Wikipedia.org wrote:Another common criticism concerns the integration of new forms of digital rights management into the operating system, specifically the introduction of the Protected Video Path. This architecture is designed such that "premium content" from HD DVD or Blu-ray discs may mandate that the connections between PC components be encrypted. Devices such as graphic cards must be approved by Microsoft. Depending on what the content demands, the devices may not pass premium content over non-encrypted outputs, or they must artificially degrade the quality of the signal on such outputs or not display it all. There is also a revocation mechanism that allows Microsoft to disable drivers of compromised devices in end-user PCs over the Internet.
An Explanation for the Layman: Windows Vista encrypts certain media every time the user does something with it. This is not an exaggeration. Every. Single. Time. Microsoft can also terminate the functionality of certain portions of your PC remotely.
Ramifications: Every video card you now use on your PC box running on Vista needs to be Microsoft certified. Getting Microsoft certification is expensive. Your video card must have certain safety features built in so that it may meet the requirements that Microsoft sets. These are not safety features that benefit you in any way, shape or form. In fact, they make your video card more expensive and less stable. This also makes Windows, a notoriously unstable and unsecure operating system, less stable and less secure. This causes Vista to use up a great deal of processing power (the size of high-quality media is enormous, and encrypting all that information is not easy). In short, your computer is more expensive, runs worse, and is more prone to failure.
Why?: Why is Microsoft slapping down such a security policy? Hollywood, for the most part. Hollywood is shifting into the digital era, and now they're experiencing the same shock that all digital corporations seem to experience when they start out. "Teenagers are stealing our product and making it available to the public for free!"
Worth the Time and Money?: There's a long history of companies throwing a fit when they realize that their digital products are vulnerable, then spending vast sums of money to prevent this from happening. Let us peer back to one memorable attempt Sony Music made:
Wired.com wrote:Technology buffs have cracked music publishing giant Sony Music's elaborate disc copy-protection technology with a decidedly low-tech method: scribbling around the rim of a disk with a felt-tip marker.
Oops.
If I recall proper, the cost of this illustrious project was in the millions. I might be wrong, but I don't think I am. Cost to hack? I can buy a two-pack of felt-tip markers at my university's copy center for about two dollars, with which I could break thousands of CD-ROMs with. That's all of one coin to me. Two pieces of paper to you people not special enough to have a two dollar coin. Suffice it be said this project was a critical failure for the entertainment industry.
You may have a dozen trained computer scientists and software engineers. You might stick some computer engineers in there for good measure, trying to prevent analogue piracy. Yet consistently this industry built around protecting copyrighted information placed in a digital format continues to fail. Yet, why should we care? This is just another attempt to protect data, right? Just don't buy Vista. Then we're fine, right?
The problem here is that we're no longer talking about protecting corporate profits. We're not talking about some inconvenient hurdles for Vista users alone. We're talking about a change in hardware and software for everyone. You want to go buy a new video card? I guarantee you, it's going to be Microsoft Certified so it can appeal to the industry of users on Windows Vista. You're going to pay that extra price.
Though, I must say, don't worry! If you're running on Windows Vista, your upgraded operating system offers you even more inconveniences. Microsoft, after all, hates to disappoint.
So, I pose the questions, despite being a total newbie here in RPG:
Do you feel cheated by this?
Do you feel that an industry has a right to protect itself against piracy on this level?
If not, how much freedom do you think an industry should have to protect itself against piracy?
And pretty much anything else you want to say on the issue is up for grabs, so feel free to comment.
