| Electronic device manufacturers and content | | | | existing devices - meaning no Sony CD's or DVD's. |
| producers have | | | | There have |
| got to back away from the forest and see the light | | | | been rumors that Apple is creating a set-top box and |
| filtering | | | | service |
| throught the trees. Consumers want to control the | | | | similar to Tivo and I'd buy one in a split second as I'm |
| content | | | | sure |
| they purchase and want to be able to use their | | | | I could use my iPod, iMac and iPhoto seamlessly |
| electronic | | | | between all |
| devices together without restrictions placed on | | | | devices.Maybe they'll make a phone with a Mac OS |
| them.Standards and interoperability will have to come | | | | and a PDA as well (I |
| to digital | | | | actually used to own an early Apple Newton PDA |
| devices, just as Google co-founder Larry Page said in | | | | and oh, how I |
| his | | | | wish they had continued to develop that wonderful |
| Consumer Electronics Show keynote speech when | | | | little |
| he introduced | | | | thing). I'm happy to use anything Apple produces - but I |
| Google Video. Right now, only those video's | | | | won't switch cell providers or switch my Satellite TV |
| purchased through | | | | provider. Interoperability and standards are essential to |
| Google Video that are NOT copy protected will play | | | | me. |
| on video | | | | It's about choice. Pioneer limited my choices and lost a |
| iPods and Sony PSP's - the rest only work on Google | | | | customer and Motorola lost my ROKR iTunes phone |
| Video. news about Google Video and Digital Rights | | | | business |
| Management | | | | because the device is only available from |
| (DRM) standards of interoperability had me fuming | | | | Cingular.Obviously, I'm a Mac user and had studiously |
| about my | | | | avoided |
| inability to use my content (photos, movies, music) on | | | | purchasing Windows machines until I had to buy a |
| devices made by different manufacturers or between | | | | Windows box |
| cell phone | | | | to run business software not available for my Apple |
| providers. Today I ran across a story about an | | | | machines. |
| Anti-DRM group | | | | So I bought an extremely cheap $299 PC to run the |
| in Britain campaigning to demand an end to DRM. I'm | | | | three |
| not the only one disturbed by the fact that I | | | | programs that won't run on my Mac. That cheap |
| cannot move digitally recorded movies from my Tivo | | | | machine now |
| to my DVD | | | | serves as my DVD burner for movies (with a cheap |
| recorder (purchased for exactly that reason, but | | | | external |
| before I | | | | hard drive as movie storage drive). Pioneer lost a |
| knew it wouldn't work) I only found out that I couldn't | | | | customer |
| record movies from the Tivo to the DVD recorder | | | | because they don't allow me to record movies to |
| when I called | | | | DVD from my |
| Pioneer customer support to ask why the recorder | | | | Tivo. How about a Tivo/Apple partnership? That |
| wouldn't | | | | would be a |
| record my movies. It seems that I can only move | | | | marriage made in heaven due to the customer-centric |
| digital | | | | design |
| movies from the Tivo to my computer (which I found I | | | | and usability so elegantly addressed by both |
| could do | | | | companies.I'll put up with Apple's walled garden (iTunes |
| with free Tivo Desktop software when I called Tivo | | | | and |
| customer | | | | proprietary AAC files) and their own DRM only as |
| support.)So instead of recording directly from my Tivo | | | | long as |
| to my Pioneer | | | | everything they make works seamlessly together. |
| DVD recorder, I have to move the movie over to my | | | | Apple |
| computer | | | | products always have worked elegantly together and |
| via Tivo Desktop software, then burn a DVD from | | | | probably |
| my computer. | | | | always will. Somehow most third party software |
| Very smart move on Tivo's part, as it means I | | | | seems to |
| definitely | | | | interact well with everything else on the Macs. The |
| won't buy the DVR from my satellite TV provider | | | | moment |
| because they | | | | Motorola makes that ROKR iTunes phone available |
| don't support skipping commercials, nor do they | | | | through MY |
| support | | | | cellular provider, I'll consider buying that phone.Being in |
| moving movies to my computer.This also means I | | | | the market for a phone, I had been looking at a Palm |
| don't NEED my Pioneer DVD recorder - so | | | | Treo 650 phone/PDA and was excited when they |
| their DRM which stops Tivo digitally recorded movies | | | | introduced the |
| from | | | | new 700 model, just as I was about to make that |
| recording to DVD means that I won't use that Pioneer | | | | purchase. So |
| DVD | | | | I read a few reviews and discovered to my horror |
| recorder and will now sell it. The other DVD player | | | | that Palm |
| connected | | | | just fell victim to the dominance of Microsoft and |
| to my other television will suffice. If I want to record | | | | replaced |
| something, it goes on the Tivo because it is so easy | | | | their own well designed Palm operating system on |
| to use | | | | that new |
| and works so extremely well. I'll use the free Tivo | | | | Treo 700 with a buggy, slow and cumbersome |
| Desktop | | | | Windows OS!In the process they lost another |
| software and move it to my computer and burn | | | | customer, because I can't |
| DVD's of my | | | | stand the clunky way one must navigate with |
| recorded television and movies there.Clearly Tivo is | | | | Windows |
| doing all they can to make their device | | | | (reviewers agree) and refuse to buy that machine |
| consumer friendly - but they are being besieged by | | | | now, the |
| television | | | | same way I avoided all other PDA's running Windows |
| and movie content producers, who are screaming at | | | | for the |
| them to | | | | past 10 years. This is all because Palm couldn't port |
| stop the "piracy" of their users. Tivo now disables the | | | | Microsoft documents and Windows related bits to the |
| 30 | | | | Palm OS |
| second commercial skip button daily (which you have | | | | when corporate users required that interoperability. |
| to know | | | | Thanks |
| how to program - Select, Play, Select, 3-0, Select). | | | | to Gates & Company, Palm lost another customer - |
| They do | | | | and their |
| this via automatically updated internal software | | | | own elegant OS.If mainstream electronics device |
| because | | | | manufacturers continue to |
| advertisers screamed at them for several years | | | | take the path of least resistance by kowtowing to |
| about the | | | | content |
| consumer ability to skip commercials. The result is that | | | | producers, lowest common denominator software |
| I | | | | and stifled |
| reprogram that function daily anyway - annoying, but | | | | functionality and interoperability, then consumers will |
| not | | | | eventually find a way to take back the control. We'll |
| nearly as annoying as not being able to control my | | | | avoid |
| own device | | | | buying products (CD's & DVD's, "rented" music) that |
| the way I want to.I'm convinced that content | | | | don't |
| producers will lose this battle | | | | work with their existing devices (Tivo's, DVD |
| over the long term and I'll do all I can to fight them | | | | recorders, |
| myself, like supporting anti-DRM groups wherever I | | | | PDA's, iPods) and will find companies that make all of |
| find them. | | | | this |
| And I'll research more thoroughly before buying | | | | stuff work together and buy from them - but only so |
| products | | | | long as |
| which contain DRM to make certain they will work | | | | ALL devices and ALL content work with each other |
| with my | | | | interchangeably. |