p2pnet.net News View:- I’ve discovered a way to finally be able to get protected windows media files, such as those found on Napster, in to a format I can play on my portable Iriver MP3 player.

An application called FairUse4WM makes conversion to a regular standard windows media file without DRM, which can then be converted to a standard mp3 file, which I can then put on to my Iriver MP3 player.

I for the moment don’t have to waste CDs just to get the few files I mnight buy off Napster in to mp3s that I can use on my mp3 player! Don’t expect this very handy for end users program to last though, since Microsoft is aware of it and will most certainly be releasing a patch to once again make it impossible to convert DRM filled WMA files in to anything else. This in my view is quite sad, since not everyone has a “compatible” portable player, myself included.

If you purchase tracks from Napster for example, tell me exactly what is wrong with being able to play the tracks you legally purchased on whatever device you wish, be it an Iriver IFP-899 mp3 player like I have, or an Ipod or other player that won’t play windows media files let alone DRM infested ones, or even a linux or mac computer? When you purchase a CD or DVD or VHS tape or similar item, you’re not restricted to what type of player you can play your just purchased media in, so why oh why exactly should purchased music online be any different!

You bought it, so you shouldn’t be told you only can play tracks on certain devices and nothing more! This constant insistance that purchased tracks have to have DRM, and if a way becomes public to remove DRM, allowing your legally purchased tracks to be transfered to any device of your choosing, a patch must be instantly put together to stop it, is exactly why whenever possible I won’t buy DRM files of any kind!

I’ve many times said the solution where both consumer and industry would win, is if industry would sell content in a format universally playable by whatever device end users may wish to play content on, and sell it at a decent price, and obviously store the content on high speed servers to give the user the fastest download possible with their internet connection.

Instead of enacting this very easy solution, the industry for whatever reason insists that anything they offer online must have DRM crap attached, and even though you bought the content, you can only play it on a few devices whether you like it or not, and that to me is sick beyond understanding! A CD isn’t restricted to a certain brand of CD player, so why should purchased online content be so damned restrictive?!

If you’d like to obtain FairUse4WM and be able to use it on any DRM content you may have, while it’s still possible to do so, then by all means download it from here.

Enjoy being able to convert any DRM files to a format you can use, while you’re still able to!

Monty Icenogle – p2pnet