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The Perils of DRM — When Content Providers Die
An anonymous reader writes "If you purchase music or movies online, what happens if the vendor goes out of business? Will you have trouble accessing your content? The question came up recently after HDGiants — provider of high-quality audio and video downloads — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. A consumer says his content became locked inside his PC. Walmart customers suffered a similar fate last year when the retailer shut down its DRM servers (a decision they reversed after many complaints). And if Vudu dies? Your content may be locked in a proprietary box forever. Time to start buying discs again?"
First Post!
And I'm sure this is the first article to raise this objection! :-)
Its obvious that the only reason media companies fail is because of piracy. I pulled numbers out of thin air that show this
company would have made over $44billion a year if it wasnt for pirates. They should use more DRM, so much that every customer
needs a signed statement that promises no other person, animal, vegetable or mineral will see, hear, smell or even know the media
is playing. Activating the media should require a DNA sample.
I am a free slashdotter. I will not be modded, blogged, DRM'd, patented, podcasted or RFID'd. My life is my own.
That's why I just buy sheet music. That way I don't have to be at the stereo to listen to music. What happens when electricity is not available?
> PERFORM BRAILLE MUSIC
The grues are lulled to sleep by your masterful humming.
Back when Edison was offering music on wax cyllinders you could buy, I avoided going with George Westinghouse scheme to stream music. I wanted to own it! but now I can't find a player for them.
But I learned my lesson. Now I buy the bands them selves, house them onsite, and have them play for me. But would you not know it? those ingrates have started dieing on me. Again I'm stuck with music containers I can play.
Damn you RIAA!
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Why is this effectively any different than the guy who can't watch his RCA Selectavision discs because no one manufactures the player anymore? Hello?! It's dead tech. You lose for making a bad bet. Buy a set of patch cables and port your crap over to your new system and suck up the generational loss like we ALL had to before the digital age. Or, buy new stuff from a more reliable vendor. Now, excuse me while I go listen to my 8-track!