Windows Vista DRM Analysis

[Lemur]

The Register has published multiple articles about the DRM lurking within Windows Vista, and they've finally linked to a comprehensive analysis of the beast, as written by an imaging specialist. Sobering stuff.

From The Reg:

Gutmann describes in great detail the various measures Microsoft has taken to lock down Windows on behalf of Hollywood. This isn't a comprehensive look at all of Vista's DRM - Gutmann barely touches on Microsoft's new activation framework; this is beyond the scope of his enquiry.)

To recap: in order to playback HD-DVD and BluRay content, Microsoft agreed to degrade video and audio functionality in Windows. Gutman points out that when "premium" content is being played, component video - YPbPr - and S/PDIF interfaces are disabled. Third party hardware that fails to obey these orders may have its be "certified" status revoked by Microsoft - leaving the user with minimal (eg VGA) functionality.

From another article (with the wonderful title, Windows DRM is the Longest Suicide Note in History):

In order lock down High Definition content, Vista limits the number of connectivity options to users. 'Windows Vista includes an extensive reworking of core OS elements in order to provide content protection for so-called "premium content", typically HD data from Blu-Ray and HD-DVD sources. Providing this protection incurs considerable costs in terms of system performance, system stability, technical support overhead, and hardware and software cost. These issues affect not only users of Vista but the entire PC industry, since the effects of the protection measures extend to cover all hardware and software that will ever come into contact with Vista, even if it's not used directly with Vista (for example hardware in a Macintosh computer or on a Linux server)."

Full article by Gutmann is here. Most neck-snapping, jaw-dropping, diaper-filling quote:

As a user, there is simply no escape. Whether you use Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 95, Linux, FreeBSD, OS X, Solaris (on x86), or almost any other OS, Windows content protection will make your hardware more expensive, less reliable, more difficult to program for, more difficult to support, more vulnerable to hostile code, and with more compatibility problems. Because Windows dominates the market and device vendors are unlikely to design and manufacture two different versions of their products, non-Windows users will be paying for Windows Vista content-protection measures in products even if they never run Windows on them.

[sapi]

AACS Decrypted

No measure which restricts users will ever remain unbroken.

It took just as long for CSS to be broken, and it can now be decrypted on the fly by software, as can dvd region locking.

[Xiahou]

As a user, there is simply no escape. Whether you use Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 95, Linux, FreeBSD, OS X, Solaris (on x86), or almost any other OS, Windows content protection will make your hardware more expensive, less reliable, more difficult to program for, more difficult to support, more vulnerable to hostile code, and with more compatibility problems. Because Windows dominates the market and device vendors are unlikely to design and manufacture two different versions of their products, non-Windows users will be paying for Windows Vista content-protection measures in products even if they never run Windows on them.

That's the real unfortunate part.

[Husar]

Well, I have a certain amount of money to spend per year/month.
If everything becomes more expensive, I can simply buy less, there is nothing to gain for anyone there, so I don't really care, maybe cinemas will profit, because going there 10 times to watch the same movie will soon be cheaper than watching it on HD-DVD or Blu-Ray.