Microsoft, as you might imagine, intends to support HD DVD and video on all its current operating systems, especially the upcoming Windows Vista. To this end, the company is building support for HDCP into the operating system as part of its suite of DRM (Digital Rights Management) abilities called Output Content Protection Management (OCPM).

This fact has caused an outcry in the media and the computing community, since HDCP-enabled monitors will apparently be required to view High-Definition DVDs and other encoded content. This outcry is not necessarily justified, missing the facts that a) there's no guaranteeing that HDCP is going to take off as a standard for high-definition copy protection, and b) if it does, it's not just going to be Microsoft boxes that require HDCP monitors and TVs for full HD-DVD playback, it's going to be every new DVD player and cable/satellite receiver.