Consumers face incompatibility as digital technology moves on

As content gradually moves from physical media to downloadable content, the advantage of a quick delivery is quickly overcome by the drawbacks of restrictions.  Back in the days of analogue music up until CDs, music could easily be transferred from vinyl, CD or tape to tape.  Recording to CDs is a bit trickier for novice users; however it does not take long to get the hang of it for CDs or Music services.  However, as we are at a stage with digital music players, we run into compatibility issues, where music services require specific DRM compliant music players and copy-protected CDs cannot be transferred to the most music players.  A good example is the iPod being locked to iTunes and vice versa.

When it comes to Video, copy-protection restrictions get worse.  Copy-protection started back in the VHS stage and came to DVDs.  As DVD copy-protection was broken, the movie industry is very strict when it comes to DRM with online movie downloads.  Unlike music downloads, movies cannot be written to CD or DVD, can generally only be played on the PC they were downloaded from and almost every current movie service uses a DRM format incompatible with the others.  Currently very few services even allow movies to be transferred to a compatible video device.

If we come back to physical video playback hardware, a similar scenario is happening, even before the launch of the next generation of DVD formats.  The Sony PSP uses UMD's, their own proprietary disc format for movies, thus consumers who purchase movies for the PSP cannot play them elsewhere and vice versa (unless converted to MPEG4 and placed on a memory stick first).  With the next generation of DVD, there will be HD DVD and Blu-ray worldwide as well as EVD and FVD in a few of the poorer countries, all incompatible with each other and requiring different playback hardware. 

Take Apple. About 75 percent of digital music players sold in the U.S. are iPods, according to New York-based market-research firm NPD Group. And seven of every 10 songs sold online come from the iTunes music store, according to Nielsen SoundScan. When asked why his players aren't compatible with songs acquired from most other online music stores, or why songs bought on iTunes won't work with most other players, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs typically tells questioners that having control over the technology allows the company to innovate better. Some competitors do seem determined to horn in on Apple's strategy. Last year, Seattle-based RealNetworks Inc. launched a technology called Harmony, which allows users to download songs on its music service and play them on an iPod. On July 29 of last year Apple issued a statement accusing RealNetworks of adopting the "tactics and ethics of a hacker." In the same release, Apple also threatened that future versions of iPods might not work with Harmony. So far, RealNetworks has managed to tweak its software to counter Apple's attempts at sabotaging Harmony on its newest iPods. Microsoft Corp., meanwhile, is attempting to lessen the confusion. Last year, it launched "Plays for Sure," a marketing program that tries to make it clear to consumers which music players and providers are compatible. Under the program, participating companies -- those that license Windows Media compression and rights-management techniques -- label their products "Plays for Sure." The idea is that consumers should look for the slogan on both the players and the music they buy to be sure they will work together. But while a number of player makers -- such as Dell Inc. and iRiver Inc. -- and online music stores -- such as Yahoo Inc.'s MusicMatch and Napster -- are participating, the concept has been slow to catch on with consumers. As devices addrietary disc, the Universal Media Device, or UMD, which works only on the PlayStation Portable. Just a few movies are currently available in the UMD format, and they cost around $20 each. A Sony spokeswoman says the company wanted to develop a small, light alternative to the DVD with more copy protection. Read the full, rather lengthy article here.

As the article mentions, just as the entertainment industry are trying to fight casual copying for both online content and physical media, it is actually encouraging consumers to use file sharing networks to get around the restrictions.  For example, one may say why pay a song or move to be locked to one system, when one can download it from a file sharing network and play or transfer it to almost any device or media?

However, when it comes to different types of incompatible hardware, either the consumers will purchase which ever one becomes most popular or shies away from it altogether.  This likely explains why both iTunes and iPod has become so popular.  If a consumer chooses another player, their iTunes music will not work, where as if they choose another music provider, their iPod will not be compatible.  The same will likely happen when it comes to Blu-ray and HD DVD.  Which ever side starts grabbing more of the market will likely end up permanently becoming the market leader.

Feel free to discuss about onlines music and movie services on our Music Download, Peer to Peer (P2P) & Legal Issues.

Source: Post Gazette - Business News