Jeremy Charette
10-05-2005, 07:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122738,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122738,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"If you dropped a bundle on a high-end computer display or HDTV, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise when you slip your new high-definition DVD of Star Wars: Episode III into your Windows Vista PC. Vista, the next version of Windows that's slated to appear in about a year, will feature a new systemwide content protection scheme called PVP-OPM (see box below). If your monitor doesn't work with PVP-OPM, all you'll likely see is either a fuzzy rendition of your high-def flick or Hollywood's version of the Blue Screen of Death--a message warning you that the display has been 'revoked'."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/122738-2311p026-1b.jpg" /> <br /><br />The buzz surrounding PVP-OPM is getting louder by the minute. I'm glad to see it being talked about, because it's going to leave a lot of people with high-end displays in the dark (literally). That's an awful lot of wasted money, and will result in just as many unhappy customers. With roadblocks like this in the way, HD content is going to have an even harder time gaining traction in the marketplace. The kicker is that PVP-OPM uses HDCP, which has already been cracked. HDCP compatible video splitters and converters are already on the marketplace for as little as $100. Video devices that look for an HDCP "handshake" (like Windows Vista PCs and HD DVD players) can't tell the difference between a splitter connected to a non-HDCP compliant device, and a real bona-fide HDCP device.