Microsoft Zune IP police
p2pnet news | TV:- Speaking of Zune and copyright cops, it might be a bad idea to buy a Microsoft Zune on which to watch your P2P downloads, suggests Saul Hansell in the New York Times.
How come?
Because a, ” future update of the software for Microsoft’s portable media player may well include a feature that will block unauthorized copies of copyrighted videos from being played on it,” he says.
Bill and the Boyz have just said they plan to try to scam (sorry, sell) high-priced ($2 a pop) TV episodes for Zune, but these include programs from NBC Universal which has pulled its shows off iTunes, says the story, going on >>>
Late Tuesday afternoon I reached J. B. Perrette, the president of digital distribution for NBC Universal, to ask why NBC found Microsoft’s video store more appealing than Apple’s.
He explained that NBC, like most studios, would like the broadest distribution possible for its programming. But it has two disputes with Apple.
First, Apple insists that all TV shows have an identical wholesale price so that it can sell all of them at $1.99. NBC wants to sell its programs for whatever price it chooses.
Second, Apple refused to cooperate with NBC on building filters into its iPod player to remove pirated movies and videos.
Microsoft, however, has no such scruples, says the NYT. It’ll work with Microsoft, “to try to develop a copyright ‘cop’ to be installed on its devices”.
Apparently, “NBC wants the flexibility to sell older shows at lower prices and hit shows at higher prices than the standard Apple has set,” says Hansell, IT also wants to be able to strike deals that would, for example, “allow a discount for people buying a season or other group of episodes at one time,” the story states, adding:
“Mr. Perrette said the plan is to create ‘filtering technology that allows for playback of legitimately purchased content versus non-legitimately purchased content’.
“He said this would be similar to systems being tested by Microsoft, Google and others that are meant to block pirated clips from video sharing sites. NBC is also working with Internet service providers like AT&T to put similar filters right into the network.
Perrette says NBC, “is trying to develop similar hardware technology with SanDisk, through whom NBC also sells its programming”.
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.Stumble It!
Zune – $2 each for Zune TV show downloads, May 7, 2008
copyright cops – Whitehouse gets Top Copyright Cop, May 7, 2008
New York Times – Microsoft May Build A Copyright Cop Into Every Zune, May 7, 2008
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May 7th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
the filter won’t work.
It will be bypassed with an unauthorized firmware or something.
Won’t these idiots in the entertainment industry just give up.
Its time to change your strategy and move on. Changing big bucks for Shitty TV shows won’t pay off.
Give them away and with the commercials included. done
May 7th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Don’t these people learn? DRM was a failure, so why would this be any different?
May 7th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
So basically they want only DRM infected content to work on the Zune? lol…. Take gun, shoot your foot.
How is it possible to determine legitimate obtained/ripped/owned DRM-Free content vs non-legit ‘illegal copyrighted maternal’? Is suddenly all NON-DRM content illegal?.
Thats almost as absurd as one trying to filter the internet to determine what packets out of billions contain ‘illegal copyrighted material’ as their payload and ones that do not, encryption/compression/file formats aside here even.
Sadly these old farts live in the last century and think these ‘magic’ filters are easily achieved when in reality its as impossible as real ‘magic’ itself.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
LOL, take a clue from IRobot.
Every pirate copy of that movie is a cluster-f of commercials, and product placement.
In my opinion, that particular movie has what I consider, subtle, and appropriate products, cleverly placed into the plot. Not every movie could do this, and I cringe at the though of how wrong this idea could go is used improperly.
I have been watching stuff on Hulu a lot lately, and they insert brief commercials into the stream, which isn’t bad. I find I don’t have to waste my own HDD space on data, and can access their servers 24/7 anytime I want to watch a show. The picture quality is not the best, but it’s not worse than watching antennae Broadcast TV that I grew up with. As Internet bandwidth increases, the on demand media will increase in quality as well.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
“I have been watching stuff on Hulu a lot lately, and they insert brief commercials into the stream, which isn’t bad. I find I don’t have to waste my own HDD space on data, and can access their servers 24/7 anytime I want to watch a show.”
At least until they decide to take the shows down…
May 7th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Good, will not bother buying a Zune then.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I was looking at Zune’s and iPods today trying to decide which to buy. I guess now I know I made the right choice when I chose the ipod. I do believe they will find a way to filter content but I also believe that the programmers and hackers will override whatever they do.
Who makes these decisions for these companies? Are they that dumb? It amazes me that they stay in business with their non-consumer friendly attitudes. I think next time I buy a computer I will look at Macs. Apple seems much more customer friendly thsn Microsoft from all I read.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:19 am
Goodbye Zune, i totally agree, but think about using linux? You will get the surprise of your life mate, leaves Windows for dead and its totally free, far more secure, stable and none of the bullshit that comes with Windows OR Mac.