by Nick
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 9:51 AM
I am very proud of the fact that I do not have a single piece of DRM protected music on my computer. Period. I want to own my music, and be sure that if I buy a new device, it will play said music. Period. Here is a perfect example of why I do this:
In yesterday's announcement of the new Zune media player and Zune Marketplace, Microsoft (and many press reports) glossed over a remarkable misfeature that should demonstrate once and for all how DRM and the DMCA harm legitimate customers.
Microsoft's Zune will not play protected Windows Media Audio and Video purchased or "rented" from Napster 2.0, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Unlimited, Movielink, Cinemanow, or any other online media service. That's right -- the media that Microsoft promised would Play For Sure doesn't even play on Microsoft's own device. Buried in footnote 4 of its press release, Microsoft clearly states that "Zune software can import audio files in unprotected WMA, MP3, AAC; photos in JPEG; and videos in WMV, MPEG-4, H.264" -- protected WMA and WMV (not to mention iTunes DRMed AAC) are conspicuously absent.
That's right. Microsoft's own player won't even play music that has been protected by the DRM format they pushed. From a business perspective, this is just stupid. Microsoft has actually had a very strong history of backwards compatibility. Windows is a great example of this commitment. Why they're screwing their customers now, for really no good reason, is a complete mystery.
But more to the point... my faith in the MP3 format is once again justified. Via Slashdot.