My point is these are scarce, compared with the vast majority of DVD players on the market. And they are just a lawsuit away from being illegal since they are capable of bypassing a copy control measure.
The other point is that future technology (that should be available today) will provide more control to the content industry. Technology exists today for HD-DVD. There are multiple different technologies and standards which currently exist and are also under development.
Negotiations are under way to determine how that technology will be restricted or controlled.
Region free DVD players only exist because they preceeded the regional coding standard. Nextgen HD-DVD players will contain the content control as they roll off the assembly line.
Manufacturers will not dare try to bypass the control mechanisms for fear of lawsuits. Technology will be stifled and some day people will forget that they once had some degree of ownership and control.
The broadcast industry is in a transition right now to digital TV. That transition is supposed to take place by 2006/2007. At that point, stations are supposed to stop broadcasting legacy analog. In other words, your TV will no longer pick up any TV stations over the air.
Most HDTVs do not have a tuner built in. They also will not be able to pick up any signals.
In walks the digital (HDTV) decoder/receiver box. The content industry wants control of this box. They are trying to force manufacturers to lock the user out of any control of the signal, including any recording. They are pusing to force the manufacturers of decoder boxes to force down the resolution of any analog non content control outputs.
Now why would they do this? They claim it is so that people will not have "perfect" copies of their content like movies, TV shows, etc. They claim this is necessary due to the ability to copy and distribute content so readily.
The real reason is if they control the entire distribution system, they can control prices. They can sell you the same content over and over, just like they sold you the same tapes you bought on CD and soon SACD/DVDA, just like they sold you the same content you own on video on DVD and soon to be the HD-DVD.
Additionally, they don't want you to be able to record any programs to watch at your leisure, fast forward through, or skip commercials on (unless of course they control that feature and charge a usage fee).
This is a big deal. The content industry if unchecked, will make legacy HDTVs not function properly (low rez).
Okay, so you have a HDTV satellite receiver? Think you're immune? Think again. Who is really in control? You don't have control of your receiver. Only under the graces of the broadcaster does your equipment function. Just like cable, they can force an upgrade at any time which will render your equipment useless, or will charge additional fees for functionality.
The end goal of the content industry is total control of all content, where end users only license material and do not own anything. The industry would love to engage in discriminatory pricing, price fixing, artificial scarcity, etc.
And this would be one step in that direction. All they would need is some quirky US law that makes it illegal to bypass their control...
This is part of a series of legal positioning that the broadcast/content industry is pushing. The end goal is to control content from the airwaves to the receiver to display.
While there are currently analog loopholes, the content industry is pushing to close them. While it is true that there are ways to technically get around these content control measures, they may not be legal. What good does it do if you can record in HDTV but all the manufacturers of HDTVs or decoders force down resolution for all analog outputs if the content contains a broadcast flag.
Take a look into the past. The first DVD players were able to get around regional coding. It didn't take long before all new DVD players implemented the regional restrictions. Try buying a player in the US that can circumvent regional coding from any major retailer. They simply don't exist.
Handing the keys over to the content industry or broadcasters is a bad idea. It may be a minor inconvenience right now, but a step along the way for total control.
If they had their way, the VCR would never exist as we know it. It would be a device that totally limits what the user can do, just like DVD players are now. Want to play a DVD legally purchased from Asia or the UK? Too bad. Want to fast forward past the commercials on the DVD you purchased? Too bad. Want to try and bypass any of these "features"? Go to jail.
Here are the price comparison numbers I came up with.
From apple:
Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5
1GHz frontside bus
512K L2 cache/processor
512MB DDR400 128-bit SDRAM (1GB add $250)
Expandable to 8GB SDRAM
160GB Serial ATA
SuperDrive
Three PCI-X Slots
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro
64MB DDR video memory
56K internal modem
$2,999.00 +250 = 3250
When I went to alienware and created the same system(had to downgrade to 9600, upgrade dvdrm/cdrw combo, 160gb hd, add modem, remove video cooler solution) I came up with a $2991 total. And that is before the $200 mail in alienware rebate.
$2791 alienware 64FX system vs $3250 dual G5 equivalent systems. Toss out the modem and save another ~$60 vs 29 for apple(alienware modem is overpriced).
Although, the real cost for me would be around $1000 since I already have a HDD, modem, memory, case, videocard, mouse, keyboard, etc. vs ??? for apple. Does apple even sell motherboard/cpu upgrade kits?
To me, it looks like the dual G5 price / performance ratio is worse than the 64FX.
Another advantage of the AMD 64FX is that you can shop around a number of different suppliers that put together different custom systems and pick and choose the parts you need. The options apple provided paled in comparison to alienware.
I guess I don't understand how it can control your access to the music. The music is contained in files, which are on the CD. I have had many CDs with autorun, where they try to install software, I cancel the install, however I can still access the files by using explorer on the CD drive. I'm not talking about access to the proprietary music format files, I am talking about the ones that any ordinary CD player recognizes. As such, any music player or CD ripper should still function normally. How do they disable access to the music files?
To me, this new software sounds almost like a virus. While it does lack the automatic proliferation features which widely distribute typical viruses, it does install unwanted software without the consent of the user which cripples the functionality of the machine.
There is nothing wrong with autorun. However, most programs are polite enough to ask your permission to proceed prior to installing/infecting your system.
It also seems ridiculous that a company actually might have a case based on the DMCA for suing someone for telling people how to stop an unwanted feature. If "trusted computing" makes it way into our computers, we will reall have no control.
Can someone explain to me more details on how this DRM software works? Does it only need to be installed once or does it only load into memory when the particular CD is in? Does it affect other CDs that do not have the DRM installed?
The real answer here is to return the CD to the retailer as a defective CD and not buy from that label/distributer again. Anything with the Compact Disc badge should be compatible in all players.
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My point is these are scarce, compared with the vast majority of DVD players on the market. And they are just a lawsuit away from being illegal since they are capable of bypassing a copy control measure.
The other point is that future technology (that should be available today) will provide more control to the content industry. Technology exists today for HD-DVD. There are multiple different technologies and standards which currently exist and are also under development.
Negotiations are under way to determine how that technology will be restricted or controlled.
Region free DVD players only exist because they preceeded the regional coding standard. Nextgen HD-DVD players will contain the content control as they roll off the assembly line.
Manufacturers will not dare try to bypass the control mechanisms for fear of lawsuits. Technology will be stifled and some day people will forget that they once had some degree of ownership and control.
The broadcast industry is in a transition right now to digital TV. That transition is supposed to take place by 2006/2007. At that point, stations are supposed to stop broadcasting legacy analog. In other words, your TV will no longer pick up any TV stations over the air.
Most HDTVs do not have a tuner built in. They also will not be able to pick up any signals.
In walks the digital (HDTV) decoder/receiver box. The content industry wants control of this box. They are trying to force manufacturers to lock the user out of any control of the signal, including any recording. They are pusing to force the manufacturers of decoder boxes to force down the resolution of any analog non content control outputs.
Now why would they do this? They claim it is so that people will not have "perfect" copies of their content like movies, TV shows, etc. They claim this is necessary due to the ability to copy and distribute content so readily.
The real reason is if they control the entire distribution system, they can control prices. They can sell you the same content over and over, just like they sold you the same tapes you bought on CD and soon SACD/DVDA, just like they sold you the same content you own on video on DVD and soon to be the HD-DVD.
Additionally, they don't want you to be able to record any programs to watch at your leisure, fast forward through, or skip commercials on (unless of course they control that feature and charge a usage fee).
This is a big deal. The content industry if unchecked, will make legacy HDTVs not function properly (low rez).
Okay, so you have a HDTV satellite receiver? Think you're immune? Think again. Who is really in control? You don't have control of your receiver. Only under the graces of the broadcaster does your equipment function. Just like cable, they can force an upgrade at any time which will render your equipment useless, or will charge additional fees for functionality.
The end goal of the content industry is total control of all content, where end users only license material and do not own anything. The industry would love to engage in discriminatory pricing, price fixing, artificial scarcity, etc.
And this would be one step in that direction. All they would need is some quirky US law that makes it illegal to bypass their control...
end of transmission.
This is part of a series of legal positioning that the broadcast/content industry is pushing. The end goal is to control content from the airwaves to the receiver to display.
While there are currently analog loopholes, the content industry is pushing to close them. While it is true that there are ways to technically get around these content control measures, they may not be legal. What good does it do if you can record in HDTV but all the manufacturers of HDTVs or decoders force down resolution for all analog outputs if the content contains a broadcast flag.
Take a look into the past. The first DVD players were able to get around regional coding. It didn't take long before all new DVD players implemented the regional restrictions. Try buying a player in the US that can circumvent regional coding from any major retailer. They simply don't exist.
Handing the keys over to the content industry or broadcasters is a bad idea. It may be a minor inconvenience right now, but a step along the way for total control.
If they had their way, the VCR would never exist as we know it. It would be a device that totally limits what the user can do, just like DVD players are now. Want to play a DVD legally purchased from Asia or the UK? Too bad. Want to fast forward past the commercials on the DVD you purchased? Too bad. Want to try and bypass any of these "features"? Go to jail.
It looks like all my formatting got screwed up. How do you get slashdot to post as written (with spaces, empty lines, bullets)? Thanks.
Here are the price comparison numbers I came up with. From apple: Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5 1GHz frontside bus 512K L2 cache/processor 512MB DDR400 128-bit SDRAM (1GB add $250) Expandable to 8GB SDRAM 160GB Serial ATA SuperDrive Three PCI-X Slots ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 64MB DDR video memory 56K internal modem $2,999.00 +250 = 3250 When I went to alienware and created the same system(had to downgrade to 9600, upgrade dvdrm/cdrw combo, 160gb hd, add modem, remove video cooler solution) I came up with a $2991 total. And that is before the $200 mail in alienware rebate. $2791 alienware 64FX system vs $3250 dual G5 equivalent systems. Toss out the modem and save another ~$60 vs 29 for apple(alienware modem is overpriced). Although, the real cost for me would be around $1000 since I already have a HDD, modem, memory, case, videocard, mouse, keyboard, etc. vs ??? for apple. Does apple even sell motherboard/cpu upgrade kits? To me, it looks like the dual G5 price / performance ratio is worse than the 64FX. Another advantage of the AMD 64FX is that you can shop around a number of different suppliers that put together different custom systems and pick and choose the parts you need. The options apple provided paled in comparison to alienware.
I guess I don't understand how it can control your access to the music. The music is contained in files, which are on the CD. I have had many CDs with autorun, where they try to install software, I cancel the install, however I can still access the files by using explorer on the CD drive. I'm not talking about access to the proprietary music format files, I am talking about the ones that any ordinary CD player recognizes. As such, any music player or CD ripper should still function normally. How do they disable access to the music files?
To me, this new software sounds almost like a virus. While it does lack the automatic proliferation features which widely distribute typical viruses, it does install unwanted software without the consent of the user which cripples the functionality of the machine. There is nothing wrong with autorun. However, most programs are polite enough to ask your permission to proceed prior to installing/infecting your system. It also seems ridiculous that a company actually might have a case based on the DMCA for suing someone for telling people how to stop an unwanted feature. If "trusted computing" makes it way into our computers, we will reall have no control. Can someone explain to me more details on how this DRM software works? Does it only need to be installed once or does it only load into memory when the particular CD is in? Does it affect other CDs that do not have the DRM installed? The real answer here is to return the CD to the retailer as a defective CD and not buy from that label/distributer again. Anything with the Compact Disc badge should be compatible in all players.