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Some 'Next-Gen' DVDs May Not Work With Vista

Posted by Zonk on from the that-seems-like-an-oversight dept.

schnikies79 wrote to mention an article on the Times Online site, where they report that a 'substantial number' of Vista PCs will be unable to play HD-DVDs or Blu-ray discs, as a result of DRM requirements made by the operating system. From the article: "Dave Marsh, the lead program manager for video at Microsoft, said that if the PC used a digital connection to link with the monitor or television, then it would require the highest level of content protection, known as HDCP, to play the discs. If it did not have such protection, Vista would shut down the signal, he said."

4 of 293 comments (clear)

  1. Coming Soon to a PC Near You -- Not Just Yet. by Renegade+Lisp · · Score: 5, Informative

    For anyone who's been following the recent debates about Vista, this is already old news. But now the mainstream seems to be picking up on it.

    What the article doesn't mention is that, probably precisely for this reason, there seems to be an agreement between Sony and Microsoft that HDCP protection won't actually be required by Blu-Ray discs until at least 2010, maybe even 2012. Remember, it's the disc that actually needs to require it, the operating system only provides this as an option.

    That doesn't make the system anymore pleasing though. I wonder how far Microsoft will actually get with it. Customers do seem to get upset with this, and it wouldn't be the first time Microsoft has had to make "concessions" because of public criticism.

    Peter Gutmann's paper on Vista's content protection is really recommended reading, even if it's a bit polemic. And nothing beats Microsoft's own document, written by the same guy that was interviewed for Times Online.

  2. Article subject is wrong by the+computer+guy+nex · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Dave Marsh, the lead program manager for video at Microsoft, said that if the PC used a digital connection to link with the monitor or television, then it would require the highest level of content protection, known as HDCP, to play the discs. If it did not have such protection, Vista would shut down the signal, he said. "

    The next-gen DVD's will work with Vista, but you need to have HDCP compatible hardware if the HD DVD has the HDCP flag.

    Plus, AFAIK, there are 0 HD DVD's that have this flag enabled. Rumored it will not be activated on any disc before 2010, if at all.

    1. Re:Article subject is wrong by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 5, Informative

      "Plus, AFAIK, there are 0 HD DVD's that have this flag enabled. Rumored it will not be activated on any disc before 2010, if at all."

      It may be disabled for Blu-Ray, but it is definately enabled for HD-DVD, which is exactly why the guy that wrote BackupHDDVD did it - his computer wouldn't play his HD-DVDs in their original format, despite a brand new monitor and a less-than-a-year-old video card.

      --
      retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
    2. Re:Article subject is wrong by robosmurf · · Score: 5, Informative

      I don't think that's true. If I recall correctly, the Image Constraint Token (which is what is not yet activated) affects only the analog outputs.

      Even if the disc doesn't have this set, you'll still need HDCP if you want a digital link to the monitor.