Working in Japan as a reporter for a computer magazine, I often have a chance to talk with the hardware developers for many major firm, Sony being one.

Living in Japan, I am not quite sure how much people know of Sony’s PC division “VAIO”, but here in Japan, Sony has a strong foothold in high-end desktop PC’s as well as Notebook computers. Sony VAIO developers pride themselves in creating some of the highest quality Multi-media PCs, with the most recent VAIOs (desktop and notebook) toting Blue Ray drives, and DVR capabilities.

Yet, they have been faced with having to fight another branch of Sony, namely Sony Music, on the ability to play back Audio CDs on a PC (DRM anyone?). I remember talking with one of the developers of the VAIO series really angered, when they were told that their sister company had crippled their CD library, so it wouldn’t play on the PC.

Of course this wasn’t the only people who were a more than a little “miffed”.

Sony’s other divisions, Car navigation systems, CD walkmans, DVD players (not confirmed) customer’s were also stuck with not being able to play Sony’s CDs.

Of course this DRM’d music caused enough complaints in Japan that the Major Record labels that were pushing these crippled CD (Sony Music, Avex Records etc…) were forced to go back to “real” CDs.

BTW communication within the Sony hierarchy is close to nill, with one department creating a product that competes with a different department (Sony’s Playstation department sold a PS2 compatible DVR the “PSX”, when a different division was already selling a different DVR on the market “RokuRaku”. Eventually the PSX died).

It will be interesting to see where this goes in the future

Working in Japan as a reporter for a computer magazine, I often have a chance to talk with the hardware developers for many major firm, Sony being one.

Living in Japan, I am not quite sure how much people know of Sony’s PC division “VAIO”, but here in Japan, Sony has a strong foothold in high-end desktop PC’s as well as Notebook computers. Sony VAIO developers pride themselves in creating some of the highest quality Multi-media PCs, with the most recent VAIOs (desktop and notebook) toting Blue Ray drives, and DVR capabilities.

Yet, they have been faced with having to fight another branch of Sony, namely Sony Music, on the ability to play back Audio CDs on a PC (DRM anyone?). I remember talking with one of the developers of the VAIO series really angered, when they were told that their sister company had crippled their CD library, so it wouldn’t play on the PC.

Of course this wasn’t the only people who were a more than a little “miffed”.

Sony’s other divisions, Car navigation systems, CD walkmans, DVD players (not confirmed) customer’s were also stuck with not being able to play Sony’s CDs.

Of course this DRM’d music caused enough complaints in Japan that the Major Record labels that were pushing these crippled CD (Sony Music, Avex Records etc…) were forced to go back to “real” CDs.

BTW communication within the Sony hierarchy is close to nill, with one department creating a product that competes with a different department (Sony’s Playstation department sold a PS2 compatible DVR the “PSX”, when a different division was already selling a different DVR on the market “RokuRaku”. Eventually the PSX died).

It will be interesting to see where this goes in the future

The cartels need a new news story to scare the copyright criminal kids…keep them nervous. The cartels tell the FBI to just check some patrons at a theater visited by many tourists. New York is the ideal place. Since many tourists walk about with camcordes, the fishing will be easy. Chance are good that at any theater some camcorder criminals will be cought.

i mean when we can afford to put TAX PAID FBI AGENTS into a movie theater, or outside in the lobby or whatever.

i will never go to the theater again. I mean are they frisking people down now before they go into theaters?

pretty soon they will have XRAY scanners you have to walk through before going into the theater. Some Total Recall bullshit.

1.
“More types of people are getting involved in the crime, said Kaltman. For example, when “Mission Impossible 3″ opened earlier this year, a 50-year-old woman was caught with a camcorder at a Los Angeles screening, she said.”

2.
“Authorities are taking notice. Last month, the FBI arrested 13 people in theaters in New York City as they were about to record “Superman Returns.””

Meaning what?
That tourists who walk into theaters with a camcorder can be arrested? Nice way to kill tourism.

That a blank tape will be used as FBI evidence that it was about to be used to comit a crime? Is this the same FBI who did nothing whn the 9/11 hijackers were taking flight training? Why not then arrest all buyers of blank dvd disks as they walk out the store? After all they could be acused of being “about to record” illegally too.

Funny thing, while the USA seurity forces are arresting inocent persons in our case, the USA federal judge did not even slap the wrists of those that massively stole the music of my father and authorized the illegal manufacture of millions of records.

Shame on ANDREW HERRMANN and the Chicago Sun Times for publishing nonsense ad not asking the right questions and not caring about the real important stories, such as ours.

Rafael Venegas
http://www.gvenegas.com