Microsoft cuts another Vista feature

By Island Dog Posted August 24, 2006 12:55:46External Link

How surprising.

"Microsoft revealed today that no 32-bit versions of Windows Vista will be able to play back "next generation high definition protected content" (translation – studio-released BluRay and HD-DVD movies).

By far the majority of PCs use 32-bit processors, because despite AMD’s efforts to push 64-bit CPUs into the marketplace early, Intel’s first widely-promoted 64-bit CPU is the just-released Core 2 Duo.

PC users will now have to choose between a PC that can play high definition content (64 bit) versus one that can potentially run older devices that only have unsigned drivers available (32 bit)."

+31 Karma 4 Replies 4 Referrals

Thanks to zubaz for pointing this article out for me.

"We should point the finger at the studios and not Microsoft."

I have to agree with this commment in the article.

The greed of the movie industry is extreme to say the least, and they obviously have placed some measure of pressure on Microsoft.

I certainly think Microsoft is creating issues each month with some sort of compromise, resulting in questionable reasons to immediately upgrade to Vista. The security reasons in the 32-bit platform would not - IMHO - be enough to prevent Microsoft from allowing the playing of next generation commercial DVD's.

While I am not about to abandon the Windows operating system and PC platform over some movies, I can say that upgrading my current notebook running XP Pro (customized with the ever-more precious Object Desktop suite) is not a realistic investment.

The new desktop PC currently under construction based on the Intel E6600 processor would be a viable candidate assuming Vista is reasonably priced at release. I would venture to say that a $400 price tag is not a good deal. We shall see.

Correction.

"Microsoft surprised more than a few people on Thursday when one of its developers told a technical crowd in Australia that 32-bit versions of Windows Vista won't be able to play back next-generation high-definition protected content, i.e. commercial Blu-ray and HD DVD discs.

Later Thursday, representatives in the U.S. said that senior program manager Steve Riley was mistaken.

"The information he provided to that audience was incorrect," a representative told CNET News.com. "Playback is possible with Windows Vista in 32-bit."

The decision of whether to offer that support, the representative said, won't be made by Microsoft but rather by the third-party software makers that create DVD playback software, folks like CyberLink and InterVideo. "

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Thanks for the update, although I still don't think I will be buying Vista for some time.