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Disney Licenses MS Windows Media DRM
securitas writes "CNet/ZDNet reports that Walt Disney has licensed Microsoft's Windows Media DRM technology for use in online movie distribution via the Internet. Reuters reports that Disney plans to sell movies online in late 2004 or early 2005, while AP reports that the multi-year license for Microsoft's digital rights/restrictions management and copy-protection software will let Disney distribute content on mobile phones, PDAs and portable media players (mirror). The companies are expected to officially announce the deal later today (Monday)." Conspiracy theorists, start your engines; kidding aside, this is something to watch, as these are two titans of industry.
How are the illuminati involved in this again?
The anti-salmon
Disney is not going to be a "titan" any longer. They're on the decline. Unless Eisner and the current board of directors are gone, Disney will be run into the ground. At that point, we won't have to worry about Disney DRM or their Senate Lackeys.
-Cyc
/.'s 10 Millionth
With Microsoft's record for security, this should help assure free [Disney] movies available to anyone who wants them.
Now i can watch a disney DVD on my non Microsoft device.. err wait... perhaps not...
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Just wait 'til Steve Jobs, who is already head of Apple and Pixar, decides that he wants to be the head of Disney too.
How long would the MSFT deal last then?
Will they be using a standard format then that would be compatbile with many devices or are they going to be using a custom format?
Wait.. do I REALLY need Mickey Mouse (C) on my cell phone?
::runs for the hills::
Bite my shiny metal... oops... Nevermind!
Does this mean that half way through the Disney movie, right when Mary Kate and Ashley are starting the best porition of their acting, you're going to have to reboot?
Vain egos often make bad business decisions. Pixar does not need Disney any longer, and most of Disney's recent ventures have been pale imitations of Pixar's work.
Thank you for using the proper term here: titans. Disney and Microsoft are surely powerful in their industries (right now, today). But everyone here has the choice to not purchase or support these products. No one is forcing you to buy Disney products, watch ABC television, or wear their licensed gear. No one is forcing you to buy products using MS DRM technology.
Remember that before you suggest that either is a monopoly. Look at things in your life and find out where the real monopolies are.
Can you bow out of Social Security? Are you forced to eat at McDonalds? Do you have to pay into federal unemployment insurance? Did you pick your car insurance company, or was it "granted to you" by the voting majority?
Disney is driving itself to hell faster and faster. Hopefully they'll go totally bankrupt in 2 years and the artists who work for disney can go and find jobs that let them express themselves. There's a reason why most studios use Quicktime, windows MP blows chunks.
Wolf in sheep's clothing makes deal with devil. Sounds like a Disney movie to me.
They're revived Walt Disney, and he's decided to sell his soul to Satan straight off. I always knew he would.
The only Disney movies I've actually paid to see in the last few years were all Pixar animations. Now that Pixar's gone, Disney doesnt have much left, and I dont think a little cell phone screen is going to make their animations look any better. I think they need to focus on creating quality features before they try and start selling them...unless they're trying to bypass stores all together and go to a direct-to-phone distribution..
Or rather, Eisner vs. Jobs.
They hate each other.
Jobs is determined to become the next Disney.
And Disney is turning to Microsoft. I almost feel sorry for them, no-one (and I mean no-one) has ever done a deal with Microsoft and not regretted it later.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
Is a documentary on Bill Gates called: Bluescreen and the Beast.
In 2007 we'll read about how this failed.
Considering most people in the U.S. don't have broadband, this seems rather premature. And would those with broadband really want to wait an hour or ten to watch what, compared to a DVD, is pixelated crap? Would you really want to invite your gf to watch some grainy compressed video or would you splurge on the $3 DVD rental?
I wonder if Steve Jobs took his little computer animated characters and left Disney because they went with M$ DRM. Deals like this don't happen over night. Just a thought...
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW MR. BRUCKHEIMER? BOOOOOOM!
taken! (by Davidleeroth) Thanks Bingo Foo!
Disney made a genious, tough at the time risky, move to do business with Pixar. Pixar, with every new movie they put out, has raised the bar on animated movies. Traditional 2D-Disney animation is on a steep decline, and Pixar is now breaking free of Disney. (I've seen the figures somewhere, don't have a link, but take it from me, it's impressive...)
For this deal with MS to be a success, they must have content people are willing to watch. And that is something they're not putting out anymore with Pixar off their team.
They can still be considered a titan, but for how long?
Best wishes,
Mike.
I'm guessing that all this will mean is that Mac users won't be able to watch 'Lion King 7' on their computers when it come out... :p
Without Pixar, Disney could be in real trouble film wise...
I mean, seriously....haven't they been paying attention to the friendly hackers? Once it gets popular we'll break the DRM faster than Bush can say "weapons of mass destruction."
... on the way downhill
i would rather bet my $$ on the Apple/pixar tandem : 2 stars on the rise
When will I end this grieving ? When will my future begin ?
Disney has licensed Microsoft's Windows Media DRM technology...
Soon they will taste the sting of the M$ lash...
Campaign finance reform is national security.
The mouse was very old; seemed like it had been around forever. Whenever anyone talked about the mouse, it'd better be good or *stomp*! No one was allowed to take a picture of the mouse or fashion its likeness in any way.
All the people around the mouse were tired parents in chains - as long as you put chains on when you were in the presence of the mouse you were safe. As soon as you took the chains off - *stomp*!
I really have to lay off the homemade guacamole.
All office assistant's I know are sleepy, dopey, and grumpy. But most assuredly not happy.
Figure it'll cost as much as going to Hollywood/Blockbuster and renting a DVD. Add in potential connection issues with streaming, time do dl if it's download, and then it's on a computer. I'll take renting a DVD, throwing it in and watching it on a TV. Less issues, probably the same cost. Movie downloads aren't going anywhere for several years at least, let Disney roll with MS DRM, it's going to fail anyway.
"Windows Me offers tremendous reliability and stability improvements..." -- Paul Thurott
As part of the new Disney-Microsoft deal, Bill Gates will be starring as Peter Pan in the new Disney remake of this well known epos. A source close to Microsoft said that Steve Balmer will co-star as Tinkerbell.
people currently do all the time for free product- (see supernova.org for details)
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
So will the movies only be playable every seven years?
G
Using Microsoft's DRM in the only way you can ensure tyou will be able to update the DRM for flaws or improvements. MS installes the DRM on every OS it ships and can force the updates down user's throats.
"God fights on the side with the best artillery." - Napoleon, Marshal of France - speaking truth to power
At least they're being pro-active about this and are creating a legal way to download. I think they'll also need to lower prices relative to DVDs, but that's beside the point.
Rather than joking about Microsoft security or Disney's financial situation and friendship with certain Senators, why not discuss the possible viability of the online movie market. Will people really download these legally, rather than get DVD rips off Kazaa and BitTorrent links? Or worse, when the DRM technology gets cracked, will the movies spread for free?
Personally I believe that this won't stop online piracy or make up for the lost sales, but the legality and conveniece will make the downloadable movies an attractive alternative. The revenues will never be the same but it'll be better than trying to prevent online distribution at all.
I'm a little segfault, short and stout.
microsoft
disney +
----------------------
mickeysoft
I have a vga port on mine.. so im not really limted to just the LCD.
Also dont forget homebuilt 'tivo' like devices. Most of them wont be compatible either.
Or laptops running something other then the latest ( not even old will work i bet ) versions of windows.
I dont belive that 'pda content' is the end all goal.. not for a moment.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Disney will continue to be the pre-eminate supplier of Children's content until some one steps up to fill the gap.
uhhh... What about DreamWorks? What about Paramount's Nickelodeon division? What about PBS affiliates?
There are times when forcing more control over something leads to a total loss of control. As individuals, we tend to resent being distrusted. As a group we are no different. I don't see anything useful coming out of these DRM schemes. Dishonest people will *always* find a way to break into something.
Walt Disney has licensed Microsoft's Windows Media DRM technology
Wow, so they un-froze his head long enough to sign a license? Cool!
Oh, you mean the Walt Disney Company !!!
There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.
Does anyone around here have an interest in watching a movie on a 1.5" (4 cm) lcd?
I don't see Eisner pushing full-length feature films in this medium as much as 11-minute-or-shorter episodes of "Recess", "Pepper Ann", "House of Mouse" or any of the other ABC crap that Disney has tried to push on K-12 kids.
You are the quibbling sort, always looking for any excuse to avoid reality. Microsoft has been convicted of being a monopoly, and has not appealed it; Microsoft thereby admits to being a monopoly.
One of the classic anti trust cases involved a railroad bridge across the Mississippi River. There was no other suitable location for a bridge crossing within hundreds of miles. The railroad was convicted of being a monopoly, because there was no practical alternative.
You are the kind of quibbler who would say, oh they could ship around Cape Horn. Oh, they could build a new railroad and bridge hundreds of miles out of the way. Oh, they could barge it across.
Bullshit. Disney itself may not be a monopoly, but Microsoft sure is, tried, convicted, and admitted. And Disney's membership in the MPAA sure taints them with monopolistic practices.
Get real.
Infuriate left and right
It has nothing to do with DRM as to why Pixar bolted. Maybe if you guys had kept up with how Disney screwed Pixar up the butt, you would know what the real story is and not the conspiracy story.
People don't want to buy DRM media. Period. Let Disney try it and then feel the wrath of consummers when they figure out they *lost* the "rights" to the movie/clip/music they had *PURCHASED* with their hard earned dollars. MS's DRM is dead on arrival. To this day, I yet have to meet a single person that encodes her music to WMA and that is psyched about it. People stick with MP3 beacause at this point it's open enough and it'll be supported for life. Good luck Disney.
there's no place like ~
... is the deal that Microsoft made with the Shrub administration when it came in, to water down the antitrust case as far as possible. You can't deny that has been a good deal for the politicians, lots of money was had from that.
... :-) and several more ;-) :-O =:-O
And for you moderators without any clues, here is one
Infuriate left and right
This could restrict Disneys customer base considerably. MSFT does not have a very good record or marketshare for those small devices and unless MSFT ports it's DRM to the other OS's, this will be a partnership for the WindowsPC only. IMO.
Remember, the current champions of the consumer electronics space( Japan ) are all moving to GNU/Linux for those devices. The PalmOS( PalmOne and Sony ) still outsell MSFT/PocketPC by over 60%(IIRC). Not to mention this is after MSFT losing $$ at it's Mobile Unit for it's entire 8 year history( neg ~$.8 Billion annually ).
Bad move for Disney IMHO.
LoB
"Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
Let's face the facts. DRM is coming, it's going to be here no matter how much kicking and screaming people do it's going to be here. Many of the Slashdot crowd have been wringing their hands concerned with Linux/BSD/other being squeezed out of being able to view movies, listen to MP3's, etc. All they have been saying is M$ is bad because of DRM they are going to screw *US*. Well they are going to screw non MS users if we don't do something about it.
Content providers want DRM, MS probably doesn't care a bit about DRM but they realized that providers want it before they'll release their product. So they fill the niche because opensource has only been against it instead of offering their alternative. If opensource, etc doesn't want to be completely squeezed out of this market they need to offer an alternative. An alternative that can be used on any platform without cost. Content providers don't want to pay a M$ license, they just want a warm fuzzy. If we can give them a warm fuzzy without cost; it'll still be DRM but it'll be *our* DRM that won't prevent *my* OS from being able to view their content. We need to get an acceptable alternative out there before we non-M$ users completely lose any use (even a crippled DRM use) because we let M$ control the market completely.
... because on a Monday morning I'm not exactly the best person to go for help with formating your document. ;)
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
Another part of the deal may be DIS using MSFT to produce childrens (games, educational, et al.) software. They *may* (and I'm just speculating here) also want Redmond to produce animations in place of Pixar. But that's something for down the road - it's not something MSFT does now. Who knows?
At any rate, the Mouse is ultimately just going to end up looking plain Goofy.
Ballmer and Gates, on the other hand, make thier Machine all the more powerful...
The problem with socialism is that they always run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher
With companies as big as these, with their large budgets and potential power in politics, and with the RIAA as an effective role model in lobbying, its possible that the WM-DRM software may become the de facto software for any copyrighted content online. If you can't monopolize the business, monopolize the media and the source.
Hades, PoD: Official Advocate
Pixar still has three movies it owes Disney.
Two now that Finding Nemo is done[1]. Or does the contract specify that Pixar owes Disney something beyond The Incredibles and Cars?
How long do you think it would take Disney to setup a Pixar knock-off?
Knockoff? Not long at all. Division whose movies survive for a strong second weekend? Not while Eisner remains in power.
[1] "Done" as in "dinner's ready".
A recent /. talked about the demise of record stores. Is the same bound to happen with movies? With legal downloading - even if it's for one-time viewing - what's the use of Blockbuster?
Is this going to be another Disney, "One last chance to see, then it's gone for good" type things.. They do that so freaking often, "Your final chance to own Cinderella in yet another format" or some such nonsense. Disney pushes out crap. Pixar did all the good stuff, Disney is more of a marketing machine than a film company.
But does it run Linux?
suprnova.org --- theres no e in to :)
... would be dinosaurs.
To a Lisp hacker, XML is S-expressions in drag.
Thank god Disney partnered with a company famous for non-secure software... Assuming MS's DRM is as insecure and easy to crack as all their other products, and now there will actually be much more protected media around worth pirating, I wonder how long it will take the war3z kiddiez to produce an DeCSS-like utility for MS-DRM protected media?
I wonder if Steve Jobs took his little computer animated characters
AFAIK, the contract specifies that Disney keeps sequel rights and merchandising rights for the six Pixar franchises (Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., some fishy movie that has nothing to do with anything by Jules Verne or Winsor McCay, The Incredibles (in production), and Cars (in production)).
Again, as with IE, Microsoft has won with their multimedia streaming products. Realplayer is dying, same old story, being starved of cash by someone who can afford to give their stuff away. The whole field is so patent bound that any open format will be sued into oblivion.
Even if this DRM stuff fails due, it won't matter. There won't be anyone else left to try to gain from it. Microsoft will drop the DRM, and still own the market.
This is discouraging.
Derek
Perhaps part of the lack of love been Jobs/Pixar and Disney.
http://www.hawknest.com/
To be quite honest, you don't matter to Disney (unless you are a parent). They market their tripe to the mass-market of parents. Good, wholesome family values. They get parents to buy every friggin thing they put out with this method. Who wants to hear a kid screaming over and over that they want to watch The Lion King 1 1/2? Just buy the DVD so the kid will shut up for a couple of hours. Go into a mall, and look at who is actually buying things in the Disney store. Go to that train-wreck Disney themed indoor amusement thingy. Go to Disney World. Ugh. They aren't concerned with quality, they are concerned with $$$$$. Microsoft is the way to go for them...
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Seven dwarves? I thought there were thirteen, having nothing to do with Disney.
This is a great step forward in Microsoft's strategic plans forthe future. Facing a growing threat from competing operating systems, and losing market share in international circles, mostly business clients, Microsoft has braced itself for the future, when it will not be the no. 1 OS. Take for example MSNBC, a money losing venture for Microsoft since its launcha few years back. Xbox barely takes in a profit. Yet these two products are examples of how MS is carefully pushing itself into media delivery, a business I believe Gates is targeting in the future. By having even a presence in these industries, even if a small one, companies and shareholders in the future will learn to trust MS in this field.
Some years from now (like 8) when MS does another big buyout or forms a subsidiary in a movie business or production studio or home entertainment encryption, MS may have established itself as a trustworthy name, and the OS part of its company may play a lesser role at that point. Remember that Disney has influcence and presence in many circles of business as well, making this an alliance to watch carefully.
[Please sign here]
Common mistake.
Didn't Disney attempt to sell the DVDs with an expiration date? And if I recall that failed gloriously.
And who will really want to stream a movie? Pay, say $5 for something that looks like crap; or maybe they'll let you download DVD quality...who couldn't download 3 - 4 gigs of video, right? Disney really has had some strange ideas lately.
In any event, buying the DVD will probably only be $10 more than paying to download it, so why bother at all?
slashdot, news for crazed liberal socialist zealots
http://mickeysoft.com/
Given Disney's trackrecord of turning every DRM solution they touch into a consumer backlash, we should be able to watch the market failure of MS's DRM product.
;-)
Remember, these are the guys that have watched DivX and disposable DVDs flop in the market. Maybe third times a charm, but it'll be more fun to watch MS get sucked into Disney's inability to squeeze more money from the pre-school crowd who watch those movies till the VHS tapes are worn thin.
I say, let the games begin.
Arrogance is Confidence which lacks integrity. -- me
Microsoft has posted a press release.
They don't have any movies left.
Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.
Anybody who's big enough to fight back, like Miyazaki, they can license and dub. Who knows, the result might even be good, like Kiki's Delivery Service.
Anybody else over there, they can simply rip off, just like Kimba The White Lion became The Lion King, and Nadia: Secret Of Blue Water became Atlantis.
The possibilities are endless: Neon Genesis Evangelionking, Darkwing Crisis, Ah! My Fairy-godmother... maybe even Goofy One-Half!
"The two companies signed a multiyear agreement for Disney to license Microsoft's Windows Media digital rights management technology, which protects digital content from being illegally copied or played."
not being able to play it eh.. j/k
anyways my point is that I don't understand illegally playing it. If you can't make an illegal copy how could you illegaly play it in the first place. The thing I guess I don't like about these new programs where you download music online and now movies is that when it comes down to it I want to make copies to watch on other computers other devices and such that is still legal to do. At least where I live in Canada U.S. has got so anal about it I'm not sure what the law on that type of thing are anymore.
I was under the impression that it was three movies after Nemo, but I could be wrong.
Disney and Pixar made two deals. One was for Toy Story and one or more sequels; the other was for five new franchises. These turned out to be 1. A Bug's Life, 2. Monsters Inc., 3. some fishy movie that tries to make everybody forget about Winsor McCay's famous comic strip, and the forthcoming films 4. The Incredibles and 5. Cars.
(couldn't remember if Shrek was a Pixar film).
Shrek was made by DreamWorks/PDI. Coming soon: a sequel.
SoftMickey
Disney has too make money somehow. If the same ppl are forced to rebuy the movie over and over just to see the disappointing finale, well.....
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Keep in mind the deal is nonexclusive so there's nothing keeping Disney from also licensing someone else's DRM solution.
"Let's face the facts. DRM is coming, it's going to be here no matter how much kicking and screaming people do it's going to be here."
You misjudge the power of people.
In the 70's, most "smart" people told me that socialism/communism was the wave of the future... they pointed to the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, SE Asia, most countries in Europe were leaning socialist, even south & Central America were leaning socialist/communist.
I had to admit, the fight looked futile.
Who won?
This fight is hardly so dramatic, and the parallels aren't exact, but what it shows it that when people band together to make a difference, despite what "smart" people think, those people will make the difference.
Don't give in to DRM. Fight it, show other people why its wrong. Don't buy into it. Not fighting is the same as accepting. I'd rather go down swinging against evil than live with myself it I didn't.
Titans perhaps, but industry? Doesn't that imply the production of useful goods or services?
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
I predict these movies will only be available within the US, and maybe Canada. The EU will once again not get any of these new entertainment distribution schemes. There is no netflix in europe, there is no itms (and no, the uk-only coca-cola store doesn't count), the choices are restrained to basic brick-and-mortar places and amazon (or other online shops).
Some would claim this is a good thing because drm is evil anyway. Well, I don't like drm, but I'm willing to go along with it if it means I don't have to go out my door to rent a movie. Yeah, I'm a lazy sob, and the entertainment industry would get more of my money if they just catered to my sinful needs.
How about you think for yourself rather than letting the government do it for you, hm?
I suppose I should let you do my thinking for me, eh? Is that how it works, if you think so, everyone who disagrees is a government lackey?
First: The appeals court specifically ruled the decision was valid, just not the remedy. That's several more judges, not just one.
Second: by not appealing, and letting the conviction stand, Microsoft has legally admitted that yes they are a guilty monopoly, and have opened the floodgates to a zillion cuts in civil suits. Those civil suits now are able to start with the presumtption that Microsoft is indeed a monopoly. They do not need to wade thru months of testimony and millions of dollars in pre-trial discovery and court costs to prove that all over again. Microsft would have appealed if they thought there was any chance of dragging it out, but they decided they sweet slap they got was better than their chances in a retrial.
As for as evidence, it doesn't take much of a look to find they have been cooking the books to maintain their steady profits, or to find that yes indeed they have been able to charge monopoly prices for their products. Perhaps you ought to research what it means to be a monopoly. It doesn't just mean government required payments and products. There have been many corporate monopolies for your research. You will find Microsoft is right up there with Standard Oil and the railroads and every other robber baron from a hundred years ago. 95% is a monopoly.
Infuriate left and right
Jeebus, you need to add a lot more links if you're going to compete with the Ceren troll!
In Greek mythology, the younger gods defeated and dethroned the Titans. Ye younger gods, it's time to defeat and dethrone Microsoft and Disney!
Titan or not, Disney hasn't had much luck lately trying to control how their media is distributed and what hardware is allowed to view it.
Just take a look at its track record with Divx and the "disposable DVD's". Yet they still refuse to acknowledge that people (their consumers) want to play movies/music in whatever hardware they have. They don't want to jump through the studio's hoops just to watch a movie or listen to a piece of music.
Wait a minute. I got it. You could play with your magic nose goblins.
I might say that as long as they charge a fair price for use of the bridge, there is nothing wrong with them doing so. It isn't their fault that there is no other bridge.
Further there is nothing stopping you from buying and using a different OS or watching different movies. There is not, as you say, only one bridge. Though I must admit, Microsoft has gotten pretty good at making people believe there is.
Look at their comparative output in the last ten years. PIXAR is the new Disney. (Well, at least in the animated feature arena. To be fair Disney has several other allied businesses that Pixar is not in. Yet.) And Disney, lacking any real vision or innovation, it resorting to anti-consumer DRM lockin. Just the kind of strategy you'd expect from a company that's lost it's edge.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
All content protection schemes based around DRM are bad, icluding those used by Microsoft and Apple. But there is a huge difference in what each company can get away with, in the case of Apple using the fairplay DRM wrapper w/ AAC, the DRM issue is largely ignored because Apple is "cool." I don't care if its a friendly corp or a cold mega-corp like MS, DRM use by any company should be scorned regardless of their customer relations.
Coming soon: The Adventures of Clippy the Paper Clip.
Sig it.
Microsoft is known throughout the world for screwing over business partners, why would Disney think this would be any different?
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
Honestly, did you ever notice that two assholes can never work together? There always has to be someone that is willing to get pushed around by the asshole for these kinds of things to work. Really the Jobs-Eisner deal was destined to fail. How could these two ever get along? PS. This is not flamebait
Monopoly by definition does not include the government, no matter how evil and controlling that government is. Though I don't always agree with them, most Libertarians are quite intelligent and logical, and you are insulting them with such stupid arguments.
If the evil government said everybody *must* purchase Microsoft, then Microsoft would still be the monopoly, not the government. The government would be a bad government.
PS: Microsoft certainly is a monopoly. It is physically impossible to do many things that are required in life (such as work at many jobs) without purchasing a product from Microsoft (ie you must have it on your home computer).
PPS: A lot of the power of the monopoly Microsoft and of Disney (who really are not a monopoly) are due to anti-libertarian laws such as copyright and patents and protectionism. You should be finding arguments on how these laws are helping unscrupulous and greedy people to get more power than they should be able to have under a "free" system.
If I remember correctly, they refused to carry any other traffic except at exorbitant prices.
... by their arm twisting, they raised the prices of software for everybody. Dell could not sell computers except with a Microsoft O/S unless they wanted to pay exorbitant prices for the rest of the computers. They couldn't preload other software on PCs. Lots of little things which made it more expensive for everybody. You have only to look at the cheap deals being negotiated all over to see what could have been charged here many years ago. Microsoft didn't collect $50 billion in cash by being Mr Nice Guy. Look at their annual revenues and compare to Wal-Mart, then look at their cash hoards ... Wal-Mart has competition, Microsoft doesn't.
... that's a monopoly. A little research on the history of monopoly legislation is a real eye opener. 100% market share is by no means the way to find monopolies.
That's what Microsoft has been doing
When every PC has to come preloaded with the latest Office, forcing everybody else to upgrade
Infuriate left and right
Then I predict resounding success with a Gates-Eisner deal.
PS. This is not sarcasm.
PPS. Yes it is.
Obvious exits are NORTH, SOUTH, and DENNIS.
Disney: "I was gonna take over Western civilization, before I got high."
Don't mind me; I'm just a karma whore.
You don't really need to buy a MS PC at all. Everyone says you do. ITS guys, the news media, even LINUX users on fucking slashdot of all places will tell you that you NEED to buy Microsoft. It only the perception that this it the reality that makes it that way.
If PC venders believed that you could sell non-windows PS's, users would believe they could use them and no-one in their right mind would pay $500 for shitty Microsoft office that fucking thinks it knows what you want to type better than you do.
In short, Microsoft isn't really a monopoly, they're just really good at making people think that they are.
I must have missed something.
Is this *really* a good idea, at least at the moment.
Let's start with bandwidth. Downloading a DVD's worth of content over a decent broadband connection will take quite some time 2-3 hours.
So now that you have *spent a lot money* for this movie that's been downloaded, you are supposed to watch it where? On the computer, right. Except for the fact that you need to actually use your computer. How many people have their computer set up for watching Disney movies?
So of course! Burn it to a DVD. And yet... unlike buring CD's the world of burning DVD's hasn't matured to that extent. In addition, compression compromises in creating a downloadable copy are likely to produce movies that are not as good as their over the counter parts.
I think I will take my 20 dollars and go buy the movie, unwrap it and watch (gee that was easy).
(me) Hey Joe, how ya doing?
(joe) Just fine... but I keep getting these damn disney commercials on my pda and cellphone. They want me to go see some new movie, wish they'd leave me alone, it's really getting annoying.
(me) Wow, really? I've never seen those.
(joe) How can you avoid them? It's like they push it out to you or something?!?!
(me) Are your devices running windows?
(joe) Yea, it's like an embedded thing. My pda, cell, toaster, even my toilet! It's great! When I flush I hear a Disney jingle everytime.
(me shows joe his new sharp zaurus and other Linux-based devices)
(joe) Oooh...
(to be continued!)
FLR
Does Apple have any DRM in QuickTime that's comparable to WM DRM? I don't work in video production, so I honestly don't know, but it seems to me that MS is taking the lead in video DRM.
Also, licensing WM DRM does not necessarily preclude using Quicktime also, it just would have been nice if Disney used Quicktime exclusively.
It is a curious choice, however, given that Quicktime licensing is dramatically cheaper than WM.
Kid: (Whine) (Whine) Dadddyyy!!! I'm bored! (Whine) I want to see a disney cartoon on the phone.
Dad: Sorry, my phone won't do that.
Kid: (Whine, Sniffle) But Joey gets to watch them on his dad's phone.
Dad: I know, son, but I don't have the right kind of phone for that.
Wife: Damnit, Bob! I told you not to buy that Linux phone. (Nag, nag, nag) All my friends bought phones that let their kids watch Disney, but you had to go buy another one of your geek toys!
Disnel also tried, maybe is still trying, other ways to distribute their(?) contents directly to the masses. For instance, This idea seems quite interesting.
Ciao
----
FB
Is he gonna throw this out and replace it with MPEG-4?
this has more to do with m$ trying to get their HD codec as the standard HD format for dvd's.
I know that we buy Disney DVDs right now cause they can be played anywhere. We have a DVD player in the van (for road trips - ha!), DVD players on the kids computers in the basement, and of course, the DVD player by the entertainment center. I even have a DVD player on my laptop that is used on flights and in hotels. I can't imagine streaming a copy to my TV then buying another copy for the van or PC. How will DRM affect how I share my movie through the 4 or 5 ways I can watch it right now?
"If you are on fire you can just stop, drop, and roll. If you fall into Lava you are just dead." - my 5yr old daughter
Jobs versus Eisner & Gates. Hmmm. Eisner is under attack by the Disney family (having kicked the Son off the board, effectively) and has had a high profile contract loss (Pixar itself). Gates is reviled and ridiculed by roughly the same people since Greenspun made his Bill Gates Personal Wealth Clock; this hasn't hurt him much at all. Jobs is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma (without the genocide). Pixar had a disappointing earnings report
Will Time Warner choose sides?
Speaking of which, will this Internet/Media marriage have as much impact as TimeWarner/AOL? if so, this is non-news.
-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
...before conquering anything on the desktop.
From an OSNews review of Fedora Core 1:
"My disappointment started when I tried to upgrade Gaim 0.71 to 0.72. The third party Shrike RPM wouldn't work because of pspell dependancy problems. Downloading pspell and compiling it manually wouldn't work either as libpspell-modules were nowhere to be found in the newly compiled archive. So I decided to download the source of Gaim and compile it myself. All went fine with Gaim's compilation except the MSN plugin wouldn't load because gnuTLS that provides SSL to Gaim was not installed. I got to gnuTLS' FTP site downloaded the source, only to ask me for libcrypt. Downloaded the source of libcrypt, only to ask me for the source of GnuPG. I downloaded the gnupg, compiled fine, went back to libcrypt, only to bail out badly with severe compiling errors. This is a simple user scenario that should have not happened, no matter whose fault really is. Now think what a newbie user coming from Windows-land would think about this whole --literally-- usability fiasco."
This is the sort of crap Slashdotters just accept blindly, because they think people have the time to spend setting things up as a hobby. News flash--unlike you, people have lives and just need to use the computer to get things done. They don't want to be like the Gentoo weenies who "compile" everything, or the Red Hat weenies who think everything is magically solved just because you have an RPM system.
1) Search for a vulnerability in DRM
2) Wait till DRM got popular
3) Release your anger!
4) ???
5) Profit!
Regards,
The aC.
Do you think they will allow the existence of a Linux client? Hah!
This last weekend I was at a Disney page (with Opera posing as IE 6). When I chose another Disney site, a warning page came up stating my browser was not accepted. Nor Konqueror. Nor Mozilla.
you dont see DRM on Porn either, so therefor p0rn must also be the next comming craze in home entertainment! on a side note, id estimate that in another 10 years feature films will start to contain pornographic content.
Pixar is a bunch of very creative folks with a lot of CPU horsepower, but no distribution channels. Disney is a very large, diversified company with a LOT of "pull" (or is it "push"?) with theaters and rental outfits. It doesn't matter how good the movie, if no one can view it.
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
Pixar is a bunch of very creative folks with a lot of CPU horsepower, but no distribution channels. Disney is a very large, diversified company with a LOT of "pull" (or is it "push"?) with theaters and rental outfits. It doesn't matter how good the movie, if no one can view it.
I can't think of one movie distribution channel in Hollywood who wouldn't give a major portion of their anatomy for the chance to distribute Pixar's stuff (and get a cut of the action, natch).
Pixar will have NO PROBLEM finding someone to distribute their stuff.
--R.J.
Electric-Escape.net
NOTE: You must purchase a Disney certified Enjoyment Right (tm) for each person viewing any portion the movie. You must also purchase a right for each piece of equipment involved in the presentation of the movie. This right lasts for the duration of the movie, and then expires. Failure to purchase the correct number of rights is a felony offense. Inclusion of any missing, false or misleading information in the Enjoyment Right (tm) request form is a felony offense. Use of playback or presentation equipment which does not support Enjoyment Rights is a felony offense. Attempting to circumvent any portion of the Enjoyment Right restrictions, as outlined by the FBI, is a felony offense.
Thank you for choosing Disney products. Enjoy the movie!.
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
Anyone who isn't a conspiracy theorist doesn't read either the business section of the political news.
The problem is that most conspiracy theories are wrong. This is what must be expected when the information as to what is going on is being actively hidden from you. And it's likely to affect your future, so you do try to figure out who is hiding what. Thus a conspiracy theory. This only becomes problematic when you start to believe your theories. Unfortunately, when you need to act on your predictiosn of the future you must choose one to believe in. In the absence of evidence, you are quite likely to choose the wrong one...but there's no better evidence for any of the theories. It's your best guess, and believing in something else would be even sillier.
This is a situation that frequently pushes people towards paranoia. It's also one that's frequently profitable for those that are hiding the informaiton. (That's why they're hiding it.)
The MOST foolish assumption is that there aren't any conspiracies. It's ONLY advantage, is that it allows you to *feel* safer. It doesn't *make* you any safer, but it allows you to feel safer. So it's a more comfortable belief. But I haven't found a period in history when it has been the true answer (though there are periods where there's not enough information to decide). The correct answer is usually to decide that you ARE in a condition of incomplete information, and uncertainty is the correct position. (Unfortunately, now you need to decide the likelihood of a vast number of possibilities. UGH!)
The preceeding comments apply not only to the MS-Disney reported deal, but much more generally as well. (I repeat: UGH!) Unfortunately, being unpleasant doesn't make something untrue. Some are able to turn this into a game, and enjoy it. I don't seem to be able to manage this transformation...but I do recognize it's validity. As one of the more successful transformers said:
Hail Eris!
All Hail Discordia!
Well, praises are a bit beyond what I'm capable of, but I do recognize the truth inherrent in that view. (It's a really good way to deal with the real situation and, simultaneously, to avoid paranoia. Quite a difficult juggling act. The best I can do is distance myself, and that's nowhere nearly as good an answer.)
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Heh...this story reminds me of the movie antitrust for some reason.
... literally. A couple of Disney "Imagineers" were in town for a presentation and said that Disney has changed to the point that they are now cracking down on free coffee while DreamWorks is providing free lunches in an effort to keep it's talent on campus.
The Disney approach is typical accounting mentality towards creativity. Because profits are down, we need to tighten the screws. Meanwhile the talent is spending 20 minutes deciding where to go for lunch, 20 minutes to get there, and if they're networking with anyone, it's to look for a new job.
During their introduction, a sketch of Mickey was slowly drawn on the screen with the explanation that some of the greatest ideas start with a sketch. It was all I could do not to yell out, "Yeah, a sketch of Steam Boat Willy!".
I refrained and was allowed to listen to these two blather on about how outdated Disney's creative process is. These were supposed to people be people who actually designed physical attractions, but there was no mention of 3D visualization, rapid prototyping, or virtual walk throughs.
Nah, the real reason is that Steve Jobs looked at Disney's numbers, realized that Pixar was the only thing saving Disney animation from death, and wanted Pixar to get paid accordingly.
DRM, schRM, it's all about the Benjamins...
--R.J.
Electric-Escape.net
No consumer benefits from DRM, so if it makes their life harder they just won't buy.
The public HAS embraced DRM. Look at DVD for one example.
The public is very pragmatic. They just want enough freedom to give them the convenience they want. They want to be able to rent. They want to be able to trade with their friends. They don't want everything locked up in the computer. They want it at their TVs and stereos, no matter where they're in homes, cars, or at work.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
With Pixar out of the picture, Disney won't have much worth watching anyway.
Walt Disney didn't license crap from Microsoft, he's dead. Might you possibly mean the Eisner Post-Disney company?
Jesus can speak for himself!
"It doesn't matter how good the movie, if no one can view it. "
Also, one can say: "Doesn't matter how many CAN see it, if no one DOES (pay to) see it." Apparently Disney's own efforts at animated feature films has not been very good of late.
[fx: pauses to catch breath]
Anyway, the only reason that widespread DRM might be inevitable is that people like you think it's inevitable. Yes, content providers want it. But they wanted to stop video recorders; they failed, and both they and the rest of the world continue unabated. They've wanted many other things, too, but they're not invincible. For example, one of the main factors in Sony's MiniDisc format never really taking off as it should is the limitations they put on it - enforcing SCMS, denying access to the compressed data directly, making MD-Data incompatible and expensive, &c. It's time Sony learned a lesson from that.
They want control, but they also want to sell their stuff, and if they do too much of the former, they won't do enough of the latter.
That is, unless enough people just roll over...
Ceterum censeo subscriptionem esse delendam.
DRM simply doesn't work without hardware cooperation. The only way it can pretend to work otherwise is if all the software is closed and under the control of the DRM implementors. In an OSS, that would never work. Please--get a clue before posting.
Gates' Law: Every 18 months, the speed of software halves.
Aren't they, and what if they win, will Microsoft indemify Disney, or will Intertrust try and collect their "$699" from Disney?
So, given their current timetable for this, I figure we'll being seeing the crack posted sometime next week.
Or you just Netflix the son of a bitch and make a copy of it.
...I doubt I will be elligible to buy from Disney. :( Forget about DRM, what about the amount of data I would be downloading? Would I be able to download my kids' favorites to watch without fear of being disconnected?
The lesson learnt over CD was that people got something "good enough". CD was a massive improvement over vinyl for many people. DAT, DCC, MiniDisc offered marginal improvement.
DVD was a big improvement over VHS. The next thing will probably be a marginal improvement.
People like things to be physical. I like my shelf of DVDs, even though I sell a few occassionally as I run out. It's mine, I can play it when I want on any machine I want.
So, given that the only compelling stuff coming from Disney lately is either from Pixar or Miyazaki, I would say that the adoption of Windows media is another self-administered nail in their coffin. Pathetic! Disney's animation was always top-notch and it's sad to watch a bunch of greedy drones run such a legacy into the ground.
--Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
That is, you either bully everyone into doing things your way and make history, or you die. The little people just go along with the way the herd's being pushed.
Conversely, just look at the resounding success of things done by comittee. The space shuttle, for instance. /sarcasm
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Yes, although history has been made by many unreasonable men, it has also been made by dozens of perfectly reasonable women.
Heck, if Pixar can market it right, they could make stuff direct-to-DVD and make gobs of money... look at how many copies of Finding Nemo sold on release day!
I always thought Microsoft had some Mickey-Mouse DRM...
on long flights I'm glad to have a TV screen at all and I was fairly happy to watch on a tiny screen.
similarly I used to be fairly happy with the postage stamp sized content that RealPlayer is so famous for but these are special cases.
What is special about these cases was that the *price was right*, so cheap its free.
I expect that the content produces will price these things too high, provide a crappy service, and declare the market dead in a matter of months (but end up selling short clips as logos and ringtones for cellular phones).
Leaving aside the quality or otherwise of Disney movies, if I just want to watch a movie once and not pay A$35 for the privelege, currently I will rent it.
If the movie people want to provide a mechanism by which I can do that without going to the video store, I don't have a problem with that.
What I do have a problem with is having to have a specific environment in which to watch that movie, and no possibility of my chosen device ( if it is not a microsoft one) being able to play it. It's the lack of standardisation in the format that's the problem, not the fact that it's encrypted.
If the chosen DRM method was usable on a TIVO or a Foxtel set-top box or a Linux/BSD/Mac-OS PC rather only an X-Box or a MS-Windows device, then there would be no problem, but we all know how Microsoft does these things don't we?
If my call is important, why am I talking to a recording?
The very Public Domain that they seem bent on destroying...
No, I don't like them. ;p
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks