What's up with HDCP

[rhythmnsmoke]

How is it that when Vista comes out, it's not even going to be able to run on your current machines. It is supposedly going to only be compatible with monitors that have HDCP in them (which is like finding a needle in a hay-stack). So, basically, if you want Vista when it comes out, then you are going to have to scrap the new machine you just bought, and buy all new gear.

[army20]

I hope ur "supposedly" wrong

[jpless]

Where on earth have you heard that? From what I have read it just supports HDCP but not only that!?

[rhythmnsmoke]

Microsoft Vista creates DRM insanity

Comment Microstupid tunnel vision

By Burt Carver: Thursday 04 August 2005, 11:56

ONE OF the 'features' touted on the new Microsoft Vista (nee Longhorn) operating system is the Protected Video Path - Output Protection Management (PVP-OPM). Nick Farrell does an excellent job outlining it here. Here is what Microsoft has to say: New output content protection mechanisms planned for the next version of Microsoft® Windows® codenamed "Longhorn" protect against hardware attacks while playing premium content and complement the protection against software attacks provided by the Protected Environment in Windows Longhorn. In a nutshell, unless you have a display device that is equipped with specific technology intended to foil recording, the operating system will degrade the image quality so bit for bit copies cannot be made. Sounds good, right? Well, considering that almost NO monitors are currently shipping with this technology, it means that if you want to view a movie off a HD-DVD as it is encoded, or stream HD content from a Blue-Ray disk to a display, the operating system will kill the video outputs and give you nothing. If you are lucky enough, like me, to have a projector that can handle RGB signals or DVI inputs, you can get a signal but it will be run through a downscaler then an upscaler to reduce the quality. Wow. If I am running a projector or a TV off video outputs I'll see nothing? If I am lucky enough to have a set that will allow for RGB or DVI I can pay for the privilege of having my 720p or 1080i signal degraded to DVD quality or less? Where do I sign? Paid a premium for a graphics card with component output to reap the rewards of that Hi-Def set? Too bad. Isn't technology wonderful? Because of the nature of the technology, it is very unlikely that some widget or gizmo will be made to make the system compliant outside of buying a new monitor. Outside of cracking the OS (which is bound to happen) to turn off this 'feature', the end user is going to end up on the short end of the stick. The irony is that most content ripping software doesn't rely on video outputs and they strip the protections on the fly. After that point the content should no longer be viewed as 'premium', and the protection becomes useless. In the white paper on the Microsoft link above, the folk talk about the problems of open systems (a PC) versus a closed system (discrete DVD player) and how the end user can't upgrade or change the closed system. This seems to be the end goal - create an operating system that will create a closed system. The fact is that this 'feature' serves to hurt the consumer that Microsoft has targeted with its Media Center OS. Upgrading to the Vista flavour will render that 'Hi-Def' experience in 'Low-Def' detail, and more and more people will choose alternate operating systems. In fact, if I knew that I would be getting lower quality output on anything (there is a section on audio in there) I would be reluctant to install the OS on any machine, work or otherwise. W2k and XP are perfectly adequate, and I prefer to be able to enjoy the movies as they were meant to be seen - at full resolution.

Another Article

Your new hardware is already broken

It is a grand scheme

By Charlie Demerjian: Friday 05 August 2005, 08:41

CURRENT LARGE COMPUTER VENDORS, monitor makers, graphics card people and most notably Microsoft are being way dodgy with their current offerings. Why? DRM (Digital Rights Management) of course.

Anyone reading this knows my position on this topic, the weasels feel that they are not making enough money every time you view content. So, to make up for this, they are forcing you to pay more and ultimately stripping you of your rights through invasive DRM.

The dodgy part comes with current offerings, they are broken under LongVista, all of them. The High-Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection (HDCP) or User Reaming to Maximize Profit (URMP – pronounced 'your rump', quite fitting) means your current brand spanking new media centre PC, should you be dumb enough to buy one, will not work when Shorthorn comes out.

Yes, if you want to watch overpriced media, you need URMP. If you don't have it, your shiny new $2000 media centers and gaming stations will put up a blank screen, or if you are eminently lucky, a fuzzy image. This is to protect 'them', not you, which is why HDCP is such a stealth-evil acronym, people don't ask who is being protected, the sheeple just spend.

So, you are buying these machines, $1200 24-inch Dell monitors, $500 Nvidia GPUs, all exceedingly nice hardware BTW, and they are all broken. You are p***ing your money away. Assume a three year lifespan for most hardware, probably more if you buy a pimped out SLi rig with a dual everything a a huge monitor. Sure, you are spending more than the cost of a decent car, but it really is a nice machine.

Won't you be surprised that in a year or so, your slightly less new, but still blazingly fast machine is now a doorstop. You won't be able to legally play content, and there is no realistic upgrade path. There are boxes, adaptors and eSwizzle-sticks that will make things possibly work, but they will cost more than new hardware, and almost assuredly will have less functionality.

So, where is the dodgy part? Well, they know this now, and are merrily taking your money on knowingly defective hardware. Anyone who thinks that ShortVista won't make up 85% plus of the OSes sold in the near future is crazy. With lengthening hardware life cycles, it is also fairly probable that a large number of the installations out there will be upgraded to this DRM infested nightmare.

Hardware vendors are selling you this now, and it won't work in the future. They also know it won't work, because if it would, they would be shouting it from every rooftop. So, if you are in the market right now, you have two choices. You can get something that is broken, but that is hidden from you, or you can wait. If you wait, you get URMP tainted hardware that strips you of your rights, but you get to pay more.

Basically, you are a pawn in a grand plot to funnel more money into the RIAA and MPAA member companies. Your rights? Fair play? All casualties. They know, and they are actively hiding it from you, yet you feed them more each time.

Both articles are from The inquirer.net

Edited August 5, 2005 by rhythmnsmoke

[Beppe]

i would not worry bout s*** guys ever here of spatz?? i actually had some of his products and they work great.. check this out too

h**p://www.cdfreaks.com/news2.php?ID=12115

[ssmokee]

i would not worry bout s*** guys ever here of spatz?? i actually had some of his products and they work great.. check this out too

h**p://www.cdfreaks.com/news2.php?ID=12115

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But it costs 400 Euro....

[Beppe]

i know but its a small price to pay to have no monitor upgrade and ur fav movies ripped for while