In the next version of Windows (code-named Longhorn), a new set of components will help protect video from unauthorized copying as it travels between components in a PC. A simplified overview of this process, known as the Protected Video Path (PVP), is as follows:

When the user attempts to play a piece of protected video, an Input Trust Authority (ITA) module provided by the content owner sends an object containing information about the content’s copy-protection requirements to a component called the Media Interoperability Gateway (MIG), which processes this information so the rest of the PVP components can understand it.

PVP components query the video driver to determine the types of video outputs available and their status. For digital video outputs that support copy protection, such as Digital Video Input (DVI) and High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), the PVP components ensure that copy protection is turned on. For digital outputs that do not support copy protection, such as component video, the PVP components can command the video driver to turn them off. For analog outputs, a PVP component called the Enhanced Video Renderer (EVR) can degrade the quality of the signal-for example, by downsizing it and scaling it back up.

In Windows Vista (formerly code-named Longhorn), a new set of components will help protect video from unauthorized copying. A simplified overview of this process, known as the Protected Video Path (PVP), is as follows:

When the user attempts to play protected video, an Input Trust Authority (ITA) module sends information about the content’s copy-protection requirements to a component called the Media Interoperability Gateway (MIG), which processes this information so the rest of the PVP components can understand it. The MIG is the only component in the protected environment that outside applications will be able to access.

PVP components query the video driver to determine the types of video outputs available and their status. For digital video outputs that support copy protection, such as Digital Video Input (DVI) and High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), the PVP components ensure that copy protection is turned on. For digital outputs that do not support copy protection, such as component video, the PVP components can command the video driver to turn them off. For analog outputs, a PVP component called the Enhanced Video Renderer (EVR) can degrade the quality of the signal-for example, by downsizing it and scaling it back up. This process, known as Protected Video Path-Output Protection Management (PVP-OPM), replaces the similar Certified Output Protection Protocol (COPP) introduced in Windows XP SP2; to provide backward support for COPP, Microsoft will provide an emulator to convert COPP API calls to PVP-OPM instructions.