In case you have bought a new HD video camera and are looking to use your Windows XP computer and Windows Movie Maker to put together video content, don't! It's as simple as that, if you indeed want to take advantage of all that the camera has to offer, especially the higher resolution levels.

Microsoft has informed that Windows XP Service Pack 3, SP2 and earlier fail to handle HD video resolutions starting with 720x576 if end users attempt to leverage Windows Movie Maker. The Redmond-based company has noted that end users are bound to be less happy when it comes down to the quality of the video recording and subsequent playback.

“When trying to create a video in Windows Movie Maker on Microsoft Windows XP with a resolution of 720x576 or greater, video recording and subsequent playback may not be smooth, and video frames may be dropped,” Microsoft explained.

According to the software giant, the fault lies exclusively with the precursor of Windows Vista. “This is a known issue with Microsoft Windows XP,” the company stated, but failed to indicate the specific problem. At the same time, users should know that there is no fix for the issue. On top of this, Microsoft delivered no indication pointing to plans to eventually resolving the problem. This is what it advises end users to do, “To work around this issue, record the video at a lower resolution.” Not much of a workaround if you ask us.

Of course that the problem is specific to Windows XP, and perhaps an example of the limitations associated with an operating system delivered initially back in 2001. Windows Movie Maker on Windows Vista or Windows 7 has no issues with HD video resolutions.

“Millions of people are now enjoying high-definition (HD) television in their homes. Now, using the Home Premium and Ultimate Windows Vista editions, you can edit content from high-definition cameras that support the HDV format. You can also edit native MPEG-2 content, the format used in commercial-release DVDs,” the company stated in the description of Windows Movie Maker and Movie Maker HD for Vista.