A Copyright Cop In Every Zune 454
Mike writes "As if the Zune wasn't already crippled and unpopular enough, now comes a story indicating that Microsoft may build a 'Copyright Cop' into every Zune. A future update of the software for Microsoft's portable media player will likely include a 'feature' that will block unauthorized copies of copyrighted videos from being played on it. The president of digital distribution for NBC, J. B. Perrette, said the plan is to create 'filtering technology that allows for playback of legitimately purchased content versus non-legitimately purchased content.' Of course there's no way to tell legitimate content that you create from 'non-legitimate' content, so this looks like just another nail in the coffin of the Zune." Update: 05/08 20:50 GMT by T : From Microsoft employee Cesar Menendez comes this categorical denial of any such filtering mechanism.
Re:PlaysForSure (Score:1, Informative)
Re:So no more ripping FLV vids from YouTube? (Score:4, Informative)
My guess is they'll troll through YouTube and BitTorrent looking for copyrighted stuff, taking a hash of it, and comparing stuff you download against the list of copyrighted hashes.
Of course, the obvious next answer will be a format-ripping program that performs some random permutations to the media, preventing any two copies from having the same signature...
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Too Bad (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Apple DRM is irrrelevent (Score:5, Informative)
This isn't quite true. Most music on iTunes is lower quality than a CD and in a different format. Burning it to CD results in a slightly lower quality yet and significantly lower than a purchased CD. Ripping it to a new format will depend upon what quality you normally rip content at, but it will be less than what is available on a purchased CD and worse than a purchased iTunes song.
That said, the quality may be acceptable, and in fact I don't have a problem with the audio quality of songs ripped in this way. I'd further argue that the way most CDs are mastered these days results in a much bigger hit to actual audio quality than anything Apple is doing.
This is just untrue. Apple not including DRM does not give them any real legal liability, even for contributory copyright infringement. Apple included DRM to get buy in from the RIAA. Without that buy in, the iPod would have had a much slower uptake and been less popular. They needed a way to buy and load mainstream music easier than going to the store and for that, they needed the cooperation of the RIAA... hence DRM. Fair use has basically nothing to do with Apple themselves.
This is true for audio, and Apple has been pushing hard to get rid of it, both for ease of use reasons to sell more iPods and because it is a potential antitrust issue.
Re:They exist. (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Apple DRM is irrrelevent (Score:4, Informative)
Re:So no more ripping FLV vids from YouTube? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:The New York Times says not to buy a Zune. (Score:5, Informative)
Seriously, is there some sort of reality distortion field problem here where someone with seven or eight accounts that humps all over Slashdot shilling his own posts can happily get away with it, no repercussions? Screw the controls that this website has in place to prevent things like these, along with crapflooders, GNAA trolls and erotic stories about CmdrTaco and CowboyNeal?
There is a reason why his first two accounts are in negative karma hell, but he doesn't understand that people mod him down, not his opinions. As if criticizing Microsoft on Slashdot was reason to be modded down? People are tired of him, but he just blames everything on Microsoft [slashdot.org], claims that anyone who disagrees with him "hates" him, and then proceeds to create seven or eight accounts, and reply to himself so that moderators think "wow, this gnutoo/inTheLoo/Erris/westbake/willeyhill/twitter/Mactrope fellow sure has a lot of friends who agree with him" and play the karma game to his full satisfaction.
Aside from my personal dislike of his "evangelism" style that does more harm than good to free software, that should not be allowed. I don't reply to myself pretending I'm someone else to see if I get modded up, I say what I think and I'm responsible for it. Within the community that is Slashdot, that means you are moderated up or down and deal with the consequences of that. The next time you find yourself getting stacked upon on a discussion thread by three people who sound exactly the same you'll see what the problem is with sockpuppets.
Anyway, it's just the internet, and some people take all this too seriously (probably including myself sometimes) but even here there are rules and an etiquette that people follow or things go the way of Kuro5hin and Digg.
(And now I'm sure he'll use one of those sockpuppets to mod me down like he's been doing the past few weeks with his gnutoo and inTheLoo accounts, which are the only ones that are not posting at zero or less for obvious trolling.)
Re:So no more ripping FLV vids from YouTube? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Apple DRM is irrrelevent (Score:3, Informative)
Apple DRMs iTunes because their contracts with the labels require it. Few of the major labels were open to selling their music digitally without DRM when iTunes launched 5 years ago. The labels only recently started coming around -- DRM free media became available on iTunes just a little over a year ago; Amazon's DRM-free MP3 store opened a little over 6 months ago.
Now that iTunes has proven itself, and the concept of commercially successful digital distribution, by becoming the nation's #1 music retailer, they've got some negotiating power. That wasn't the case in 2003.
Re:Nothing new there (Score:3, Informative)
U.S. Top Selling Computer Hardware for January 2007 [bloomberg.com]
Scroll down to the MP3 section. SanDisk only has 8.9%, but Zune is at 3.2% and the iPod is at 72.7%.
Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)
Umm, no? (Score:1, Informative)
http://zuneinsider.com/archive/2008/05/07/just-so-no-one-gets-the-wrong-idea.aspx
it might make you a bit happier.
At least microsoft arent complete assholes
(BTW, for you guys to lazy to go to the link, its basically microsoft saying it isnt gonna happen.
Re:Nothing new there (Score:5, Informative)
Re:So no more ripping FLV vids from YouTube? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:The 'Uncool' of Microsoft (Score:3, Informative)
Re:They exist. (Score:3, Informative)
Or you can not install Rockbox and still do the same thing.
Re:Nothing new there (Score:2, Informative)
Reasons why I like it (Score:3, Informative)
I love my iPod, and although I acknowledge that I think it's "cooler" than other players, that's not the main reason.
I should acknowledge that I got mine for free by winning a musical contest, so cost wasn't a factor. I had been listening to mp3s in WinAmp at home for years, and burning mp3 CDs to listen to in the car, so I was pumped.
But what really got me excited was when I installed iTunes. Yes, it's bloated and slow, but it scratched a major itch for me: a way to organize my music collection. I had cases full of CDs that I had started to get tired of alphabetizing. iTunes made my collection easy to organize, easy to sort into playlists, and let me see the lovely cover art. I know, who cares, right? But I like my music collection. I like to see it as well as hear it.
Syncing is easy, ripping is easy, etc etc. DRM isn't a problem because I pretty much only buy CDs, and if I buy more music online I will make sure it's DRM-free (maybe via Amazon).
Now for this "style" factor you disdain so much. My wife had a Sandisk mp3 player that was ugly, needed batteries (which means that the battery door can get knocked open), had a terrible and confusing user interface, and needed to be put into an armband to strap on for a workout. After it died (my fault (sarcastic) for formatting it, because I couldn't find any other way to delete some music off it), I got her an iPod Shuffle, which is easy to use, smaller, has no battery compartment, and has a built-in clip. For working out, it's perfect.
My Nano has a great UI and is a pleasure to use. The whole experience, from ripping a CD to selecting songs on the device, is a pleasure. How is that irrelevant?
There may be other good products on the market, but frankly it's easier to buy something I know will be well-designed than try my luck on another product.
What would make me switch? Well, maybe if something else became popular. Am I a sheep? Nope. I call that "not volunteering to be a beta tester."