WARNING: I read that the new window's VISTA is going to impose limits to our MEDIA AND FREE MEDIA USAGE??

Question

basically, say good-bye to our free Mp3s and pirated movies in all their illegal goodness... according to this website, Microsoft has been working with the music and movie industry to have VISTA put limitations on unlicensed media and so on .... even if you insert a DVD to play in the computer and its not recognized by vista it won't play. Vista only allows you to use peripherals that it deems are safe from piracy, making all but a few of the newest components fully functional
This is going to be phased in in the next couple years....!!

source: arstechnica.com

Anyone know any more information about this?

Hey now.. I said I said I READ it.. I didn't say I believed it.

Why do you think I am looking for more info??

HARSH.. don't be so quick to judge.

Answer 1

Yes, it's true. The first link I'm including is a google search showing things you can read for more information, including some from very reliable tech news sources.

Unfortunately for those of us who don't steal media, it also limits you on media that you do "own." For example, I may have purchased a CD, which theoretically gives me the right to listen to it, play it on my computer, lend it to my friend, put it on my mp3 player, etc. However, with DRM active you may be limited to only burning it twice, only listen to it on two mp3 players (what if I have a Shuffle for jogging, a SwimMP3 for swimming, and a Nano for other times?), etc. In fact, from Microsoft's own website, it says:

"Media usage rights are permissions to use a protected file in a particular way. Content providers, such as online stores, can specify how you can use the protected files that you obtain from them. For example, a content provider can grant you the permission to play the file on your computer (a play right), to burn the file to an audio CD (a burn right), or to sync the file to a portable device (a sync right).

Each right can have certain qualities. For example, the content provider might grant you the following usage rights:
• The right to play a particular song on your computer an unlimited number of times
• The right to sync that song to two portable devices five times per month
• The right to burn the song to an audio CD twice"

That text is in the second link I'm giving you, under the question "What are media usage rights?" That's one thing that upsets me about the concept of DRM. That and the fact that if you don't have the right hardware, it's going to degrade the quality of your audio and video purposely.

For example, this is quoted from the Microsoft website (and is the third link I'm giving you) written by a Program Manager with Windows Media Technologies. (It's a little more than halfway down.)

"In the future, some types of premium content— through its content policy—will specify that a full-resolution analog VGA output is not allowed and that the resolution must be reduced. It is not practical to change the actual scanning rate of the display, particularly because some displays are fixed resolution. But what is important is that the information content of the signal is reduced to the resolution specified by the content owner. Basically, a high-resolution picture needs to be degraded to make it soft and fuzzy.

Constriction is the process of downscaling the picture to the required resolution—for example, 520K pixels—and then scaling it back up to the original resolution. The result is a picture with an unchanged scanning raster, but it is now a bit fuzzy, because the information content of the picture has been reduced to degrade the picture. Constriction is done by putting a downscaler and an upscaler in series in the content path."

You get that? I, content provider (media company) might say you are not allowed to watch that DVD in high definition on your computer, only on your new HD-DVD player, unless of course you pay double for the one that's not "constricted" by Vista. You will buy a normal DVD and it will be PURPOSELY made "fuzzy" by Vista.

I'm okay with them limiting things that you downloaded illegally, but Vista's DRM is limiting what you can do with the multimedia that you legally purchased.

That's why I'm not going to pay to upgrade to Vista. My current computer plays my content properly.

Answer 2

Guess it will make honest people out of most.
Hate to say it, but I agree with Microsoft's anti piracy measures, I just don't like being lumped in with those that don't pay for what they use.

Answer 3

i have read that they are going to attempt this but where there is a will there is a way