Microsoft: It’s Not The Broadcast Flag, It’s A Different Flag

May 29, 2008

After certain NBC TV shows wouldn’t record on Microsoft’s Vista Media Center a few weeks ago, Microsoft admitted that Media Center includes broadcast flag technology, while NBC Universal admitted that it accidentally set the flag. However, now Microsoft is trying to clarify, claiming that it’s not actually the broadcast flag that it included, but an entirely different flag, called CGMS-A. NBC Universal concurs, saying that the mistake it made was in setting the CGMS-A flag. Of course… the real question is why does this matter at all? If the impact is identical (Microsoft willing to let TV networks declare a show un-recordable), then what does it matter which annoying copy protection scheme is used?

[From Microsoft: It's Not The Broadcast Flag, It's A Different Flag]