M$ To Require HDCP-protected Monitors To Display Premium Content With Longhorn

[Low Roller]

I'm guessing there's a lot of people that are going to be upset when they find out their monitor is either only showing down res'd premium content(like Blue-Ray/HD-DVD), or showing nothing period....

...With Longhorn, Microsoft will begin pushing opium. Well, technically it’s OPM. However, opium might be a good option for those livid that the video content being sent to their pristine 24-inch Dell LCD monitors is purposefully being “fuzzied” (more on that later).

So what is OPM? The successor to Microsoft’s rarely-mentioned COPP (Certified Output Protection Protocol), PVP-OPM (Protected Video Path – Output Protection Management) is the first play in Microsoft’s game plan to ensure that protected content stays protected. PVP-OPM performs two main functions. First, it detects the capabilities of the display devices attached to the computer. For instance, does the DVI LCD monitor that you’re using have HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection)? Second, it manages what, if anything, gets sent to those devices.

If you’re one of those rare people whose display is equipped with HDCP, you’re fine. However, in the world of computers, those users are few and far between. While HDCP has become the de facto standard for display copy-protection in televisions, its penetration in the computer display market would be pleased to merely be called anemic. Whether you’re plunking down money for one of the new ultra-fast LCD displays with 4ms response times or you’re becoming the envy of neighborhood with Dell’s UltraSharp 2405FPW widescreen display, you’re buying a monitor that won’t play nice with premium content in Longhorn.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000143050582/

This type of thing was is inevitable, especially since the announcement of HDMI/DVI-HDCP outputs for video cards a few months ago.

[Mr Cherry]

In related news, Linux and Apple market shares rose to a staggering 99%.

[Motoman]

...and then monkeys flew out of my @$$

[RPG Junkie]

This is why I have 2000 and XP...

[PCJ]

That's just asking to be hacked. Seriously, when do they realise that the only way to make people buy something is to not assrape them?

[Mr Cherry]

That's just asking to be hacked. Seriously, when do they realise that the only way to make people buy something is to not assrape them?

As soon as the people stop paying for their assrapings.

[Reign]

As soon as the people stop paying for their assrapings.

i did taht a long time ago

[I4one]

Keep following this folks - along with the new type of BIOSes being introduced soon
http://www.sharkyforums.com/showthread.php?t=269322

excuse me while I go puke...

[richardginn]

Well this stinks.

[Low Roller]

For anybody who wants to read a detailed description of M$'s future DRM plans, check out this doc.

Here are a few of the 'highlights':

To work with PVP-OPM, a graphics card manufacturer must provide for the following:

• Output Protection Management capability on all board outputs—at a minimum, provide the ability to turn off every output.

• Device driver capability to report reliably about the board outputs and their settings.

• HDCP protection for DVI and HDMI outputs and Macrovision and CGMS-A protection on analog TV-out outputs. Otherwise, outputs will be turned off by the PVP-OPM software.

• The ability to pass video through a constrictor—that is, a downscaler followed by an upscaler—so that the information content of premium video can be reduced when an unprotected output such as analog VGA is present.

Intel’s HDCP protection is available for DVI, but is not always implemented by hardware manufacturers. HDCP is approved by the content industry, so DVI with HDCP is a great output solution for protected content.

In contrast, DVI without HDCP is definitely not liked by content owners, because it provides a pristine digital interface that can be captured cleanly. When playing premium content such as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray DVD, PVP-OPM will be required to turn off or constrict the quality of unprotected DVI. As a result, a regular DVI monitor will either get slightly fuzzy or go black, with a polite message explaining that it doesn’t meet security requirements.

....looks like my 2001fp is fubar'd for Blue-Ray/HD-DVD....

VGA (Analog)

Analog VGA is the traditional way to connect a PC to a monitor, and consists of three analog RGB signals. There is no protection scheme available for analog VGA, and it is a high-resolution signal, so some content owners have significant concerns.

There have been some successes in getting content owners to make some allowances for this ubiquitous interface. Consumers would certainly be unhappy if it were immediately outlawed; so instead, many content owners are requiring that its resolution be constricted when certain types of premium content are being played. Eventually they may require that analog VGA outputs be turned off completely; but for the moment, it is possible to provide the necessary level of protection by constricting the information content.

[Bearded Kirklander]

If you didn't hate Microsoft before, this may well get you to start.

[raider1v1]

what kind of stuff are they talking about? like movies or what?

[I4one]

what kind of stuff are they talking about? like movies or what?

yep

[rabidmoose171]

ya know, im sorry i gave them a chance, i bought xp... but i still have to call to activate everytime i reformat, so why did i buy it? The only reason was so i wouldnt have to call....


i will never BUY another m$ product again.

[raider1v1]

so youll have a blu ray movie or whatever and it will look like crap because they want you to use hte high def, and not use something to stretch or re-do the image? what is the reason for that other than trying to move sales of teh high-def monitors?