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All posts tagged "playsforsure"


Thursday, January 18, 2007

Balmer: Zune's DRM is Microsoft's Future

Posted by Damion Chaplin in "Zune Software" @ 04:30 PM

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1628

"Until now, Microsoft has tried to downplay the fact that the Zune digital-rights-management system nixes the Windows Media PlaysForSure one that the company was championing until late last year. However, in an interview this week with Knowledge@Wharton, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer finally admits on the record that the Zune DRM system is the one in which Microsoft's putting its future eggs. "We thought that (PlaysForSure) was a brilliant strategy — [develop] an open ecosystem, get a lot of people [to support it]." What happened? As Ballmer puts it, "In this particular case, the whole was not bigger than the sum of the parts." And, as a result, "Apple — with one model that was simple and consistent — wound up taking 75%-80% of the market.".. "Some of our partners will say 'This wasn't partner-friendly.' But having our partners only have 20% of a market share between them is also not very partner-friendly. One of the key things … that I have learned about business partners is that business partners are your partners because they make money with you, they succeed with you. And if you don't succeed, eventually you don't have any partners.""

A very good point, and kind of one we were expecting: The PlaysForSure program just didn't work they way they wanted it to. So they looked at Apple's program and said "Hey, they're making a profit from it, so should we." So they orphaned a promising system in favor of a more restrictive one. Gee, thanks guys. Really, what they should have done (IMO) is change PFS slightly so that the existing players can still use it in the future, but the Zune also uses it. There really wasn't a reason why they needed to dump one in favor of the other. In any case, they can still pull it out of the gutter if they just change the Marketplace slightly so any PFS player can use it. Then they wouldn't be alienating any existing customers. Oh wait, this is Microsoft we're talking about... Nevermind.


Monday, December 4, 2006

Zune Content PlaysForSure?

Posted by Aaron Roma in "Zune Media" @ 07:30 AM

http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/gartenberg/archives/2006/11/zune_does_plays.html

"It seems that Zune and Plays for Sure are closely related indeed. While the Zune player will not accept content from other Plays for Sure services it seems content from the Zune marketplace will work on other Plays for Sure compatible devices (it’s clearly not something supported and certainly not clear how long it will work)."

So you're jones'n to migrate from a PlaysForSure device, to a shiny new Zune. As usual, you want to pass on your old PlaysForSure device to your spouse or child. (Don't we all?) However, due to Zune's much documented incompatibility with PlaysForSure, you’re stuck maintaining two subscriptions; one for Zune, and one for PlaysForSure, right? Well, maybe not. Apparently, while the Zune is not compatible with PlaysForSure content, a PlaysForSure device will play Zune content. For now, DRMed content download from the Zune Marketplace will play on PlaysForSure devices. The thinking goes that the Zune and PlaysForSure DRM is almost identical, with extra bits added to Zune content that the Zune player requires while a PlaysForSure device ignores them. This is a completely unofficial and unsupported scenario, and this "feature" could be "fixed" in future updates, so be cautious. Have any of you with a PlaysForSure device tried playing Zune content?


Wednesday, November 8, 2006

PlaysForMaybe? Clever, But Does It Really Matter?

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Zune Talk" @ 07:00 PM

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=364

"I thought things couldn't get any worse for Microsoft after the Vista licensing fiasco, the WGA fiasco, and the XBox 360 fiasco but this one takes the cake. I'll even bet that the folks at Apple are ROTFL at this latest Microsoft misstep. Microsoft's own Channel 9 blog has coined the term "Plays for Maybe" (via David Berlind's blog) in a brutally honest way asking: "I really don't get how the biggest software co. in the world - sets up a huge network of partners to trumpet their own technology: "plays for sure" - then when it itself enters the market - refuses to use it.""



A whole whack of blogs are up in arms about the fact that the Zune doesn't support PlaysForSure music. Meaning that if you have a large investment in, say, MSN Music downloads, they won't work on your Zune. This is old news to those of us that have been following the Zune, but evidently everyone else is just realizing it now. I guess what I'm wondering is how much it matters? I don't know a single person, offline or online, that has complained to me about having a huge investment in DRM'd WMA tracks and are ticked off the Zune won't play them. If that's you, speak up and tell me.

I have this strong sense that there's more smoke than fire with this issue, and people are getting more angry about the idea of Microsoft breaking the PlaysForSure concept than actual people with "trapped" music collections. The sad part about DRM'd music is that it's vulnerable to this sort of thing. Anyone with a significant investment in iTunes music (of which there are many more people) will face exactly the same issue if they ever break away. If you really do have a bunch of Windows Media files that are DRM'd, download and run Fairuse4WM. It works amazingly well, and will free your music from the clutches of DRM.


Friday, November 3, 2006

MSN Music Hangs Up the Boots

Posted by Darius Wey in "Zune Talk" @ 08:53 AM

http://music.msn.com/help/customer.aspx

"Beginning November 14th, 2006, MSN Music will no longer offer music downloads through the MSN Music store. The "Buy" buttons that you are used to seeing on the MSN Music album and artist pages will change to links that connect you to Zune and Real Rhapsody."



If you were one of the many who said that some of Microsoft's existing music stores would die in favour of the Zune Marketplace, you get a brownie point. Starting November 14, customers of MSN Music (a giant in the United States, Australia, and parts of Europe) will be referred to the Zune Marketplace and Real Rhapsody for online music purchases. What will this mean for songs you've already purchased? Not much. They'll still play in accordance with the existing DRM rules (five authorised computers, support for CD burning, and transfer to compatible PlaysForSure devices), and will still receive support from Microsoft even after the store closes its doors. Furthermore, any existing credit will be refundable on or after November 14, though whether this will be able to be channeled into Microsoft Points is still uncertain.

On to the bigger picture, the death of MSN Music probably won't affect the US all that much. After all, with URGE, Rhapsody, and (soon) the Zune Marketplace up and running, customers will have plenty of choice as far as PlaysForSure and Zune devices are concerned. What's not yet known is whether MSN Music stores outside of the US will also hang up the boots on November 14. If so, this will be an extremely damaging move. In Australia, for example, nineMSN Music is the largest Microsoft-based online music store (the iTunes Store takes the cake for being the largest overall). Its death would force consumers to look at lesser offerings, at least while the Zune remains a US-only release. As you can see, there are many questions that remain unanswered. Hopefully, this will become clearer in the coming days.


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