R u migrating to vista?

[queonda]

I know some of you were trying the beta. But how many of you actually going to get it/gotten it? Microsoft see TONS of buyers the first day <sarcasm>

[thundermax]

"But at another CompUSA store in Raleigh, N.C., only about a dozen people braved frigid late-night temperatures to stake their claim on a copy of Vista."

I used to live in NC, it was NEVER frigid

and no, I do not want the DRM on my PC. I don't think I have the minimum system requirements even if I did want it.

[ClamsTheCat]

I pitched my tent in front of Best Buy in order to be the first to get a copy...no wait those were those lunatics!

I think I will wait until SP1, I get a new PC or until I am forced to get it to use the CableCard tuners with BTV v4.7!

[mrlumpy]

Vista is a trap for DRM. I have posted about this in another message, but as a longtime Windows fan, I actually downgraded from Vista to XP Pro because of all the driver (DRM) problems I had.

In a nutshell, all 64-bit drivers must be signed/approved by MS. This allows them to control how the hardware works, including "virtual devices".

Why should you care, you ask. Like ripping DVDs? Making MP3s? What about recording TV shows? This new driver model threatens (and will ultimately stop) your basic ability to do these things. Right now, all you have to do is press "F8" to bypass driver signing (EACH and EVERY time you reboot - as crazy as that is). But in the near future, driver signing will be mandatory, and your old hardware (even if it cost $300 like my sound card) will be worthless, or severely restricted in what it can do.

[Khris]

I'm running (and have been running) Vista on my main Desktop and work Laptop for awhile now.

I will *NOT* be switching my HTPC to Vista EVER, there's just no point in doing so.

[57ten]

I've been running Vista RC1 32bit with BTV Beta 4.6 for a few weeks now. I have had no problem with drivers, no request for driver signing, and no problems with apps.

[cncb]

Originally Posted by mrlumpy

Vista is a trap for DRM.

You might want to read the link below. I'm not sure what problems you ran into but the DRM in Vista is the same as that in XP.

http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archi...25/519180.aspx

[ClamsTheCat]

Someone will come out with a hack to allow unsigned drivers, and people will find ways around everything else. It happens every time. The more "unhackable" the protection schemes become, the more people want to crack them. The DRM has already been broken according to SlashDot:

http://it.slashdot.org/it/07/01/29/1811201.shtml

Give it time. We will get CableCard and QAM on Vista and it won't be protected. Eventually these companies will realize that we are always eventually going to get our way as the consumer, and spend their money on fruitful things. Like good shows instead of protecting content that is meant for us anyhow.

[cmcquistion]

If you run the 32 bit version of Vista, you don't have to have signed drivers.

I will be upgrading to Vista as soon as Snapstream introduces Cable Card support. ATI is building and shipping these cards, right now.

Check it out:

http://ati.amd.com/products/tvwonderdigital/index.html

Vista's MCE already supports this device. Another company is already shipping Vista PC's with these new ATI Cable Card tuners. If one of Snapstream's competitors introduces support for cable card, before Snapstream, I will jump ship, even though I have a deep investment in Beyond TV, Beyond Media, and several Link licenses.

[mapleleaf]

If SnapStream won’t do anything regarding Beyond Media in near future I will give Vista Ultimate try. I am really getting tired of sh..ty BM with no development in sight. I need good front end for my HTPC and when I see number of new good plug-ins appearing for MCE every day BM makes me sick, I don’t think I will be able to stick with SnapStream for too long…

[mlomker]

Originally Posted by mapleleaf

I need good front end for my HTPC

This is why I have two copies of Home Premium on the way. I'm going to give MCE a whirl...I'm tired of resorting to a keyboard so often due to a variety of BTV/BM integration problems. BM's DVD player bites...

[cmcquistion]

Originally Posted by mapleleaf

If SnapStream won’t do anything regarding Beyond Media in near future I will give Vista Ultimate try. I am really getting tired of sh..ty BM with no development in sight. I need good front end for my HTPC and when I see number of new good plug-ins appearing for MCE every day BM makes me sick, I don’t think I will be able to stick with SnapStream for too long…

I agree, completely. Windows MCE 2005 has got SO MUCH DEVELOPMENT and cool addons, while BM is sitting around getting no development, at all. The only thing that I absolutely love about BM is the DVD Library plugin and MCE has a better plugin for this.

I like the BTV interface and if I could integrate BTV with MCE2005 (or Vista) for other apps, like DVD, Music, etc, then I would love to switch.

[queonda]

I found this link in ehomeupgrade talking about upgrades: http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/35...clean_installs

I heard also if you have a XP 32bit, you can only upgrade to 32bit vista.

[mapleleaf]

I would have to install 32-bit anyway, I just have a regular P4 (775). Also, 64-bit drivers are major pain in behind these days still. I had a hard time to make my Hauppauge 250s + 150 drivers play nicely together on one machine in XP. Who knows how is Hauppauge’s support going to be for Vista 64-bit.

[mrlumpy]

Originally Posted by cncb

You might want to read the link below. I'm not sure what problems you ran into but the DRM in Vista is the same as that in XP.

Hi.

The are substantive differences between XP and Vista as far as DRM is concerned.

Kernel access to drivers has been basically removed in Vista. That was not at all the case in XP. The reason amazing programs like ASIO don't work in Vista now is because the raw data that is needed (individual audio streams in this case) is no longer available - it is "protected" from access.

Why should you care?

By denying a driver access to the kernel it removes your ability to do basic things, like 3D stereo in your favorite game (which is why EAX had to be re-written from scratch). I'm going to go on a bit, because I'm not sure the import of this is clear to everyone:

A lot of the programs people use to back up MP3s, DVDs and the like use these "drivers" that I've mentioned. In XP, the drivers would access the raw data needed and produce your disc copy without difficulty. It does not work like that in Vista - the drivers must be digitally signed by Microsoft - and if a rouge driver to copy HD-DVD or BluRay comes out, Microsoft can simply disable it (called "revocation").

(32-bit Vista does not currently have the driver signing flag turned on...at least in this version. The 64-bit flag is already set, though. All MS is doing is waiting for the old 32-bit machines to die).

What Microsoft has done is TIE the driver model to the DRM model. It is as ingenious as it is treachery.