A reporter from The Inquirer is relating a great story for thought today. It actually began last June, via a letter he received by email, that was the catalyst to this very interesting rant. As you read the letter below, it is important to note that the now presumably ex-customer of HBO, could have done what he wanted with a VCR. Of course, we all see the handwriting on the wall and realise that the world is going digital. So prepare yourself for the future.
In case you haven't read about CGMS-A or the Copy Generation Management System for Analog, it's a plug for the so-called "analog hole". You can read about it here in this PDF from HBO, that was sent sent to it's affilliates last spring.
|
I purchased a $2,000 Gateway Media Center PC a few months ago for the express purpose of 1) recording my favorite HBO shows (Sopranos, Six Feet Under, etc.) and burning DVD's for my private collection; and 2) converting my home videos to DVD. All has been going fine, until 2 nights ago. I recorded Six Feet Under and then opened up Sonic MyDVD, as usual, to import the video, edit out the beginning and ending junk, and burn a DVD for my personal use. I got a message saying it couldn't be done because the file was copy protected! Huh? Turns out that a couple of days ago, HBO started encrypting all of its programs with CGMS-A. They allow you to "copy" a program that you record from their signal once. The trouble is that they consider that one-time copy to be recording the program onto your hard drive, not taking it from the hard drive to a DVD. THAT SUCKS OUT LOUD and I am extremely angry, as you can imagine. The files are HUGE and, even though I have a 200 gb hard drive, I can't keep them there forever. MediaCenter records tv shows with a dvr.ms extension. |
What we have to remember here is that the above scenario would not have been possible without the tender loving care dished out to that consumer by Microsoft, Sonic and of course Gateway. The author of the article hits the nail on the head when he asks: "Why would a consumer want to buy something that has more restrictions and less functionality for more money than current solutions?" That is just a snippet of the complete letter and article which is quite volatile. Please visit the over at the Inquirer, then come back and give us your thoughts on this matter. Do you agree with what this reporter is trying to say? Is there a chance that the DRM model is going to go too far?
Also, it probably would be a good idea for us to keep an eye on this "Digital Living Network Alliance" or DLNA. This is a consortium of 160+ corporate members that has formed "an entire ecosystem of companies that together offer consumers a broad set of complementary products and services. An ecosystem properly designed for digital interoperability must start with the consumer in mind and include contributors that can help bring all the necessary elements of the digital home network to market." Yeah sure, I'm not buying that one either!
Source: The Inquirer
