Comments on: Joe Wilcox on HDTV and Microsoft DRM in Longhorn http://thomashawk.com/2005/07/joe-wilcox-on-hdtv-and-microsoft-drm.html Fri, 25 May 2012 21:17:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Stephen Speicher http://thomashawk.com/2005/07/joe-wilcox-on-hdtv-and-microsoft-drm.html/comment-page-1#comment-19553 Stephen Speicher Mon, 18 Jul 2005 13:28:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/thomashawk/?p=3521#comment-19553 Interesting.... you could have just as easily said, "For those of you waiting for HDTV MCE -- this is the technology that should allow Microsoft to convince CableLabs that their boxes are secure enough for CableCARDS."<br /><br />Everyone wants to assume that Microsoft is the 800lb guerilla. However, I think that that's a simplistic view of it all. When it comes to the cable industry, Microsoft is the weakling that gets sand kicked its eyes.<br /><br />Microsoft is trying to expand (and thus justify its numbers) further in to the CE and media market. In order to do so, they must play nice with the content providers and (for the meantime) content distributors.<br /><br />While not the popular view, it’s fair to say that Microsoft will be using this technology to give you a choice. It’s not like devices will be free of these restrictions.<br /><br />In any case, you can easily look at this news (and these technologies) as the cornerstone *for* HDTV MCE.<br /><br />It’s funny – I wrote the article (the Engadget one not the MicrosoftWatch one) to let people know about the technology and to make people aware that it should be part of their monitor buying decision process. Very few people have said, “Wait HDCP is WELL established. Why are the monitor companies pushing VERY high-end products without this? Isn’t that a bit irresponsible?” Oh well… Interesting…. you could have just as easily said, “For those of you waiting for HDTV MCE — this is the technology that should allow Microsoft to convince CableLabs that their boxes are secure enough for CableCARDS.”

Everyone wants to assume that Microsoft is the 800lb guerilla. However, I think that that’s a simplistic view of it all. When it comes to the cable industry, Microsoft is the weakling that gets sand kicked its eyes.

Microsoft is trying to expand (and thus justify its numbers) further in to the CE and media market. In order to do so, they must play nice with the content providers and (for the meantime) content distributors.

While not the popular view, it’s fair to say that Microsoft will be using this technology to give you a choice. It’s not like devices will be free of these restrictions.

In any case, you can easily look at this news (and these technologies) as the cornerstone *for* HDTV MCE.

It’s funny – I wrote the article (the Engadget one not the MicrosoftWatch one) to let people know about the technology and to make people aware that it should be part of their monitor buying decision process. Very few people have said, “Wait HDCP is WELL established. Why are the monitor companies pushing VERY high-end products without this? Isn’t that a bit irresponsible?” Oh well…

]]>