Thining of Upgrading to Vista - Microsoft disables HD DVD and Blueray Support

[Little Brother]

Has Microsoft disabled HD DVD and Blueray support in Vista?

http://www.digit-life.com/news.html?06/68/30

Interesting on a number of levels.

1. Is Microsoft serving the interests of media companies .. or Microsoft
customers? (Probably the media companies.)
2. Is the 64 bit version - with everything digitally signed (think
cryptography) - essentially a bid to wrest control of the computer out of
the hands of the computer owner and into Microsoft's? (Sounds like it)
3.Will 32-bit computing last longer than it should just because of #1 and #2
? (With news like that I know I want to keep a 32-bit machine around!)

I'd be interested in reading opinions [expect: but not from Microsoft's MVP
apologists and Microsoft's MVP brown-no*ers because the thinking is too
"canned" and could be off the MS website it's so "party-line" and is a waste
of time like some KB article that doesn't fix the problem)].

 

[Little Brother]

Technet.com is a Microsoft owned website?

See the following:
http://blogs.technet.com/windowsvista/archive/2006/08/24/450081.aspx


"Little Brother"

Has Microsoft disabled HD DVD and Blueray support in Vista?

http://www.digit-life.com/news.html?06/68/30

Interesting on a number of levels.

1. Is Microsoft serving the interests of media companies .. or Microsoft
customers? (Probably the media companies.)
2. Is the 64 bit version - with everything digitally signed (think
cryptography) - essentially a bid to wrest control of the computer out of
the hands of the computer owner and into Microsoft's? (Sounds like it)
3.Will 32-bit computing last longer than it should just because of #1 and
#2 ? (With news like that I know I want to keep a 32-bit machine around!)

I'd be interested in reading opinions [expect: but not from Microsoft's
MVP apologists and Microsoft's MVP brown-no*ers because the thinking is
too "canned" and could be off the MS website it's so "party-line" and is
a waste of time like some KB article that doesn't fix the problem)].

 

[Little Brother]

http://bink.nu/Article8152.bink

 

[GetaClue]

Opinions...

1. No. Can't imagine why you think this has anything to do with serving
media companies rather than users.

2. No. Digital signing of kernel drivers in 64-bit edition has nothing to do
with wresting control away from users. There's no encryption involved, and
users don't write kernel drivers. But if you really wanted to, you'd just
have to digitally sign it before installing it. That takes about 10 seconds.
Requiring digital signatures on kernel drivers is a security measure that
holds accountable the people who write those drivers.

3. Neither 1 nor 2 will extend the life of 32-bit computer.

Don't be so paranoid. MS isn't out to get you. It's not Darth Vader and
borgs. Just another company like a zillion others making and selling
products. Go spend a day in the Cafeteria at Redmond and see for yourself.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

Technet.com is a Microsoft owned website?

Yes.

 

[deebs]

I'd guess that the people behind HD DVD and the like will not allow
stuff to be played on equipment that will/may or has the potential to be
used in a way that will weaken copyright principles.

In other words: the OS developers are producing a piece of code that
respects the interests of all parties.

Is there a way to play HD DVD on kit that does weaken copyright principles?

 

[Rob Wilkens]

Would you believe, if I want to play High Definition disks at home WITHOUT
my computer they're making me buy a New HDTV and a new kind of (insert
standard of choice here) DVD player. They refuse to support my legacy
hardware (why don't high definition disks work in my legacy V.C.R. player).
They claim my old 20" SDTV isn't capable of displaying the HDTV content.

-Rob
(T.I.C.)

<DIV>&quot;Little Brother&quot;
&lt;[email protected]&gt; wrote in

 

[Little Brother]

It's crazy, isn't it?
[rant follows]
To be honest, I really don't care about HD DVD nor Blue Ray. I don't see
anything wrong with DVD - it plays movies well so long as the disc isn't
scratched or dirty. I'm not so psychologically mas*urbatory as to need to be
constantly dazzled by ever more fine images. DVD does A-OK. Maybe I'm
getting old, but it doesn't matter to me.

I like to go out to the theatres more than rent DVDs now [I rarely buy them
... my collection is about 3 movies strong]. I've really slowed on the
rentals. I used to rent hundreds a year and was in the top ten for rentals
at the local Blockbuster. So all this fuss that I might actually copy one
is, to me, completely overblown, as I've nary even attempted to copy even
one.

I think the movie industry and Microsoft should relax a bit. Microsoft got
perfectly rich without WPA or Genuine Advantage etc. and the movie companies
only drive people away treating them like potential criminals. No wonder
overall sales are down.

If they spent more time on content quality and less worrying about whether
something might get copied they might make more sales. As it is, movies are
getting repetitious and sort of sad, having to depend on excess rather new
and interesting stories.

As an aside: As it is I've almost given up TV. I used to watch shows. Now I
just channel surf a bit, decide that there's nothing on in the 500 channel
universe, and then go do something else. Movies too are getting repetitous
and boring, depending more on technical dazzling than content.

I used to be a SCI FI fan. I'd read all sorts of interesting SCI FI stories
with all sorts of interesting scenarios. With a rare exception all SCI FI
from Hollywood is "shoot 'em up". Yet they could have innumerable scenarios
if they wanted to. But all's they want is to shoot and kill. So the fact
that fewer people are going to movies is their own fault. Make better
movies, people will probably go.

Windows is going to get like that too. Microsoft is falling into the "greedy
trap" and trying to police its customers. Instead of offering innovations
they will try to make their money through enforcement. People will lose
interest (e.g. I cite the move from IE to Firefox and the rise of Linux as a
server) and growth will slow or even might, if Apple can actually get the
price down, reverse.

I'd prefer they didn't care so much about copy protection and more about
packing in some more and better games, themes and utilities. Then I could
feel proud recommending Microsoft Windows. But now it's:

"Microsoft has deliberately crippled Blueray in the 32-bit version of
Windows to pander to the interests of Time Warner, Lionsgate and 20th
Century Fox - Oh by the way, Windows continually checks up on you and sends
reports on you back to its corporate offices for possible police and legal
action against you. And if you so much as download a simple mp3 song off a
Russian website, by God you have violated the DMCA and can expect a SWAT
team attack, computer confiscation and lawsuit"

- not exactly anything to be proud of - too much "commercialism/corporatism"
and greed and not enough "computerism".

 

[Rob Wilkens]

The one benefit I see to (at least) blu-ray is there is apparently (I
haven't really followed, but saw one news story about a month ago or less)
writable disks for blu-ray that store "something like" 40GB+ on 1 disk
(maybe significantly more than that). For backup purposes I think that's
very very good. I'm holding out until someone wins the standards war. (I
actually own an HDTV, except it's so old it's a NON-WIDE-SCREEN HDTV (1080i
compatible). Kinda makes it useless (waste of $2,000 in 2001). Never
again, I claim, will I let myself get burned on a non-standard standard.

-Rob

<DIV>&quot;Little Brother&quot;
&lt;[email protected]&gt; wrote in

[rant follows]
To be honest, I really don't care about HD DVD nor Blue Ray. I don't see
anything wrong with DVD - it plays movies well so long as the disc isn't
scratched or dirty. I'm not so psychologically mas*urbatory as to need to
be constantly dazzled by ever more fine images. DVD does A-OK. Maybe I'm
getting old, but it doesn't matter to me.

I like to go out to the theatres more than rent DVDs now [I rarely buy
them .. my collection is about 3 movies strong]. I've really slowed on the
rentals. I used to rent hundreds a year and was in the top ten for rentals
at the local Blockbuster. So all this fuss that I might actually copy one
is, to me, completely overblown, as I've nary even attempted to copy even
one.

I think the movie industry and Microsoft should relax a bit. Microsoft got
perfectly rich without WPA or Genuine Advantage etc. and the movie
companies only drive people away treating them like potential criminals.
No wonder overall sales are down.

If they spent more time on content quality and less worrying about whether
something might get copied they might make more sales. As it is, movies
are getting repetitious and sort of sad, having to depend on excess rather
new and interesting stories.

As an aside: As it is I've almost given up TV. I used to watch shows. Now
I just channel surf a bit, decide that there's nothing on in the 500
channel universe, and then go do something else. Movies too are getting
repetitous and boring, depending more on technical dazzling than content.

I used to be a SCI FI fan. I'd read all sorts of interesting SCI FI
stories with all sorts of interesting scenarios. With a rare exception all
SCI FI from Hollywood is "shoot 'em up". Yet they could have innumerable
scenarios if they wanted to. But all's they want is to shoot and kill. So
the fact that fewer people are going to movies is their own fault. Make
better movies, people will probably go.

Windows is going to get like that too. Microsoft is falling into the
"greedy trap" and trying to police its customers. Instead of offering
innovations they will try to make their money through enforcement. People
will lose interest (e.g. I cite the move from IE to Firefox and the rise
of Linux as a server) and growth will slow or even might, if Apple can
actually get the price down, reverse.

I'd prefer they didn't care so much about copy protection and more about
packing in some more and better games, themes and utilities. Then I could
feel proud recommending Microsoft Windows. But now it's:

"Microsoft has deliberately crippled Blueray in the 32-bit version of
Windows to pander to the interests of Time Warner, Lionsgate and 20th
Century Fox - Oh by the way, Windows continually checks up on you and
sends reports on you back to its corporate offices for possible police and
legal action against you. And if you so much as download a simple mp3 song
off a Russian website, by God you have violated the DMCA and can expect a
SWAT team attack, computer confiscation and lawsuit"

- not exactly anything to be proud of - too much
"commercialism/corporatism" and greed and not enough "computerism".

Would you believe, if I want to play High Definition disks at home
WITHOUT my computer they're making me buy a New HDTV and a new kind of
(insert standard of choice here) DVD player. They refuse to support my
legacy hardware (why don't high definition disks work in my legacy V.C.R.
player). They claim my old 20" SDTV isn't capable of displaying the HDTV
content.

-Rob
(T.I.C.)

<DIV>&quot;Little Brother&quot;
&lt;[email protected]&gt; wrote in

 

[Little Brother]

I'm holding out until someone wins the standards war. (I actually own an
HDTV, except it's so old it's a NON-WIDE-SCREEN HDTV (1080i compatible).
Kinda makes it useless (waste of $2,000 in 2001). Never again, I claim,
will I let myself get burned on a non-standard standard.

Ouch Not a waste though.

We have a 32 in. SONY Trintron. It's 1/2 HDTV. It has more lines than the
standard, but is not fully HDTV. So DVD movies look pretty sharp on it. It
cost $1800.00 on sale a few years ago. Now the same thing costs $599 as the
price has gone way down since wide-screen took over the market. It works as
well as when first bought, so I think we are stuck with it for quite some
time yet - but I don't mind. If I went out today, I'd be tempted just to buy
another Trintron:

[Tiny Url to below]
http://tinyurl.com/megnw

[SONY Trinitron 32 in. at Futureshop]
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...2BDA4AB5C2A6250BFE0C0F97DD38A72FDA5F40F06AE43

 

[deebs]

http://news.com.com/2061-10794_3-6109427.html?part=rss&tag=6109427&subj=news

 

[Little Brother]

It just doesn't make sense for Microsoft to play cop with the customers /
developers etc.

 

[capitan]

http://news.com.com/2061-10794_3-6109427.html?part=rss&tag=6109427&subj=news

But doesn't MS make the choice for Windows Media Player (to decide
whether it plays back HD content or not)?

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

It just doesn't make sense for Microsoft to play cop with the customers /

developers etc.

What you're seeing is the content providers realizing that creating their
own copy protection schemes is costly and gets broken a mere few days after
release. MS providing the "secure" infrastructure just gives them a warm
and fuzzy, among other things, to release their content on the web now and
in the future.

Not that MS's schemes are unbreakable, but having it so deeply embedded
within the OS makes it a lot more difficult for crackers to work around than
having each content provider rely on some costly and ineffective third-party
solution--not to mention liability. Sony's rootkit, anyone?

Personally, I say we let them dig their own hole. I'm done with my movie
collection, I can't remember the last CD I bought, and the last MP3 I
downloaded was circa 2001. I just look at what's being produced nowadays,
and realize I'm really not missing out on anything.