This article from the EFF highlights a curious feature of the new Microsoft Zune – namely that it won’t play songs purchased using Microsoft’s own Plays For Sure system. And it apears they may be abandoning the technology altogether.
If you were unlucky enough to purchase songs using Plays For Sure, you can at least re-record them for your own personal use.
I guess now that Microsoft is competing against its former partners with their own Media Players it’s time to throw them all under the bus. While Microsoft does use their hardware/software business model effectively in the PC business, burning your hardware partners can’t bode well for future projects. Microsoft PC anyone?
Personally – I’m a big fan of the iPod, and I also welcome a serious challenger to the media player space. I hope the Zune does well, but if this flops, nobody’s going to break Apple’s stranglehold for a long while.
To the Zune, Alice!
TimeTrax goes belly-up
TimeTrax – the hardware/software combo that let people record XM and Sirius radio – is no longer. If you recall, these are the guys that made XM discontinue the XM PCR because of worries people were recording and splitting songs off of the radio.
It’s not that surprising – the business model was fundamentally flawed – as people weren’t willing to pay $200 for hardware to do this when programs like Replay Music and Replay A/V do a better job for a lot less.
Just how sensitive are they?
The RIAA shows an “abundance of sensitivity.”
I agree with the RIAA
Hell has not frozen over.
The RIAA is behind a compulsory licensing system for mobile phone ring tones, which would make it easier for everyone to adopt the technology. The alternative where royalties are negotiated song-by-song is being pushed by the Songwriters Guild among others.
Radio is another place where compulsory licensing is in effect, and this system was a great catalyst to the nascent radio technology.
Article here in Hollywood Reporter.
Now, if only the music labels would come up with a way to purchase unrestricted MP3s at a reasonable cost… then Hell would really have frozen over!
What’s a Nabaztag?
An intelligent electronic bunny? This is one of those products that’s either brilliant or stupid, that I wish I’d have thought of.
Read more about the Nabaztag here.
Be sure to watch the demo.
Google Snags IPTV Executive
This is interesting. From Fierce IPTV:
Back in April the industry got a whiff of Google’s future IPTV plans when the company sent out its feelers for IPTV talent: engineers, programmers and product managers. Now, OpenTV, an IPTV middleware company, has announced that its CTO, Vincent Dureau, has joined Google at a “senior engineering role.” Dureau was responsible for developing OpenTV’s key technologies, global business relationships and, in the early days, building its engineering team from scratch.
Most interestingly, Dureau took the lead of OpenTV’s advanced advertising technologies, even penning a white paper that reads: “We believe that addressable advertising, where specific video ads are targeted to specific audiences will become central to advertising on digital television within the next 5 years… advertisers will be ready to pay premium rates to cable operators who can demonstrate increased efficiency of their advertising network through targeting.”
Just last month, two research scientists at Google developed a way for your computer to quickly identify which programs you’re watching on TV and feed you personalized content based on that information. While the scientists harp on the increased personalization aspects of it, you can bet Google has its eye on an advanced advertising platform that repurposes its keyword advertising scheme for TV. Looks like Dureau could be the one spearheading this initiative.
More from the Fierce IPTV blog link.
Engadget weighs in on Sling Encryption
This article is a party-neutral summary of the At-Large Recorder and Slingbox device encryption issue.
It’s always a delight to read well-written articles. Way to go Engadget!
PC Mag Editor not happy about Sling Encryption
From Stu, one of our best customers and sources of information:
Jim Louderback, the editor of PC Mag, made a mention that his favorite add-on no longer works. He was referring to your Slingbox recorder. This was done on his podcast – What’s New Now? (July 21)
Looks like Sling is going to be facing more competition – not just from Sony’s LocationFree, but also new companies called HAVA and AirEpoch. It’s going to be hard to maintain the encryption policy, especially if the competition is open to recording.
I predict that there will be a permanent recording solution for Slingbox devices by January 1, 2007. Or even earlier if they want to HAVA good Christmas season.
Another great reason to record Sling streams
Here’s an At-Large Recorder customer who used At-Large Recorder and Slingbox to record closed-circuit surveillance video:
“I love the software and it helped catch a break-in at my house. Turned it over to the authorities.”
– Art Gimpleton
This is one example of a very good use of recording technology via a vis Sling.
Fight For Your Right to Record
I posted this on the Sling Community forum, and liked it so much, I decided to share it with you. It’s in response to why it’s such a big deal about Sling encrypting their stream. I feel it expresses what Applian stands for as a company really well.
Why should anyone care? It’s important to fight for your right to make recordings for your personal use. If you have a TiVo, imagine a world without it. Or what if ripping MP3s from a CD became illegal? Every so often, a piece of horrible legislation is proposed to curb your personal recording rights, and so far, none have passed. Even if you don’t own At-Large Recorder, you have a vested interest in retaining the status quo vis a vis your rights to record.
So far nobody’s been able to come up with a good law-based explanation why being able to record your Sling stream is illegal, or puts Sling in any legal risk. Granted there is the desire for Sling not to do more to rock the boat with the Content Owners, but recording and place-shifting are really two distinct, separate issues.
You’re already paying for your Cable or Satellite TV. You can record it via TiVo or your PC and copy it to your iPod. You should be able to do the same with your Sling stream.