{"id":270,"date":"2006-10-09T13:49:37","date_gmt":"2006-10-09T13:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/neosmart.net\/blog\/archives\/270"},"modified":"2013-08-26T18:12:30","modified_gmt":"2013-08-26T23:12:30","slug":"zune-microsoft-drm-whats-all-the-fuss-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neosmart.net\/blog\/zune-microsoft-drm-whats-all-the-fuss-about\/","title":{"rendered":"Zune, Microsoft, & DRM: What’s all the Fuss About?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Someone help us out here. Since when does a bit of news about ‘crippled’ wi-fi activity and slightly-restricted file-sharing on a device make us lose all self-respect and denounce the product as hopeless? <\/p>\n

Are we the only ones that how that every single MP3\/Audio player to date has been successfully stripped of its firmware, souped-up, then published as a how-to on the web? But all that is besides the point: there is no evidence right now that indicates the need for anything as drastic.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First, let’s get one thing clear here: It’s not in Microsoft’s favor<\/strong> to have DRM. Any of it. Microsoft isn’t the author of the media nor does it own RIAA; Microsoft’s concerns are almost assuredly focused solely on maximizing profit and keeping their users happy. That’s the way the business world works. So the only reason DRM is in <\/em>the Zune in the first place is just because it has to be there: legal reasons, politics, etc.<\/p>\n

What that tells us is that Microsoft won’t be going out of its way to make your media-playing experience comparable to a week in the slammer (sorry Michael!<\/a>). It means that wherever possible, the best-case-scenario is most likely. And it means that whatever DRM is implemented in the Zune, it can’t possibly be so bad as to make this product a big no-no. That’s not Microsoft, Michael Robertson, or us speaking: it’s pure business.<\/p>\n

That said, there is undeniably something going on with the wi-fi. No one is really sure right now which media is subject to 3 days\/3 plays rule<\/a> – but that rule is definitely there, and not many like it. But before you scream, think about this: you can’t even share<\/em> songs on an iPod<\/strong>. i Pods don’t have wi-fi, and until they do, you can’t really compare the two. It’s not a nice rule, we don’t like it any more than you do, but that’s life.<\/p>\n

The best you can hope for is that it doesn’t apply to non-Microsoft-downloaded media files, and more importantly, that next-generation Zunes will be able to download songs and media off the net.<\/p>\n

But Zune’s DRM isn’t Viral<\/strong>. Never has been, and if the laws of business don’t suddenly change, never will. We’re not to sure who came up with this BS<\/a>, but it has no sources, and it’s been officially debunked anyhow. Just remember, Microsoft<\/em> has never pushed the boundaries of DRM, and were against Blu-Ray for that very reason<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"What matters in the end is hardware quality, style, price, and us. Just use some common sense, don’t believe every rumor you hear, and remember: worst comes to worst, in a week or less Zune will be running Linux as some hackers celebrate and prepare to release it to the public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Someone help us out here. Since when does a bit of news about ‘crippled’ wi-fi activity and slightly-restricted file-sharing on a device make us lose all self-respect and denounce the product as hopeless? Are we the only ones that how … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[99,108],"class_list":["post-270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-software","tag-drm","tag-zune"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t