Intel Viiv support: who needs it?

Oh, there's quite a buzz going on about Viiv and the buzz continues to get louder as more info surfaces. There's apparently a "Supports Intel Viiv" logo that we're just starting to see and that begs the question: what will wear this badge o' honor and more importantly, will this be a sticker that you as an HD-project tinkerer actually get? We doubt it; it seems pretty certain that like CableCARD 2.0 certified Vista systems, a Viiv cert will be OEM-based as well.

Is that really a bad thing though? Not that we have a solid understanding of the Viiv platform (does anyone?), but it appears to simply be a way to put consumers at ease when mixing components and hoping that they work. If all of the components are Viiv-able, then your overall system should have no DRM challenges. If you cobble your own boxes together, you're on your own; which you realized when you started your little homebrewed high-def science experiment, right? If our interpretation of Viiv is right, then mainstream consumers should be happy. For the more technically astute, is Viiv really adding anything?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 23rd 2006 11:55AM]

From the way you just described it here, VIIV sounds like a way to PREVENT anyone from building their own media center PC. You would have to go through Dell or HP or one of the big box makers to get a fully VIIV-capable box. Otherwise, all that precious content that the studios and cable companies want to give you just won't play.

It sounds like a method for driving MythTV out of the market. I'm not so sure I like that...