Microsoft Vista means you need new monitors

EVERYTIME Microsoft releases a new version of its operating system, someone points out that it will involve the wholesale scrapping of existing hardware.

Going through the specs of Vista it looks like you will not only probably need a new PC, but it will be time to splash out on a new monitor too.

According to a US tech consultant Stephen Speicher, Vista will make protected digital content all fuzzy unless it is viewed on high bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) compatible monitor.

He said that the number of people whose display is equipped with HDCP are so rare that it would take a special distributed screen saver to find them.

The missing technology is Protected Video Path - Output Protection Management and while it is a de facto standard for display copy-protection in televisions, so far it has not made much of an impact in the computer display market.

Amongst those that will not have it are the people who spent shedloads impressing their friends with their new Dell UltraSharp super sexy 2405FPW widescreen display.

You can read all about current Volish thinking on the standard here, while Speicher's interview with the Sydney Morning Herald can be found here. µ

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