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Major Release of Miro Aims to Compete With iTunes

Posted by Unknown on from the the-enemy-of-drm-is-my-friend dept.

ravrore writes "Miro 4 was released today, a major update to the popular multi-platform FOSS video player. The new version adds music support, local network stream and transfer, music purchasing, and Android syncing. Miro is positioning itself as the open iTunes for Android users. 'We believe the open media world can be just as integrated and usable as the closed, top-down, DRM'ed systems of companies like Apple. And we want to prove it,' says Nicholas Reville, Executive Director of Participatory Culture Foundation, which creates Miro." It looks like the project still has a few rough edges, but is definitely getting there.

7 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. "Open Media" by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    FOSS-speak: "Open media"

    Translation: We've got public domain crap, idiots talking to their webcams, sucky indie bands who need to practice more and promote less, and that's about it--unless you want to pirate.

    Seriously, the summary is trying to promote this as an iTunes competitor? Really? I hate Apple crap, and even *I* know that iTunes is way better than this.

    Okay, you can all mod me down now for daring to criticize an open-source project. You know you want to.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:"Open Media" by iluvcapra · · Score: 4, Informative

      No you're fine. Everybody basically acknowledges this, but you're skipping all the good closed media Miro will be selling too: the Miro will let you buy from the Amazon MP3 store, so there will be a good selection of DRM-free music available on the platform, too.

      --
      Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
    2. Re:"Open Media" by jo_ham · · Score: 3, Informative

      Sure it will, if you use something like MarkSpace's Missing Sync:

      http://www.markspace.com/products/android/missing-sync-android.html

      The sync API for iTunes is documented and available to anyone who wants to write something that works with it. What you can't do (and what Apple somehow turned into the bad guy for stamping on) is pretend to be an iPod by spoofing Apple's USB vendor ID so you can be super lazy and not write an interface to iTunes' own sync system.

      Missing Sync isn't free, but the sync API (certainly in OS X) is open and documented so you can write your own if you want to.

  2. Re:Content is king.. by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 5, Informative

    I know people seem to like to bash Apple for DRM

    And wrongly so since the music bought from iTunes hasn't had DRM in for more than 2 years now.

  3. Not going to work by gentlemen_loser · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Any time any company or organization markets itself as "the [insert adjective] [insert proper noun] alternative for the [insert other proper noun]" the group is destined to failure. The issue is, at its heart, where the company is coming from. Rather than trying to invent a great music/video player, they are trying to invent an iTunes (or anything else) clone. Please STOP! Go invent a great, open source, cross platform music player without looking at iTunes and people will come.

    Don't believe me? In the electronic music community, there is a synth called Zebra 2. Its from a company run and developed entirely by one guy who never advertised it. He never pitched it as the "something for the something else alternative." He just made a great fucking synth. After a short amount of time, word got out, all of the music rags covered it, and now it tops all of the "greatest synth" lists.

    You will never get anywhere making a clone. You'll always be a step behind.

  4. I Use Miro by Gnaythan1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've had it on my computer for a couple years now. It had codecs for a bunch of videos I had on my system from a LONG time ago. I like it. I noticed a new update popped up when I watched a video on it yesterday. I always have a couple redundant systems on my computer so if one of my old files doesn't work I can test it on something else. Miro is as good as anything else for watching movies on, and having options besides the big dominating one is always a good thing.
    .

  5. The power behind Apple by theurge14 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Apple had the power to leverage (iPod sales, etc) to convince the large record companies to make their music available to purchase through the iTunes store.

    Does an open source venture such as Miro have that sort of power?

    (And do the people at Miro realize that iTunes tracks have been DRM free for over 2 years now?)