14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is currently offering a Windows media center edition of Windows XP, as well as integrating the product into the Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions. But one thing that has always raised waves and waves of criticism against the Redmond company is the integration of digital rights management content into the operating system. According to Microsoft, the content protection infrastructure is designed to ensure that its Windows operating systems can deliver protected commercial audiovisual content without any issues. However, the inclusion of Digital Rights Management technology into the Windows Media Center SKUs of Windows XP and Windows Vista is among the aspects that is apparently keeping users off the operating system.
And this is not just the case of end users. Apparently, the latest trend is that Microsoft's own employees start considering the alternative that is Linux Media Center, in order to avoid the functionality issues inherently associated with DRM. Jesper Johansson, a Security Program Manager with Microsoft, is just such an example. "I'm turning off, disconnecting, and throwing out my Windows XP Media Center PC. For two years it has been the DVR unit in my home, as well as just a convenient way to view movies. However, the DRM zealots have finally rendered it completely useless", Johansson revealed.
The last drop for Johansson was the moment Windows Media Center failed to play content via Comcast Cable's video on demand system. The security guru went through a series of steps trying to repair Media Center including installing updates and troubleshooting common DRM problems. In the end, Johansson only managed to create denial of service exceptions not only in Windows Media Center but also in Internet Explorer. Of course, he was left contemplating the possibility of switching to LinuxMCE.
"Is it just me, or is DRM of movies and music the poster child for an inappropriate security v. usability tradeoff? How many billions has the industry spent on DRM schemes that the bad guys break in weeks? How many perfectly legitimate users has the industry annoyed and driven away? How many lost DVD sales has it caused? How many lost sales of Microsoft's Media Center software and Windows Vista has it caused because the DRM sub-system randomly decides that you must be a criminal? And, how many bootleggers has it stopped? Based on my last jaunt through a night market somewhere in the Far East the answer to the last question seems pretty clear at least", Johansson added.