In A Twist, Now DVD Jon Wants To Give You More DRM
from the still-no-friends-in-Hollywood dept
Back in June, we noted that "DVD Jon" Lech Johansen had quit working with Michael Robertson (of MP3.com fame), and had joined a new company to reverse-engineer DRM schemes that companies refused to license. He's not wasted much time in starting at the top, as his new company is already offering Apple's FairPlay DRM technology for companies to license. Apple's famously refused to let anybody else put their DRM'ed content on iPods outside a very small circle -- leading some companies like RealNetworks to try and reverse-engineer FairPlay on their own to make iPods compatible with their music services -- while it also refuses to license the technology to hardware manufacturers so it can control what devices consumers use to play back media it sells. Apple's steadfast refusal to license FairPlay creates a nice little lock-in for the company; but it also limits the usefulness of iPods and media purchased from the iTunes Music Store. For instance, the idea of selling TV shows seems to be working well for Apple, but by limiting the devices on which they can be played back, in particular making it somewhat difficult for people to watch the shows on their televisions, they're limiting their audience. Meanwhile, the value of an iPod gets held down since it can't access any media stores, apart from iTMS, selling content with DRM. The obivous solution is to scrap DRM, since it really doesn't help anyone (not to mention it doesn't really work, either), but that doesn't seem like something that will happen anytime soon. In the meantime, DVD Jon's approach, of making proprietary DRM technologies available for license to all comers, is a reasonable replacement. While it seems slightly ironic that DVD Jon's now working to spread DRM, he still shows a better understanding of how to create useful products than many manufacturers and content providers.
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Or, Apple has to eat shit and let this happen.
Either way, I'll enjoy watching.
First
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maybe i am special
Very simple, very easy.
oh..and drm is stupid.
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PINHEADS! YOU ARE ALL STUPID RACISTS
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DRM stupid, Apple, not so much...
As soon as anyone comes up with an online music store that is half-way compelling compared to iTS, Apple will move quickly to support those features in its own store/device/DRM.
The real DRM culprit is the RIAA. I think that if RIAA dropped their demand for DRM, Apple would drop FairPlay so as to effectively compete with non-DRM music stores on their merits.
DRM or no-DRM, Apple has the best online music retail system, and they know it.
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Re: DRM stupid, Apple, not so much...
I don’t know of any other service that offices all of the major formats and bitrates. (OGG, MP3, AAC [Apples format] and several of the less known). Even Loss-Less... Other than a "pretty" interface, what’s so nice about iTs? I have had many issues with it my self (not that I haven’t with AOM), and had more than one person tell me that the resent update crashed their pc (Windowz)!
But that is all opinion...
Here is my question... If Apples music sales are a loss leader, and they make their money on the iPod (and accessories), why not make it compatible with as many DRMs as possible? I mean the thing has to be updatable, why not take over all of the other stores one by one? Ya know, the only, "CRUSH your competition deal"...
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Exactly a good reason
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... and next, P4S and zune?
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Uh, now. They're increasing sales of iPods.
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Apple wants it all
They have wanted it all from the very beginning.
There is no generic apple like you can get on a PC. Once apon a time there was a company that tried, they came out with what they called "The Peach" Apple promply sued and then ther was one.
Now they want to control the largest selling media player in the US by how, Controlling the DRM for the IPod.
Try and run Apple OS on a PC. NOT, but you can run M$crosoft OS on a MAC.
Hum, What is Steve Jobs really up to, not for the user like Steve Wozniak says but more like the rest of the world, The Big Buck. Other wise the IPod would be reasonably price at a simular price for say, Creative ZEN, or the Phillips GoGear, or others to many to mention.
Just listened to an article NPR'sScience Friday on Steve Wozniak. Did you know they stole the ideal of a GUI from, now don't quote me, I think it was Kodak!! And the way I understood this Steve Wozniak said Apple invented it. Go figure! It's all in the history books.
Have I ranted, gee it feels good. I just hate stupid people and liars.
Have a good day or evening and a better tomorrow
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ipod
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And ya, Apple, Microsoft, they all stole it (and then Apple sued [and lost] Microsoft for coping the idea THEY stole). Actually I think it was Xerox, they where showed something that looked a LOT like a Mac classic on a tour of their basement (or so I have heard).
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Re:
Because then users would not need to use itunes. Seems pretty logical business move to me...
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Then it's Macroshafted's turn to fume.
And we have Apple vs M$ again.
GENIUS.
With them bickering, DRM will soon be seen as a complete utter joke.
I hope he's still trying to do in whatever crap management they put on BRDs and HD-DVDs.
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