Playstation 3 Video DRM Only Allows One Download

Nom du Keyboard points out an Ars Technica report that the Sony Video Store on the Playstation Network is running some rather restrictive DRM. When purchasing movies, users are allowed just one download — even if they delete the movie to make space and want to download it again on the same machine. A Sony representative told Ars that users could be issued an extra download as a "one-time courtesy" with help from customer support. Quoting: "When we're discussing a system that seems to release new hardware configurations every few months and a company that actively encourages you to swap hard drives yourself, it appears users are going to run into problems if they ever decide they want to switch out their hard drive or even upgrade into a larger system; the information on the back-up utility makes it clear that video content can't be moved over to new system, although new hard drives should be safe. Sony claims that the PS3 is operating on a 10-year timeline: is one extra download, which you need to contact customer service to apply for, good enough for the next decade?"

Comments

Rental only

[Just Some Guy]

As long as they clearly mark this as a rental, I'm OK with it. As soon as they describe it as a sale, then I think they're conducting felony fraud and should be prosecuted criminally.

Re:Rental only

[Cyberax]

If this item is broken, then yes they are required to replace it.

What happens if your PS3 stops working?

Re:Rental only

[badboy_tw2002]

Except bandwidth isn't free. How many 4GB downloads should I allocate per customer? Should I factor that into the cost of the item? When you purchase something, should I factor in a lifetime of bandwidth usage by the customer?

Of course, you hit the nail on the head - you must be able to backup. Not having a backup (and this is probably the case given that the PS3 is encrypted) is stupid. Although, I think given "online activation" DRM seems to be the rage these days I don't think they have a problem with the user burning the content to a DVD for later. I think the fair thing to do is be very up front with the customer as to what the download policy is.

Re:How is this surprising?

[MooseMuffin]

Its news because not only is it DRM, but its poorly implemented. Steam and the 360 let you delete stuff you've bought and download it later. I can go to a friend's house, log in to my account on his xbox, and I'm able to download things I've bought.

The only reason this isn't really big news is because its something they can fix fairly easily.

Re:Oliver Twist anyone?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

How can a first post be modded Redundant?

In this particular case, you're right, that shouldn't have been made redundant. That said, it's totally possible for a first post to be redundant. Here are a few examples:

"I just want a cell phone that only makes calls!"

"Does it run Linux?"

"Video game companies do this because you're all thieves!"

"...frickin shark!"

"George Lucas sucks."

"I hate the iPhone, so everybody else should too."
... and so on. There's a lot of repetitive noise here that doesn't become fresh just because it's in a different thread. This doesn't apply in your case, but it could a year from now when somebody carbon copies your post when another company has a policy like this.