Open source lobby: "We'll get the EU to stop your telly"

SD cards (again)

James O'Neill's blog — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:37:24 GMT

I was about to say some things about Vista and TV when I realized I had actually said them a few months

re: Open source lobby: "We'll get the EU to stop your telly"

James ONeill — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 23:15:55 GMT

Without DRM some content won't get released (the BBC stuff is a case in point).

Apple don't want to open up their DRM because it locks iPod owners into the iTunes store.

You can't have Open Source DRM apps and the Open source community don't like DRM anyhow.

So the question really is should Microsoft do Windows-Media Player for mac (like we do office for mac) - what about Windows Media player for Linux ?

re: Open source lobby: "We'll get the EU to stop your telly"

Mark Wilson — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 16:20:00 GMT

I'm not arguing FOR a monopoly... I'm just saying if we have to have DRM (personally, I'm not convinced that it is absolutely necessary), then that the major vendors should work together and define a common standard so that ease of use is maintained for all consumers, regardless of their device/platform choice.

re: Open source lobby: "We'll get the EU to stop your telly"

James ONeill — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:31:45 GMT

Mark, I think you missed the point about the whole back catalogue being downloadable. It would be great if for the BBC (et al) if they could charge for their back catalog. It's hard to do that if free downloads last forever and can be freely swapped. To make money out the back catalogue AND offer a "replay" service.

You say

" multiple competing DRM systems are anti-consumer as they impinge on the ease of use."

I'm confused, was that a mis-edit or are you're now arguing FOR a monopoly ...

Look, only the courts will get Apple to open up the iPod and give up the monopoly the iTunes store has. (And the French nearly did). Since Apple's DRM works under windows the BBC could have made everyone get that - which would be less unpopular than their previous use of Real Player. But every other maker of Music players would be up in arms.

We could bring back Windows-Media player-for-mac but I threw out the question orginally. Would the Linux commmunity (who are the ones complaining here) accept a Microsoft player ?

re: Open source lobby: "We'll get the EU to stop your telly"

Mark Wilson — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 22:02:11 GMT

James,

I'll freely admit that you make some valid points... and I definitely don't want to turn this discussion into an Apple vs. Microsoft one - there are far better things to discuss in this world, especially on a Microsoft blog!

"Why not put the whole back catalogue up for on-demand download"

Why not indeed? Price it around the same as for existing VHS or DVD-based distributions and share the royalties in a similar manner. This would also get around some of the issues with limiting the BBC's Internet content to UK consumers. And the way that EMI have opened their music catalogue is particularly interesting - I can have the low-quality DRM-restricted version for one price, or the higher-quality, DRM-free version for a small (25%) premium (both versions contain tracking information).

Quoting you from elsewhere "If legal copies are easy to work with and cheap the incentive for piracy goes away"

Absolutely - which is why multiple competing DRM systems are anti-consumer as they impinge on the ease of use. Seems to me that the French had something right in wanting Apple to open up its closed ecosystem.

"Would you want the BBC to spend millions writing, testing and supporting an in-house cross platform DRM product" No. If we have to have DRM, I'd like Apple, Microsoft and whoever else to work together and provide an industry standard that we can all use, whatever the operating system.

Cheers, Mark

re: Open source lobby: "We'll get the EU to stop your telly"

James ONeill — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 21:18:02 GMT

You should understand that Apple makes money from having a closed eco-system round iTunes - open up the DRM to other vendors (as the French wanted) and people would have to buy from the iTunes store. I don't see any prospect of our hacking the iPod to put code on it to support another kind of DRM.

I can see EMI making it's catalogue available DRM-Free to paying customers (at a premium and with tracing infomrmation in the file). But You'd have to change TV and Radio contracts to do the same - if there is no time limit, why not put the whole back catalogue up for on-demand download. If performers aren't paid for those downloads, why pay repeat fees ?

Net: until it's chilly in hell there were be DRM. If a world without DRM isn't a choice, which benefits consumers ? Making stuff available with DRM or not making it available at all ?

Would you want the BBC to spend millions writing, testing and supporting an in-house cross platform DRM product, or putting the money into making TV and using a DRM platform which is already on most users computers ?

re: Open source lobby: "We'll get the EU to stop your telly"

Mark Wilson — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 03:05:14 GMT

Hi James,

Whilst taking on board your comments re: permanence, we have been able to do this for years with analogue recordings - it's only now that digital media is taking a hold that the media companies are getting concerned.

I for one was pretty annoyed when instead of the Now Show (a popular BBC Radio 4 comedy), my chosen podcatcher captured a recording that told me the availability of such shows as podcasts was a trial that had now ended and that I could still listen again online for up to 7 days.

Pah! BBC/Channel 4 or whoever - DRM... grrr... limiting a service to a single platform (even one with 90% market share of the OPERATING SYSTEM market) is not in the interests of consumers. The open source guys may have got it wrong (and the EU certainly did with Windows XP N) - but so have the major software vendors. I'd like to see all media companies follow EMI's example and release content in a DRM-free format but I also appreciate that blue moons are rare and it will be a cold day in hell before that happens. So, why doesn't the operating system vendor with 90% of the market start working to make its minority DRM schemes (yes, plural - Zune and Plays4Sure) compatible with Apple's FairPlay (i.e. for the media platform with 90% of the digital media market). Ah yes... co-operation for the benefit of consumers... guess we're back to that day when hell freezes over ;-)

</ mark>

P.S. Shameless plug - I wrote a bit on this subject back in February - http://www.markwilson.co.uk/blog/2007/02/do-we-really-need-trusted-computing-and.htm - some things have moved on since then but most of what I wrote still stands.

University Update - DRM - Open source lobby: "We'll get the EU to stop your telly"

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:54:19 GMT

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