Microsoft announces deprecating old DRM services! Win7/8 will not be able to play copyrighted content

Microsoft has announced that it will end support for legacy digital rights management (DRM) services, a decision that will directly affect users of Windows 7 and 8 operating systems.

With this change, Windows Media Player and Silverlight clients on these operating systems will no longer be able to play DRM-protected content.

Microsoft states on its website that the end of support for older DRM services will result in playback restrictions.

Specifically, Windows Media Player on Windows 7 will not be able to play any DRM copyrighted content, while Silverlight and Windows 8 clients will face similar playback restrictions.

Also, streaming content to Xbox 360 using Silverlight or Windows 8 will no longer be supported.

For already purchased media content, users will have to find other DRM-enabled players to play, as WMP will not be able to verify the DRM and thus play the content.

Microsoft recommends that users upgrade to a newer version of the Windows operating system, such as Windows 10 or 11, to avoid being affected by these playback restrictions.