20th Century Fox has announced that the special-edition DVD for “Live Free or Die Hard” will include a “DRM-free” computer file of the movie, playable through Windows’ PlaysForSure software. We suppose you can call this DRM-free, but it obviously doesn’t mean it’s not restricted. To access the file, you will have to insert the disc into your computer, then enter an authorization code that’s included in the DVD case. Once it’s copied over, you can play it on your PC or portable media players that use the PlaysForSure software.
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Blu-Ray DRM Rendering Some Discs Unplayable
By 10.9.07
Remember when DVD-type players didn’t require “firmware updates?” Ahh, those halcyon days of um, last year…
By 10.3.07
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Radiohead’s pay-what-you-want experiment is going well, according to a band spokesman, who says that “most people are deciding on a normal retail price with very few trying to buy it for a penny.” Most pre-orders so far have been for the more expensive (we guess?) disc-box version, which comes with a book, two CDs, vinyl copies, more songs, and a ringtone of Thom Yorke mewing like a hurt cat. Oh, wait, no ringtone—that would make it a Ringle. [Wired]
Just How Good Is The New Amazon MP3 Store?
By 10.1.07
A reviewer at TidBITS gives a non-technical review of the new Amazon music store, a direct competitor to iTunes Music Store that Amazon launched last week. Their verdict? The download software could use work, but overall it’s “not too shabby.”
Is The Consumer Backlash Against DRM Starting To Make Them Sweat?
By 9.24.07
Consumers don’t like DRM and neither do we, but quite honestly—we thought no one cared what we liked and disliked.
NBC Announces Free "Downloads" Of TV Shows
By 9.21.07
NBC makes many of its popular shows available online in streaming media, which means that fans can watch episodes on their computers. Under the new NBC service, called NBC Direct, consumers will be able to download, for no fee, NBC programs like “Heroes,” “The Office” and “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on the night that they are broadcast and keep them for seven days. They would also be able to subscribe to shows, guaranteeing delivery each week.
Apple May Be Plotting iTunes Movie Rental Service
By 9.12.07
According to CNNMoney, Apple may be plotting an iTunes movie rental service that would allow iPod users to rent and watch a movie for 30 days without purchasing the entire film. Rumors place the rental fee at about $2.99.
Ready To Give Up Paper Books Yet? Amazon & Google Hope So
By 9.8.07
The “promise” of e-books is so old it’s got hair on it, but now two online giants are stepping up to the plate with their own spin on how best to sell books digitally. Next month, Amazon will finally release its long-rumored Kindle, an e-ink reader which will wirelessly connect to Amazon via EVDO, so you can purchase books even more easily than new iPod Touch owners can buy songs while they’re at Starbucks. And before the end of the year, Google will start charging for full online access to some digital copies of books in its database.
NBC Will Not Renew iTunes Contract
By 8.31.07
The New York Times is reporting that NBC will not renew its contract to provide content to Apple’s iTunes service. A spokesperson from NBC confirmed the decision after an anonymous source leaked it to the Times but did not comment on why NBC was dropping iTunes.
"Bioshock" Comes With Nasty DRM That Sets Off Anti-Virus Software, Ruins Everyone's Day
By 8.23.07
We’ve been hearing all this fantastic sh*t about how we omg, totally have to get Bioshock right now. Well, it seems that although the game is cool, the DRM is a huge pain in the ass.
Google Is Sorry, Will Offer Full Refunds To Video Customers
By 8.22.07
Google has admitted to making a mistake with its poorly conceived (and received) plan to offer Google check out credits to customers who had purchased videos on its recently discontinued video download service.
Google Taking Back All Videos You Rented or Bought From Them
By 8.12.07
As of next Wednesday, you will no longer be able to view any videos you rented or purchased from Google Video. We’ll assume this only directly affects, like, the six of you out there who tried out their service, but it’s still a striking example of how badly consumers are treated when they “buy” DRM-shackled media online. According to boingboing.net, Google’s giving their abandoned customers credits that they have to spend (within 60 days) via Google Checkout.
Emusic Makes Deal With AT&T
By 8.1.07
According to an AT&T press release, DRM-free online music giant eMusic has cut a deal with AT&T to offer music that can be downloaded to certain AT&T handsets, with a duplicate DRM-free track also delivered to the user’s computer.
iTunes DRM-Free Music Selling Like Crazy?
By 6.20.07
According to the Inquirer, sales of “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon increase by between 272 and 350 percent… OK Go’s Oh No increased 77 per cent. Coldplay’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head jumped 115 percent.”
HBO Exec Wants To Change "DRM" to "Digital Consumer Enablement"
By 5.10.07
Get ready for DCE, or “Digital Consumer Enablement”, HBO’s new name for DRM. HBO’s CTO Bob Zitter says DRM is a misnomer, because the technology “allows consumers “to use content in ways they haven’t before.”
Sony Recalls Broken DRM-Filled DVDs
By 4.18.07
Sony’s latest bright idea was to issue DVDs with DRM that made them unplayable in their own DVD players. Yes, they’re just that committed to you, their valuable customers. Anyhow, they’ve decided to recall the discs. From IMDb:
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has discovered the source of a problem in their recent DVD releases that prevented them from being played on some players, including some manufactured by the consumer electronics division of Sony itself. The company said the problem was caused by an update of its copy-protection system, which it continually updates in order to derail potential hackers. Among the DVD movies affected were the new James Bond film Casino Royale, The Pursuit of Happyness and Stranger Than Fiction. Sony said that anyone who had purchased one of the discs and has experienced problems playing it may receive a replacement disk free of charge by phoning 800-860-2878.
Reader Mick will be happy about this, as he started a blog about the issue. The recall is probably due in part to his reporting. Good job, Mick! —MEGHANN MARCO
Adobe Adds DRM To Flash
By 4.17.07
“Adobe has created the first way for media companies to release video content, secure in the knowledge that advertising goes with it,” James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research said.
Pay What You Want For Independent Music With Songslide
By 4.9.07
Songslide may be a glimpse into the future of online music, where consumers choose how much to pay artists for high quality DRM-free downloads. Songslide was founded by John Brewer and Devin Heard, two musicians who found that fans paid more for music when given the freedom to choose the price.
We started SongSlide because we believe there is a huge well of untapped generosity out there in the world of independent music. We believe that when fans are given the choice to support their favorite artists by paying more for their music, they will pay more. Why? Because it feels great to support the musicians you love. And because fans know it will make a difference to the artists.
The minimum price is $0.59 per track. The more you pay, the more the artist receives. Since Songslide’s launch, the average price per track has been $2.08.
