Peeved with the restrictive practices imposed by video rights management?

[EC8010]

Sorry about the long thread title, but I couldn't think of any other way of describing what Micky$oft and Hollywood are doing to cripple home PCs (as if they needed any help).

I've just spent some time reading through this Vista document:

http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...vista_cost.txt

I once tried watching a (legit) DVD on my PC and gave up after two minutes because the picture on my (19") monitor was too small to be tolerated. Now, it appears that I'm going to be forced to pay not to be able to do something I didn't want to be able to do anyway. And when my PC falls over, I won't know if it's a genuine fault or a Windoze-induced DRM fault.

And will it achieve its stated purpose? Probably not. I've pretty well given up buying CDs because the record industry has simultaneously priced themselves out of the market and reduced the quality of their product (audio compression and limiting to maximise loudness). I can't be the only one who has decided that they'll spend their money elsewhere. The media industry's falling sales are to do with their poor products, not rampant piracy. Remember "Home taping is killing music"? That was an 80s fiction that tried to stop people making cassette (poor quality) copies of copyrighted material they had already bought in order to play the material in a more convenient way (in the car or whilst riding their bike).

The argument now runs that because a digital copy is potentially as good as the original, everyone will copy it. I don't bother copying other people's CDs because the content's simply not worth it. I buy LPs instead. The genuine software pirates will have the resources to crack anything and will continue to sell millions of copies...

Perhaps I'm alone in the world, but I use my PC for office stuff and that's what I expect it to do (without falling over). If I want to watch a film, I watch it on my TV and if I want to listen to music, I play it on my Hi-Fi. I don't expect to pay extra to prevent me from doing what I didn't want to do in the first place...

[Geek]

Look for a Canadian version?

Our CPCC law allows us DRM free copies for BU or personal use

[Nordic]

Look, even Bill Gates came right out and said, its better to go out and just buy the CD or DVD you want until all this DRM mess gets sorted.

[EC8010]

Originally posted by Nordic
Look, even Bill Gates came right out and said, its better to go out and just buy the CD or DVD you want until all this DRM mess gets sorted.

? You've lost me.

[Nordic]

Was an article late last year quoting BG to that effect... was big boohaa as can be imagined with microsoft being the henchman of the DRM deamon.

Will look for it a bit later, have an idea where I saw it.

Aaah wait

In a recent interview, Bill Gates said these fine things about DRM:

- "DRM is not where it should be"
- "causes too much pain for legitmate buyers"
- "huge problems"
- "People should just buy a cd and rip it. You are legal then."

http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/14...future-of-drm/

[SY]

It's going to get worse. The new rulers of America are deeply in hock to the Hollywood crew and RIAA who are behind all this paranoia.

[Nordic]

I believe the RIAA is trying their best to reduce royalties paid to artists at the moment...makes you wonder who's side they are realy on hey...



RIAA petitions to lower artist royalties, weakens piracy arguments
http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/09/r...iracy-argumen/

[theAnonymous1]

Whats the beef with PC; Apple has no halo over it's head either.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...122901057.html

What more specifically is the problem your so peeved about?

I once tried watching a (legit) DVD on my PC and gave up after two minutes because the picture on my (19") monitor was too small to be tolerated. Now, it appears that I'm going to be forced to pay not to be able to do something I didn't want to be able to do anyway. And when my PC falls over, I won't know if it's a genuine fault or a Windoze-induced DRM fault.

I don't get the connection between Windows DRM and whatever you were trying to get across there. Maybe I'm just slow.

Ah wait; I am just slow..... I think. I'm guessing it has to do with the unread-ably long and boring text about crippled media features in Vista.

I don't plan on upgrading to Vista when it's available. I'm just going to stick with XP until it becomes so obsolete I don't have a choice but to upgrade........... to linux.

[EC8010]

Originally posted by theAnonymous1
What more specifically is the problem your so peeved about? I don't get the connection between Windows DRM and whatever you were trying to get across there.

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. Having discovered that nobody in their right mind would attempt to watch a film on a computer, I now find that the aim of DRM is to stop me doing something I wouldn't have done anyway, oh, and charge me for the privilege.

[theAnonymous1]

Originally posted by EC8010


Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. Having discovered that nobody in their right mind would attempt to watch a film on a computer, I now find that the aim of DRM is to stop me doing something I wouldn't have done anyway, oh, and charge me for the privilege.

Perfectly clear now. Your original wording had my tired brain spinning a bit.

You would REALLY hate my setup in my living room. I watch tv/dvds on a 15" LCD from 9' away when I don't feel like burning up lamp hours on my projector. It's on a hinge so I fold it down when I want to watch stuff big.

http://i12.tinypic.com/2qixuuc.jpg
http://i10.tinypic.com/30sh893.jpg