I recently received an e-mail advicing me to activate the beta at my earliest convenience, or I'd experience 'reduced functionality'. Uh, aren't beta-versions already of 'reduced functionality'? Or what, will I be limited to 800x600 desktop-resolution? (Pff! I use Linux for that!)When Vista was in its infancy, I heard some spook-stories about how HD-content was managed - to avoid piracy, specifically. Such as "tilt-bits" in the video-card drivers (too many tilts, and the card's rejected by the OS, or something - or maybe just hard-limited to non-HD, don't remember that far back), real-time integrity-checks, HD-audio being downmixed without notice, whatever. Has that been carried over into Win7? Was it real to begin with?

As far as i am aware without activating the beta, once it hits 30 days you wont be able to use it. But i might be wrong there.

Hm... No comment on the spook-stories. I suppose I'll just have to keep Linux around, or get a PS3...

Microsoft never sends email advising one to activate. The email message you received is obviously bogus! Carey Frisch

"Obviously"? It's a damn good forgery, in that case! :) And, well, it didn't tell me to activate NOW NOW NOW, it simply reminded me that I have to activate within 30 days, or experience 'limited functionality'. (I thought that was darkly hilarious, since this is a PUBLIC BETA, sheesh! As if I'd ever get full milage out of this anyway...) That, however, was just an aside. I was more curious about the HD-content-management vs. copy protection that I heard so much about regarding Vista.

Both Windows Vista and Windows 7 require production activation within 30 days of installation. So do beta versions. Carey Frisch

... Look, just read my original post with some humour, ok? I merely found that formulation with regards to an already limited OS-revision amusing. What I'm interested in is in the second paragraph.

The "spook stories" are just that - spook stories. From my understanding of Vista (and 7), the DRM baked into Windows is designed to allow Windows to display HD DVD (and BluRay) material by way of HDMI output. Now then, there have been a number of conspiracy theorists out there - one Peter Guttman, I believe the turkey's name was - who came up with all manner of ludicrous theories about DRM and how it bogs Windows down. Mind you, this fool NEVER bothered to install Vista (nor the beta) onto a computer and test things out for himself. His "work" has since long been discredited as FUD and pure bovine manure. His stuff may have held up back in the day - if the computer being used was a boat anchor worthy 386 DX 16. His "calclulations" never took into account that the averge speed of most modern computers was in the 2000 MHz range, not 16 MHz. I'm fairly certain that Windows 7 has the same HD capabilities as Vista. It's a feature that I'm fairly certain Microsoft isn't planning on removing from 7. It's a distinct feature that other OS's do not have and don't plan to implement (Apple: BluRay? Feh!) or have no means to easily implement (Linux).

I see. That settles that. If the beta is to my liking, I guess MS might get that much richer.