Printed from www.pcpro.co.uk
Microsoft bulks up Windows with Blu-ray support
Posted on 18 Aug 2008 at 10:26
Microsoft is to build native Blu-ray support into Windows, as part of a new feature pack.
The feature pack is currently in beta testing, and allows Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008 users the option of burning Blu-ray discs from the operating system without needing to install a third party application.
Alongside, Blu-ray support the feature pack also introduces the ability to lockdown portable devices such as USB flash drives with a certificate or password, and new smartcard driver support
The feature pack makes Microsoft the first of the major operating system manufacturers to build in Blu-ray support, with Linux and Mac OS X, still dependent on third party tools. The move may surprise some, as Microsoft heavily backed rival HD DVD during the format war.
Microsoft's previous feature pack improved wireless support in Vista, introducing support for Bluetooth 2.1.
Author: Stuart Turton
advertisement
- Motorola pays Lucas for its Droid
- Where are the killer apps for Windows?
- Will you hit the Orange iPhone "unlimited" cap?
- USB 3 first benchmark - it's here, and it's fast
- Why Windows 7 has forced me to worry about security
- How Dixons is (under)selling Windows 7
- Do I like Windows 7 because it's so like a Mac?
- No Windows 7 drivers turn Dell M1330 into a doorstop
- Is Windows 7 good looking enough to sway an Apple fan?
- Typekit brings print-like typography to the web
- The bulletproof Dell that costs an arm and a leg
- Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview: Q&A
- Lawnmowers, the TyTN II and one odd insurance request
- There'll never be a bulletproof OS
- How far can we trust apps?
- Five nice touches in Outlook 2010
- Building a better Google
- Beware HP's horrendous printer-driver glitch
- Microsoft debuts free Morro antivirus package
- Getting started with Search Server 2008 Express
advertisement
