Highly anticipated next-generation OS "Longhorn" or - after the latest official announcements- "Vista", will feature sophisticated A/V output content protection mechanisms, if not lock down the PC as someone would say, in an effort to comply to entertainment industry demands.
According to Microsoft, the protection of High-definition content is essential in order to offer the user the chance to manage and share digital media content across the traditional PC/CE boundaries. HD displays are now becoming available in the mass market, the content producers do not want to release this content for use on the PC without assurances that it will be protected against unauthorized copying and distribution. The challenge to Microsoft and the hardware community is to meet both of these (sometimes conflicting) needs with a high-quality.