Microsoft Media Player shreds your rights
THINK DRM WAS bad already? Think I was joking when I said the plan was to start with barely tolerable incursions on your rights, then turn the thumbscrews? Welcome to Windows Media Player 11, and the rights get chipped away a lot more. Get used to the feeling, if you buy DRM infected media, you will only have this happen with increasing rapidity.
One of the problems with WiMP11 is licensing and backing it up. If you buy media with DRM infections, you can’t move the files from PC to PC, or at least you can’t and have them play on the new box. If you want the grand privilege of moving that content, you need to get the approval of the content mafia, sign your life away, and use the tools they give you.
“Windows Media Player 11 does not permit you to back up your media usage rights (previously known as licenses)”,
Then when you go down on the page a bit, it goes on to show that it guts Tivo capabilities. After three days, it kills your recordings for you, how thoughtful of them. Going away for a week? Tough, your rights are inconvenient to their profits, so they have to go.
NOW I know why they are going to Vista.
To cut out all those nice persons that have created freeware and shareware programs that Play all this media material.
WHAT a great reason to update..
90% more security, and 10% more pretty windows….
I love the name Vista, at my last job at CMU I was working on a research program and it was called Vista (this program was going since 2002 long before MS used the name Vista) and we use Vista to stand in for the terms, VISitation of Threats and Attacks, it was an attempt to predict what would happen in an urban combat setting see http://www.casos.cs.cmu.edu/projects/vista/index.html so as you can image when ever I hear the term windows vista it gives me a good laugh.
Fine. Microsoft is evil. Nothing new.
What I can’t understand is why people buy crap with DRM? Call me old fashioned, but I have never bought anything with DRM. Yeah, yeah, I know that down the road all content will have DRM. But if nobody ever buys it or watches it, hollywood will loose gobs of money, right? The only reason DRM works is because people tolerate it. Perhaps it’s the same people that spend money buying ringtones and purchasing video ipods. I just don’t get it.
This is not news (well not really).. the solution is simple DO NOT BUY THEIR CRAP!! Period. No sales, means no revenue… if thats what it takes to make them stop this garbage, so be it.
I’m using WMP 11 as a media player, and I’ve really liked it. The problem has nothing to do with WMP, it has to do with DRM. All of my music is stored the way it should be: as MP3’s.
Now, my question is what WMP11 has to do with TiVo, and why it should even interact with TiVo content?
#5 I think he wasn’t refering to Tivo itself, but to the DVR feature of M$ medial edition that works like a Tivo.
I agree M$ is evil. I refuse to buy anything from them or use any of their software. And not all DRM is bad, Apple’s for instance, lets you play your purchased files on 5 computers and move them around at will. I’m all for paying the owner, but what M$ is doing has nothing to do with piracy, nothing to do with free stuff and everthing to do with paying for the same content over and over and over again. I can’t wait to see how many morons buy the Zune, only to realize what they really bought.
…And not all DRM is bad…
Wrong, all DRM is bad.
“…the solution is simple DO NOT BUY THEIR CRAP!!”
And I won’t if it is labeled as such. Problem is there may not be any notification on the packaging about the DRM. I bought a music cd once that plays fine on my stereo system, but will not play on my pc. Instead, the cd launches my web browser and goes to the artist’s home page! That’s the last cd I will buy by that artist.
Well, I am sure that in less than a month a hacked version of WMP11 will be floating around that will allow you to play ANY DRM content,
Just remember what happened to WMP9 *grin*
Microsoft is their own worst enemy. That is why I am catching the next train to Linuxville. I will bringing my friends and family along as well since I do tech support for them.
1. DRM wont work on your DVD player, only on computers.
IF its designed ONLY to work on the computer….SUCK.
2. Do you understand that about 1/2+ of the price is from Corps building DRM security, or just the USE of security to stop persons from copying the music, movie, anything???
If they would DROP all the security, and the COST of it…MOSt of these prices would be almost CHEAP.
Say NO to DRM – use Ubuntu and Ogg-Vorbis. Or just stick with WIndows 2000 and WinAmp or . No wait, 2000 has that damned corruption issue with compressed files. Use WinME or 98. Not supported anymore? Ahhh, Screw it all – I’m going back to my Reel-to-Reel!! Anybody know where I can get the heads re-lapped?
…Problem is there may not be any notification on the packaging about the DRM. I bought a music cd once that plays fine on my stereo system, but will not play on my pc.
Simple. The last time that happened to me, actually my daughter, I took the CD back to the store. I got the argument that it wasn’t supposed to play on a computer to which I said “Ok, show me where it says so on the cover”. I also often use the (ahem) comment about how Small Claims Court is set up to settle these problems and how the loser pays AND any corporation must be represented by a lawyer.
3 But if nobody ever buys it or watches it, hollywood will loose gobs of money, right?
I wish.
If nobody shopped at Walmart…
If nobody shopped at Starbucks…
Face it. We’re screwed. 🙂
#14,
I thought about doing that . Unfortunately, by the time I tried to play the cd on the pc I had tossed out the store receipt. 🙁
I’m a Mac, and I don’t have to deal with this shit.
Exactly, James Hill. Apple’s DRM is so liberal a user can do just about anything he wants with it. That includes using FairPlay DRMed content on multiple computers and iPods. These guys’ gripe is really with Microsoft’s implementation of DRM, not DRM per se. (We won’t even talk about Sony’s even more strict implementation.)
As a one-off on what Mike’s saying, M$ has announced forthcoming 1080p support over component on the X-Box 360 for their piggyback HD-DVD player. That should be a clear sign of how unimportant DRM is becoming for that camp.
http://www.ubuntu.com/
21 That should be a clear sign of how unimportant DRM is becoming for that camp.
Interesting.
M$ doesn’t control any movie studios, so if any HD-DVD movies ever do have HDCP turned on, M$ can honestly say “Hey, it isn’t us screwing you!” 🙂
Whereas Sony actually seems to have paid attention to grumblings that a non-HDMI version of the PS3 would be yet another self-inflcited PR nightmare for them when [ not “if” ] Sony’s movies start using HDCP.
21,23…
DVD playing even on a console, dont require checking for a DRM…
Its Only designed to PLAY…
Can you guess HOW this really works..
Why a computer GETS the DRM??
Its the Codec, thats checks for it…ITS mostly SOFTWARE..
New slogan:
DRM
Giving Hackers Somthing To Do ™
#24
WOW i have no IDEA what you’re TALKING about..
This is about HD-DVD and BluRay, and what value each camp is placing on DRM considering that the 360 and PS3 are the trojan horses for the respective technologies.