For about a year now, some Microsoft Media Center Edition users have complained of the inability to play back certain shows recorded from cable channels like AMC and HBO. This error comes up on their screen when they try it:
"Restricted Content: Restrictions set by the broadcaster and/or originator of the content prohibit playback of the program on this computer."
According to the folks over at Slashdot, the problem doesn't seem to be going away. It's very frustrating for those who've paid for both the cable content and for Media Center.
Here's why it's happening. Some cable networks (like HBO) wrap some of their shows with a layer of digital rights management (DRM) software called Copy Generation Management System for Analog (CGMS-A). They do this to make sure that the cable subscriber can make only one copy of the content, digital or analog.
Shows wrapped in CGMS-A play and record just fine on regular cable set-top boxes with DVR. But if the cable runs into a tuner in back of a PC running Media Center, the analog signal moves into a digital domain, and that's when problems arise.
A Microsoft spokeswoman acknowledged the problem, explaining that it stemmed from the CGMS-A DRM used by HBO and others.
The Microsoft Support Knowledge Base says the problem exists in Windows XP Media Center Extender software for devices like the Xbox which bridge the Media Center PC to the television set.
Microsoft says the problem can be fixed with this update for Windows XP Media Center Extender, which contains playback support for content that is protected by CGMS-A.
Do you have Microsoft Media Center Edition? Have you encountered this problem?
