Well, people have been testing Vista for some time and I've never heard about anything that restrictive. It's not really a feature they can turn on in the final build and hope to work without proper testing.
I just bought a HD-DVD drive to plug on my PC, and a HD movie, cool! But when I realized the 2 software players on windows don't allowed me to play the movie at all, because my video card is not HDCP compliant and because I have a HD monitor plugged with DVI interface, I started to get mad... This is not what we can call "fair use"!
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BTW, when I disable my HD monitor, I can watch the movie,on my old VGA screen, but, what is the point of having a HD monitor and not being able to watch a HD movie on it!
I paid money for a book. I own that copy of the book. So what? I don't have the right to photocopy that book a million times. Why is it any different to software (the book) and a photocopier (the computer)?
I agree that just because there isn't a better way doesn't mean MS should force it on to us. But think of it from another perspective - if MS doesn't impose it, the record companies, movie companies etc. will just use a 3rd party one, and probably multiple ones. This just results in massive confusion for the general public.
Is it better to sacrifice those who don't want DRM and will never use DRM (people like you), or to create massive confusion in the industry with many non-standard DRM solutions (joe public)? That's the dillemma Microsoft faces.
Ultimately, the goal is to reduce piracy, and DRM is an attempt at that because it allows content providers to provide their content and enforce the terms. Whether or not DRM providers go overboard in their terms is not relevant - we're talking about the technology here that enables that.
Until we morph as a society into something else that's not capitalist-centered, DRM is here to stay, whatever form it may be in.
I agree that just because there isn't a better way doesn't mean MS should force it on to us. But think of it from another perspective - if MS doesn't impose it, the record companies, movie companies etc. will just use a 3rd party one, and probably multiple ones. This just results in massive confusion for the general public.
Such confusion would be great, consumers would start wondering why everything is so damn complicated, and they might even realize that DRM is to blame, especially if Microsoft point the finger at big media companies and indicate that they are the cause of the mess.
THIS capitalism would allow for the most effective weapon against pro-DRM companies: boycottUntil we morph as a society into something else that's not capitalist-centered, DRM is here to stay, whatever form it may be in.