purpose of this constrictor is to down-sample high-resolution content to below a certain number of pixels. The newly down-sampled content is then blown back up to match the resolution of your monitor. This is much like when you shrink a JPEG and then zoom into it. Much of the clarity is lost. The result is a picture far fuzzier than it need be."

Man Microsoft and others are REALLY trying to force this DRM crap on us. They might as well just start telling us "You will watch the content we allow and only that content." cause thats what its moving towards.

I won't be buying longhorn. I'll stick with XP and if I want to use stuff that requires a newer OS I will move to some other OS like linux or something. I will not have DRM forced on me. I will use what ever content I want when I want.

[Gwarsbane]

Forgot to mention that if you get this "Forceware" (you heard it first, don't think anyone else has a name for it) it forces you to get a new monitor too. Another reason I will stick to other OS'

[Wha?]

I don't think that'll fly. Monitors are expensive, and nobody would put up with that. Even the people who've been brainwashed into thinking piracy is going to the bathroom without getting MicroSoft's permission. Think about it: "I have to spend $300 to watch this DVD with my child?"

The only solution is to make it for some trivial stuff that's MS proprietary (Windows Media Player).
ie. That post mentions "premium video content".

It wouldn't surprise me they were looking into the idea of monitor-based DRM. However, it only takes one hacker to solve the puzzle, and one warez d00d to read the blog about it, before the house of cards comes crashing down.

I doubt the veracity of this greatly.

[Squish]

Microsoft is turning into, a more complete form of the word we so commonly use known to describe the company, shit. I hope they don't do something that will get them ruined... There would go my career plan... I'm glad i'm going to be able to use linux in a couple years... this is crap, this is what shouldn't be legal... I guess money makes whatever the hell it wants legal.

[Wha?]

Did some reading, and it turns out they are doing this to bring in content otherwise unavailable to the PC. Don't get me wrong here, they'll abuse it, but it's not for everything.

I see one major reason why it's content controlled: Put simply, it washes Microsoft's hands completely. Any complaint is now stuck in limbo, because the operating system isn't entirely at fault.

ie. Complain to MS about needing a new graphics card (yeah, it's the bus [PCIe and the like] that's being policed, not the monitor) and how expensive it is, etc. They'll say "it's the content provider's fault, since they don't want people pirating their stuff. The policy is theirs alone."
Complain to the content provider, and they'll tell you to use less-than-premium content or bite the bullet.

::PostScript::
Let this serve as a lesson in consumer power: it's like a hostage situation. There are people who lack power, and thus use coersive means to get it (the hostage takers). The police give them power, fearing for the hostages.

Consumers are the police, content is the hostage. You (the consumer) fear loss of content, so you bend over (not necessarily backwards, if you know what I mean) and take whatever the provider dishes out, albeit not quietly. What would happen if you said "Your terms are unacceptable."? Or if everybody did?

[smartass]

I dont realy have much to say on the subject. Just that im pissed that MS is beeing so abusive with their power. Its going to come back around and bite them when everyone gets sick of their crap and changes to a different OS. MS basicaly controls the computer world, and they know it, and they do whatever the hell they want. Makes me angry. I think thats all i wanted to say, just that im pissed.:angry: