32-bit Vista support for Blu-ray, HD DVD still unclear

Stan Beer
Friday, 25 August 2006 15:48

Opinion and Analysis

After a Microsoft senior manager let slip at a Sydney developer's conference that only 64-bit versions of Windows Vista will be able to play high-definition videos on Blu-ray or HD DVD, Microsoft rushed to clarify his statements. However, the clarification, which states that the senior manager was wrong, leaves unanswered questions.

The statement made by senior program manager Steve Riley at Tech.Ed 2006 basically said that high definition video playback requires Microsoft-approved signed drivers, which are mandatory in 64-bit Vista but not in 32-bit Vista.

According to Microsoft, however, Riley was wrong and the decision to allow high definition play back on 32-bit Vista lays with third party software vendors who decide whether content will play on a particular platform.

The bottom line, however, appears to be that commercial studios will not allow their movies and other video content to play on 32-bit Vista in order to ensure that content protection is enforced. On 32-bit Vista, with unsigned drivers, there is no way way to enforce content protection.

The majority of PCs are still powered by 32-bit processors. Intel has just released the 64-bit Core 2 Duo processor in the past month.

So if commercial studios will not allow high definition movies to run on 32-bit Vista, which will be running on the majority of PCs with 32-bit processors for the next year or two, what other high definition content on Vista will there be to watch?