Windows Media Player and Silverlight Are Losing Legacy DRM Services on Windows 7 and 8 (tomshardware.com)
- Reference: 0175021761
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/09/18/064220/windows-media-player-and-silverlight-are-losing-legacy-drm-services-on-windows-7-and-8
- Source link: https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-media-player-and-silverlight-are-losing-legacy-drm-services-on-windows-7-and-8
> Per a recent update to Microsoft's Deprecated Windows features page, Legacy DRM services utilized by Windows Media Player and Silverlight clients for Windows 7 and Windows 8 are [1]now deprecated . This will prevent the streaming or playback of DRM-protected content in those applications on those operating systems. It also includes playing content from personal CD rips and streaming from a Silverlight or Windows 8 client to an Xbox 360 if you were still doing that.
>
> For those unfamiliar, "DRM" refers to Digital Rights Management. Basically, DRM tech ensures that you aren't stealing or playing back pirated content. Of course, piracy still exists, but these days, most officially distributed movies, TV shows, games, etc., all involve some form of DRM unless explicitly advertised as DRM-free. DRM does seem like harmless piracy prevention on paper. Still, it hasn't been all that effective at eliminating piracy -- and where it is implemented, it mainly punishes or inconveniences paying customers. It is an excellent example of DRM's folly. Now, anyone who had previously opted into Microsoft's legitimate media streaming ecosystem with Windows 7 and 8 is being penalized for buying media legitimately since it will no longer work without them being forced to pivot to other streaming solutions.
[1] https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-media-player-and-silverlight-are-losing-legacy-drm-services-on-windows-7-and-8
Digital Restrictions Management (Score:3, Insightful)
Tomshardware is correct. DRM hurts the lawful paying users while the "pirates" work around it.
It's a shame Microsoft is pulling support for what works for their legacy users. But hey, gotta sell
more Windows 11 licenses somehow.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm still on Windows 7. I'm now seriously contemplating upgrading. It will probably be Linux.
Re: (Score:2)
I eagerly await the stock market's reaction to you're leaving Windows 7 to go to the latest version of a 50 year old OS - I suspect the impact will be tremendous...
Re: (Score:2)
Close put no cigar, toy where off by about a decade windows was lanced on comdex in 1983 but 1.0 did not released until November 20, 1985
Re: (Score:2)
I am sure Microsoft is pleased with your pandering of their privacy-raping version of their OS.
Do not mind the mark on your neck from the collar of serfdom.
Re: (Score:2)
It's not polite, man. Linux is barely 33 years old.
Re: Digital Restrictions Management (Score:2)
The most used operating systems have a design that's about 30 to 50 years old.
Re: (Score:2)
Uh, you do know if you have a valid OEM/Retail Win 7 or Win 8/8.1 you have a free upgrade path to Win 11.
No real profit in "free", and if you aren't running a valid OEM/Retail Win 7 or 8/8.1, you aren't really a customer of Microsoft's, so their interest in going out of their way to support you running long-deprecated without paying them any money.
Re: (Score:3)
Uh, you do know if you have a valid OEM/Retail Win 7 or Win 8/8.1 you have a free upgrade path to Win 11
A machine running Windows 7 or 8 is almost certainly not going to meet the Windows 11 requirements. I thought the free upgrades to Windows 10 were stopped last year, as reported e.g. [1]here. [zdnet.com]
[1] https://www.zdnet.com/article/can-you-still-get-a-windows-10-upgrade-for-free/
Re: (Score:2)
It might work if you disable TPM support. Look for instructions to install Win 11 in Boot Camp, for example (Macs don't have the necessary TPM hardware).
Re: (Score:2)
Does that 'upgrade path' allow them to play the DRM files they are currently enjoying under Win 7? BTW, that is a real question, not flame bait. I have always avoid DRM media for concerns about such things, but genuinely wonder if these users can bring their DRM media along with moving to a new OS or are they screwed?
DRM meant Digital Restrictions Management (Score:3)
Originally, DRM stood for Digital Restrictions Management, but because it basically was too honest, they changed R stand for "rights" instead. DRM has never given anyone any rights, it has only ever taken them away. But people are much happier when they think they are getting rights instead of restrictions.
Re: (Score:2)
Digital rights minimization, because it takes away your freedom.
Re: (Score:2)
I think the rights referred to are that of the copyright holder (to continue making money off of the IP that they bought.)
Both people affected by this are furious (Score:2)
Seriously though who was using this in this way? Silverlight has been dead since the Windows 7 days, and I don't know of anyone who was ripping personal CDs and applying DRM to them using Windows Media Player (I didn't know you could even do that). About 1 year after this was released Apple announced the end of DRM on music so the tides shifted really really early.
Who is affected by this?
Re: (Score:2)
Silverlight was used for streaming and has long be superseded by other streaming formats like MPEG-DASH and HLS. Was it ever used for local offline content?
It's about time to upgrade, isn't it? (Score:2)
Windows 7 went End-of-Life in January, 2020, and Windows 8/8.1 in 2018 - its about time to upgrade, isn't it?
Context (Score:2)
Baked into DRM is the implicit guarantee that some day the platform you are using will no longer be viable. In this case your particular player will stop working, but your library is still yours. When you find yourself on a supported platform, it'll be there. This was coming. It took a long time to get here. Windows 7 is almost a decade past original EOL after all.
Now when a service not only turns off tech but effectively torches libraries, that's different. And that's coming too. Already happened... Funi
Re: Context (Score:2)
or learn to screen record. Fukem
DRM is fine if (Score:2)
DRM is fine if you make clear to consumers they are not buying the content, but only renting it for an undefined period of time. The real problem is no effort is made to make the distinction clear to consumers, who always feel shafted down the line when they discover they don't own what they paid for.
But... but... (Score:3)
I thought it playsforsure?