Here’s a quick follow-up to my Ouch! Bitten by DRM post from this morning.
I set up Media Center to record a movie on HBO Pacific at 9:30 MST. The movie in question? Wrongfully Accused, starring Leslie Neilsen, which sounds truly awful – the sacrifices I make in the name of science.
According to the Recorded TV list, Media Center recorded it just fine, but trying to play it back results in the dreaded “Restricted Content” error.
In fact, trying to watch any copy protected HBO content on this Media Center PC results in the same error after only a few seconds of viewing. I just tested using both tuners, and was unable to watch Miss Congeniality 2 on HBO Pacific or Jennifer Eight on HBO2. No great loss content-wise, but the bigger problem is making me very angry, to say the least.
For the most part, I use the DirecTiVo box in the living room to record HBO programming. It still works just fine. These days I mostly use the Media Center PC to record movies on unrestricted cable channels, including Comedy Central, American Movie Classics, and Turner Movie Classics. I assume this problem began occurring sometime on or before January 6, as that’s the first day when content I recorded from HBO turned out to be unwatchable. Last fall, I had no trouble watching HBO programming on this computer, so something has changed, and not for the better.
A post at Aaron Stebner’s blog, “Content protection errors in Update Rollup 2 for Media Center 2005″ offers a clue to the origin of the problem:
I have heard of several folks running into issues playing protected content (such as purchased songs/movies, or HBO television shows) after installing Update Rollup 2 for Media Center 2005. As I described here, Update Rollup 2 installs an updated Digital Rights Management (DRM) redistributable package. We are still investigating reports of content protection problems in order to identify root causes and provide fixes.
Aaron points to a Knowledge Base article, “The Windows Media Digital Rights Management system may not work if your computer hardware changes”, which identifies one possible cause of this problem:
The Microsoft Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) system may not work if you make changes to your computer hardware. You may not be able to play protected content. Protected content includes content such as songs that you have bought and downloaded from an online store.
You may receive the following error messages:
- The license to play the packaged media is invalid.
- C00D277F – Secure storage protection error. Restore your licenses from a previous backup and try again.
This issue occurs because the Windows Media DRM system maintains information based on the hardware configuration of the computer. If certain components are changed, Windows Media DRM may not work because it may view the change as an unauthorized attempt to move protected content to another computer.
This issue may occur if you have made one or more of the following changes to your computer hardware:
- You recently changed hardware components, such as the CPU or the motherboard.
- You modified any one of your computer’s Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) settings that affect hardware components, such as disabling CPU hyper-threading.
- You moved the hard disk drive from one computer to another computer.
Well, that’s not the error I’m getting, but the underlying issue sounds familiar, especially given that I upgraded the hard drive on this machine last fall and used a disk imaging program to copy the contents of the old disk to the new one.
I’ll try resetting Windows Media DRM using the steps in the KB article. I’ll let you know how it works.
Update: Yep, that worked. But it required multiple steps that demanded more expertise than it is reasonable to expect any Windows user to go through. I didn’t bother backing up my licenses to see if my existing content would play back after the restoration. My guess is that it wouldn’t have worked.
For the assistance of others who may run into this problem, here’s the fix, courtesy of Aaron Stebner. Be sure to back up any licenses to protected content first, and then perform the following steps:
- Close Media Center and Windows Media Player.
- Click Start, Run. In the Open box, type cmd and click OK to open a Command Prompt window. At the command prompt, enter the command net stop ehrecvr and press Enter.
- Click Start, Run. In the Open box, type %allusersprofile%\drm and Press Enter.
- In the Windows Explorer window for the DRM folder, choose Tools, Folder Options. Click the View tab and select the Show hidden files and folders option and then clear the Hide protected operating system files option. Click OK to close the Folder Options dialog box.
- Click in the Windows Explorer window for the DRM folder, press Ctrl+A to select all files, and press Delete.
- Optional: Reverse the settings in Step 4.
- Visit the following Web page: http://go.microsoft.com/FWLink?LinkID=34506 and click the button that allows you to upgrade Windows DRM components.
- Restart your computer.
- Optional: Restore any backed-up licenses.
OK, how many consumers, even technically sophisticated ones, will be able to go through all those steps successfully? And even for those who do, there’s no guarantee that this will resolve the problem, as a quick perusal of the comments on Aaron’s post will attest.
DRM sucks.
34 comments ↓
This is terrible.
Hardware-locked DRM is one of the worst concepts yet. In the world of techie DIYers, we’re now locked out of doing what comes naturally to us: frequent upgrades and frankentsteining of under-utilized PCs. The **AA-type organizations have made it very clear that they “do not approve” of us using our computers in the ways we desire. Eventually, it’ll come to the point where we’re only allowed to buy complete systems from a short list of approved manufacturers and opening the box will not only void the warranty but will also be illegal. Yes, that example is a bit extreme, but it’s a conclusion that would more than please those organizations.
But back to today’s reality, with Microsoft and other software vendors quitely slipping in **AA-approved “functionality” that changes how our systems behave without loudly announcing these reduced capabilities, we as users seem to have little to say about it until after the damage is already done; especially with many of these patches being non-uninstallable. Corporations are supposed to operate in the best interests of its shareholders, and as a share holder this is not in my best interest. I wish there was a way we could make this clear to these orgainzations since blogs are ignored and internet/geek-based boycotts are unorganized (at best).
I don’t subscribe to HBO because I get all the movies I need from Netflix, but the true effort behind all of these changes affects everyone. I sincerely hope the direction in which I see us heading is merely paranoia.
[...] Good news for the DIY MCE+HDTV crowd HBO stops working with Media Center [...]
Hey, I just noticed Nero Showtime can play the .wmdvr or whatever files mce makes. Theyre stored in Documents and settings/all users/recorded tv. See if that works.
I know you fixed the problem, but it would be really interesting to know if nero just ignored the DRM stuff (as it seems it does) and played the video.
I like your last comment ed…”drm suck” I also have the same problem you had…I really like mce2005 and find it a real usful tool..but this stuff is driving me crazy to the point that I wonder if its all worth it…I pay for stuff I expect to use it for my and I stress my enjoyment
Hardware-locked DRM is one of the worst concepts yet. In the world of techie DIYers, we’re now locked out of doing what comes naturally to us: frequent upgrades and frankentsteining of under-utilized PCs. The **AA-type organizations have made it very clear that they “do not approve” of us using our computers in the ways we desire. Eventually, it’ll come to the point where we’re only allowed to buy complete systems from a short list of approved manufacturers and opening the box will not only void the warranty but will also be illegal. Yes, that example is a bit extreme, but it’s a conclusion that would more than please those organizations.
Really? You think so? I don’t think you missed the mark by much. Example: the new JVC TVs with HDMI/HDCP have light sensors inside of them so if you open the case the sensor trips and the HDMI port quits working. Not only that, the stupid sensor is way too sensitive, so it trips without opening the case, forcing you to reset it through the service menu.
Of course your average consumer doesn’t know how to do this, so in come the service calls, increasing the cost to all of us.
All because it’s “illegal to open the case of your TV”
*sigh*
I don’t know what the fuss is all about. I ran into DRM on my homebuilt MCE last fall and it was easy to fix. I junked the system and moved to the dreaded cable company DVR. Yes, the motorola box sucks as bad as media center, but at least i can watch Hi-def TV with it.
Maybe someday Microsoft will realize making deals with the devil has its costs. In my case, they lost a living room of a former huge supporter of MCE
This does make you wonder sometimes whether its all worth it. I swear I should just get a COX DVR and be done with MCE. Instead, I love the interface and the technology, I invest time and money (1 MCE, 2 Linksys extenders, 1 Xbox extender, 2 XBox 360 Extenders). I brag about it to friends and then all of a sudden all these damn restricted content errors and I can’t play our local news channel as well as the music I bought from MSN. It sucks. It really sucks. And when you like technology and spend so much time getting it to work right and then something like this happens. Come on! My wife thinks I’m nuts. I’ve pretty much lost her support. First, she didn’t like the way MCE handles rewind and fast forward of TV shows. It’s not like Tivo she says (and it’s true, it’s inferior) but it’s a big thing to her acceptance of MCE. I was winning her over with the other cool stuff that MCE offers and then these absolutely silly “Restricted Content” errors started popping up right after I put a TV in the kitchen with an Extender. Then I’m showing someone how great the music functionality is (It doesn’t need to be iTunes I was saying) and then these stupid “Secure Storage” errors started popping up. I CAN’T PLAY THE MUSIC I BOUGHT!
I’ve also got Macs in the house, but I like MCE a whole lot and want to use it but this is pretty much putting me out of the MCE market and into the “waiting for Front Row improvements” crowd.
Forget it.
Thanks for this post. I upgraded my CPU and ran into this problem trying to play HBO to my XBox 360’s. This really helped me. Thanks a bunch!
It’s going to get a heck of a lot worse before it gets better. Fair use rights are almost dead. We should make a national holiday to remember it by.
Well, I to have been bitten by the MCE DRM virus provided by HBO. One program wipes out most of my library and there’s not a thing I can do about it except start over. MCE seems to be a nice interface, however I can’t wait for the tech-savvy to come up with a few fixes now. It’s only a matter of time.
Luckily I have an easy work around which involves two computers. The first computer with MCE to record scheduled programming. The second with XP Pro and a TV card using Quick TV. If I’m not home to record the program on the XP Pro machine I set up MCE to record the program, I feed the video and audio signals into the XP Pro computer through the S-video input and audio channels and re-record the program on this computer. This accomplishes three things; first it removes all DRM related issues from the source video. Second it saves the file as a .mpg that can easily be edited with Pinnacle Studio 10 or any other editing software. Thirdly it allows me to burn the program to DVD using Nero to watch anywhere in my home or away for that matter.
I can see why the production companies and Microsoft want to limit what can be done with the content of copyrighted material. I’d want the same for the programs I’ve written. Too keep some people from benefiting financially. The only issue I have with this whole issue is the fact that I have paid to watch the program on HBO by way of a subscription to Directv or any other service provider I may choose to use. Therefore as long as I’m not out selling the content to gain financially, I should be able to watch the program on any TV in I have access to.
With MCE and DRM now in a mainstream operating system, it’s only a matter of time until our tech-savvy friends developed a way to switch the copy protection (CGMS-A) flag to off eliminating the need to be creative as in the steps above. Humm!
It a good thing that companies like HBO and Microsoft are allowed to provide these viruses free of charge, just think if it was a high school or collage hacker doing this, the feds would be all over it.
Im not sure if anyone has tried this. I have a Dell Dimension 8400 and experienced the Restricted content issue. I was able to fix it by the following.
1. Closing Media Center
2. Deleting the Hidden DRM folder on the system
3. Rebooting the system
This worked for me to watch HBO again. However my understanding is that this may cause the inability to view any previously recorded content. Since I really didnt have anything I couldnt live without, I opted for this method. I havent yet tried to view any files that I recorded prior to deleting my licences, but dont really care. From this point on I can watch HBO! Yipee! I noticed that some forums state to back up your licences through Media player, but this did not work for me. I received an error when attempting to backup my licenses. I did find this in a dell forum:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=xps_desk_video&message.id=2260&query.id=766425#M2260
Wish I had tried this before I deleted files. Oh well.
Hope ths helps some of you!
-Tobias
Well, I tried the 9 steps in the Aaron Stebner “fix”. Before, I could play some prerecorded HBO content (only on the PC it was recorded on) and now I can’t even play it on the PC it was recorded on. Yes, I backed up and restored all licenses. And I had installed Rollup 2 prior to doing the 9 steps. Does running the update to the DRM components set back the Rollup 2 upgrade to some degree?
I think it just encourages the use of non Microsoft (and Tivo, ReplayTV etc) software and hardware. Strongly encourages use of MythTV (freeware), or SageTV, BeyondTV etc (payware). Where the content is not restricted from viewing elsewhere in your house!
KnoppMyth looks pretty nice as an installer. Of course the hardware is a bit more limited (emuzed hardware out of luck) but major ones like ATI and Hauppage are generally good to go.
Unfortunately I’ve performed the operations mentioned previously and I’ve had no luck getting my previous content to play. I’m going to try and record some new hbo content tonight to see if it plays.
DRM is definitely “teh suck”.
We should not have to put up with this just to record video. I chose to go with Media Center because it came with my pc and I think even a small amount like $10 a month is too much for tivo.
Guess I’ll break out and old VCR tonight as a backup just incase this Media Center garbage fails yet again. Pathetic…
I just got back from holidays to discover my show recorded by mce on hbo has been suddenly restricted. then to top it off, a show i faithfully record on the wb network (one tree hill) and have so weekly for months now, is also showing the same restriction! yet the show recorded right afterwards is just fine. Anyone have any ideas??
Hi Ed et al.
There is a new update out that should fix the DRM issues without the need to clear your existing DRM store. It is available here.
Update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (KB913800)
link
Brief Description
Update to address digital rights management (DRM) protected content failures after installing Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (KB900325).
I also just started up my blog, and among the topics I’ll be blogging about is Media Center. Feel free to link to it if you wish.
Jason Tsang
Microsoft MVP – Windows Media Center
http://jtsang.blogspot.com
I just purchase a Dell w/MCE and the cable company is coming to add internet. I’m having them bring another cable box to hook up to the computer. My intention was to be able to record movies on HBO, Cinemax, Starz, etc and burn them to DVD. First of all, is this going to be possible, and second any suggestions for fixes before everything gets here? Seems to me, if I can record to a VCR I should be able to record to this new technology.
Troy Malone
This DRM BS is a deal breaker to me. For years now, I’ve been singing the praises of the MCE to all of my family and friends. I own a small computer company and one of the strongest movers has been the MCE. Now, I can’t honestly recommend a system is not going to allow a consumer to do the primary function that they paid to get. I recorded the Sopranos because my schedule did not allow me to watch when it was on. Last night, I finally sat down to watch the first episode of this past season and I run into this!
I’ve run the fixes and patches that everyone is talking about and, nothing. I might as well have an XP machine and use a third party app to record TV shows. After all of the trash talk about Sony and the rootkits….
So now that we’ve “moved into the next generation” with DVRs, I’ve got to go out and buy a VCR to see the shows that I want to watch if I’m not going to be in front of a TV. I know that the DVDs will be out soon, but, there is no way in h3ll that I’m paying $100 to watch a show that I already paid HBO to see.
I had high hopes for the Media Center, but, it’s time for me to move on to one of the open source apps just so I can know that the shows that I want to see won’t have any more surprise restrictions…..welcome to Communisim Comrades.
The method described to backup using Windows Media Player doesn’t work with version 11.
From the help file: “This version of the Player does not permit you to back up your media usage rights. However, depending upon where your protected files came from, you might be able to restore your rights over the Internet.”
I have same issues with Windows Media Player 11.
Everyone seems to talk about this but anyone figured this one out ?
Q
Right now it’s a matter of not being able to view a “live” broadcast on American Movie Classics (AMC). Does anyone know if MS has learned their lesson and is planning on eliminating this “feature” from Vista?
Here’s Hoping….
This did not worked at all. I tried all the steps and I still get the message
Just got the restricted content error on my mce2005, in the bedroom mce. 6 mos ago, we got rid of all our cable boxes (2 dvr-hd, 1 plain hd, for 4 media center pc’s. This error happens on two of the pc’s, which are hooked via dvi. Wife just threw the remote to the ground, and went to bed.
Going to see how far media portal has come along, this is ridiculous!!! (btw, it happens on AMC & HBO)
Get a clue, amc/hbo/ms… if no one watches or even subscribes to your channels/software… how will you stay in business?
Yep, Media Player 11 breaks this scenario once again.
Thanks Ed and Aaron Stebner. The steps that were provided resolved the problem I was having, Curiously the Microsoft web page caused a buffer overflow that was halted by McAfee. I had to disable McAfee to run the upgrade. Whatever, I now have a working HBO on my MCE and that is fine with me.
Zar
Ouch, Ed. I was having a ball with it too till I installed Roxio.
Tried to muddle through the CMD and got SYSTEM 5 ERROR ACCESS IS DENIED.
Now I can’t watch THE GRAPES OFWRATH, MY FRIEND FLICKA and other goodies
You knew it before. MS sleeps with the devil, you still buy their products, they steal control of your Media Center, and now you whine?
Pathetic, I say.
Get
I think I would at that point eat one reboot and grab some of my wifes nail polish and permanently fix said problem.
But yeah the root cause sucks.
So how does “copyright” work? HBO doesn’t hold the copyright on “Wrongfully Accused”, Warner Brothers does. What right does HBO have on content that is not it’s own to begin with?
I cleared my DRM folder and it worked. After a while the restricted content screen popped up again. I repeated the same procedure and got it to work again. Do I have to keep doing this?? Anyone else experience this?
help i have 2003 HP media center and i updated from XP to vista premium edition and i have my VHS hooked to it to watch my VHS tapes was able to do this till now . it starts playing then says need license to view, i have done all the updates i could fine , thanks renee
[...] [...]
if people are still having trouble out there try Vista MediaCenter Decoder Utility (http://mediacenterexpert.blogspot.com/2006/07/vista-media-center-decoder-utility.html). It fixed my ‘restricted content’ problem that I’ve had for a while.
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