[IP] Intel quietly embeds DRM in it's 945 chips firmware
Begin forwarded message:
From: EEkid@xxxxxxx
Date: May 30, 2005 7:58:19 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: (w/link) Intel quietly embeds DRM in it's 945 chips firmware
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/11878
Intel quietly embeds DRM in it's 945 chips firmware
Posted by Dan Bell on 29 May 2005 - 01:07 - Source: DigitMag
According to this article over at Digit Online Magazine, we finally
are seeing the copyright holders protection hit at the hardware
level. Intel is now embedding digital rights management in the new
dual-core processor Pentium D and the 945 chipset found in the
motherboard. Furthermore it's enabled and works along side Microsofts
DRM model, unfortunately no ones tallking much about it. The new
system can theoretically give content holders the option of denying
copying and re-distribution of their products, so this is
understandable from a marketing standpoint.
Even though Intel was able to avoid mentioning the new DRM scheme at
the Australian launch on the 26th, Australian technical manager for
Intel, Graham Tucker, publicly let it slip that Microsoft-flavored
DRM technology will be a "feature" of Pentium D and 945. We have to
wonder how this will affect the use of recordable drives and the
accompanying softwares out there. Luckily, at first it probably wont
if we can believe this quote.
"[The] 945g [chipset] supports DRM, it helps implement Microsoft's
DRM ... but it supports DRM looking forward," Tucker said, adding the
DRM technology would not be able to be applied retrospectively to
media or files that did not interoperate with the new technology.
However, Tucker ducked questions regarding technical details of how
embedded DRM would work saying it was not in the interests of his
company to spell out how the technology in the interests of security.
So if I read this correctly, the DRM will not affect what is out in
the field now, and is more for use in the future. The details were
carefully left out though on specifically how the new hardware will
perform it's DRM duties for "security reasons" and I suppose we will
need to keep listening for more information. Meantime, it sure makes
it easy to resist taking the plunge for a new Pentium D! I wonder if
they will drop the old Intel inside logo, as it could frighten off
some and send them scurrying over to AMD. Hopefully, the DRM features
will be able to be turned off in the BIOS but it's hard to know from
reading this story.
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