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Report – Some Video iPods Incompatible With iTunes Video Rentals

Jorge — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:12:48 +0000

A report on Wired says that some iPods are not compatible with the iTunes video rental store. Not good news for fifth generation iPod owners planning on using the service.

“We just have to make [piracy] as difficult and as tedious as possible,” Dan Glickman, Motion Picture Association of America said during an interview on the internet documentary filmSteal this Film 2, “and we have to let people know that there are consequences if they are caught.”

It’s one of the bigger lines pushed by the movie studios on movie piracy. Unfortunately for the MPAA, an authorized venue may be much more difficult and tedious, let alone expensive, to rent movies on iTunes for some iPod owners than some alternatives.

Some are speculating that it is the result of Digital Rights Management, the same DRM that major copyright holders say offers consumers choice – whether it be a seucirty flaw or simply a way to encourage 5th generation iPod owners to buy the latest iPod. Some Apple iPod owners expressed frustration and anger when they found out that they are the proud owner of an incompatible iPod. This is despite the fact that the iPods are actually capable of video playback in the first place. Whether it’s a security glitch or something more sinister at work, Apple has yet to make an official statement on the matter.

For some, the DRM incompatibility argument dates back to at least since the launch of Napster 2.0. This is particularly the case when the Electronic Frontier Foundation posted a guide entitled, ‘The Customer is Always Wrong’ back in 2005. Since then, some music services like

Company targets Apple, Microsoft and others for not using enough DRM

soulxtc — Sat, 12 May 2007 01:16:47 +0000

What do Vista, Flash, RealPlayer, and iTunes have in common? According to Media Rights Technologies (MRT), all of them are infringing products under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and MRT has just sent cease-and-desist letters to Microsoft, Adobe, Real, and Apple.

“Together these four companies are responsible for 98 percent of the media players in the marketplace; CNN, NPR, Clear Channel, MySpace, Yahoo, and YouTube all use these infringing devices to distribute copyrighted works,” said MRT CEO Hank Risan in a statement. “We will hold the responsible parties accountable. The time of suing John Doe is over.”

Media Rights Technologies is not a content owner, so why are they suing under the DMCA? The legal argument is a bit complicated but goes like this: Microsoft, Adobe, Real, and Apple make media player software. That software can tune into digital music streams like Internet radio stations, many of which are transmitted without any sort of DRM attached. Although streams are designed to be ephemeral, it’s trivial to use streamripper software to snag copies of the songs being played through such services. MRT claims that all four companies should have used some form of DRM to protect streams—or rather, they should have used one particular form of DRM, the “X1 SeCure [sic] Recording Control.” And who makes X1? MRT does.

Essentially, the company has sent letters to four of the biggest players in the industry, threatening them with lawsuits that could lead to “statutory damages of at least $200 to $2500 for each product distributed or sold” unless they adopt the company’s proprietary streamripping protection code. The legal argument at work here is that, under the DMCA, “mere avoidance of an effective copyright protection solution is a violation of the act.”

Survey: Despite interest, most won’t buy iPhone

soulxtc — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:50:05 +0000

Market research firm Markitecture reported Tuesday the results of a recent survey to judge interest in the iPhone among existing cell phone users. While the iPhone ranked surprisingly high in consumer awareness, most respondents said there was little, if any chance, that they’d actually buy one.

Based on a poll of 1,300 people who owned a cell phone and were responsible for the monthly payments, 77 percent of those polled said they’d heard about the iPhone. Forty-one percent of those familiar with the iPhone had a good impression based on what they’d seen and heard, according to the firm.

But despite that strong initial impression, two-thirds of those familiar with the product said there was “zero chance” they’d buy one. Six percent said they’d like one — and that’s not bad news, according to Markitecture.

“While 6% may appear low for a high-profile product launch, it actually may actually be very strong for the cell phone market,” reads a statement offered by the firm. “The highly successful Motorola RAZR after its launch in 2004 achieved a 6% market share at its peak.”

Apple tells content partners it can soon offer DRM-free music

soulxtc — Tue, 01 May 2007 16:34:24 +0000

According to the MacRumors site, iTunes’ content partners will soon have the option of offering DRM-free music and music videos.

Perhaps in another bid to assuage European anti-trust concerns, Apple sent out a brief memo to its content partners that starting next month they will be able to offer DRM-free music and music videos.

The memo reads:

Many of you have reached out to iTunes to find out how you can make your songs available higher quality and DRM-free. Starting next month, iTunes will begin offering higher-quality, DRM-free music and DRM-free music videos to all customers.

Now whether or not they will have to charge a 30 cent premium as is the case for EMI’s DRM-free selections isn’t mentioned but, I’m sure they won’t be rolling out the door for the standard 99 cent fare.

Either way, being that iTunes is reported to control some 70% of the digital music download market the news is welcome to say the least as it may spur other music download sites to follow suit and further convince record companies that the future really does lie in DRM-free offerings. Or perhaps it will be the Europeans who continue to force their hand due to objections over the way that Apple’s iTunes DRM locks users in and prevents them from playing content on other portable music player devices.

via [MacRumors]

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Steve Jobs: ‘No subscription-based iTunes’

soulxtc — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:46:06 +0000

Says customers not into renting music — and I agree.

Record labels have been supposedly asking Apple to introduce a music subscription service to its iTunes digital music download store in an attempt to increase profits but, Steve Jobs is adamant that “customers don’t seem to be interested in it”.

Apple is gearing up for contract renewal negotiations with the major record labels over the next month and you can be sure that Jobs will be pressured to increase their share of profits.

The record industry has long been frustrated that Apple has reaped most of the profits of the rising digital music market via sales of its popular iPod. To date they have earned only modest royalties from digital music sales because most of the songs on iPods and other portable music devices are alleged to be obtained by illegal downloading.

Now how you can be angered by the fact that a USER is “misusing” an electronic device and expect to be compensated by its manufacturer, especially when in the meantime they are doing you the favor of having your content locked down tight with DRM, is beyond me but, as usual it seems like music labels are bent on killing the proverbial goose that’s laying the golden egg.

Hoping to increase profits to offset decreasing CD sales, many in the music industry hope iTunes will consider offering a subscription-based iTunes so that record companies can make more money from recurring income. Universal and other labels believe a subscription service could be more lucrative for them than iTunes standard 99 cents per track model, because it would increase consumption of music. It would also entitle the labels to a share of monthly payments, in addition to small licensing fees each time their songs are played. But, Jobs, to his credit, says consumers don’t want it.

“Never say never, but customers don’t seem to be interested in it,” Jobs told Reuters in an interview after Apple reported blow-out quarterly results. “The subscription model has failed so far.”

“People want to own their music,” he said.

Exactly. Why on earth would people pay money to never actually own anything? I guess it could be offered, and then those who like the model could then have the option of using it instead but, I think it may prove too difficult to try have to simultaneous iTunes music download systems.

Considering that just about every subscription music service such Napster, RealNetworks’ Rhapsody, and Yahoo’s Y! Music Unlimited have for all intensive purposes failed, I think that Jobs is smart enough to realize that consumers just don’t like it. They want to actually own what they dish out cash for. It’s a pretty crazy concept I know but, considering we already have to rent so many other media offerings like cable TV, internet access, satellite radio, etc, etc, people want to own something for a change if possible.

The battle between Jobs and the music labels is about to begin again, and this time I just hope that he gets some concessions regarding DRM. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

By the way, if you get a chance, there’s an interesting profit breakdown for iTunes over at AppleInsider that offers a curious glimpse as to who’s getting what. After all is said and done, it looks like Apple is getting about making about 10 cents per download.

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Apple delays new operating system

soulxtc — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 15:51:28 +0000

Apple Inc said on Thursday it was delaying the release of its new computer operating system, sending its shares down 3 percent.

The company said its eagerly anticipated iPhone was on schedule to ship in late June as planned after passing several of its required certification tests.

But it said delivering the phone on time contributed to the delay of the next version of its OS X operating system, code-named Leopard, until October because the company said it had to divert resources to the iPhone.

“iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price — we had to borrow some key software engineering and … resources,” Apple said in a statement.

Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies in San Jose, California, said the delay in Leopard could slow the pop in sales that normally comes from die-hard Apple computer fans, who will now likely wait to buy new computers.

iTunes adds MGM Films

soulxtc — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:07:26 +0000

Watch out BitTorrent Entertainment Network, for beginning today, iTunes customers will be able to purchase video content from the “largest modern film library in the world.”

A month back iTunes added content from Lionsgate films to its popular online movie download store, and today it has announced that it has secured access to MGM Studios film library as well.

“It’s exciting to be bringing so many amazing films from our catalog to iTunes,” said Douglas A. Lee, MGM’s executive vice president of Worldwide Digital Media. “We have an unrivaled movie library and are looking forward to adding even more films in the future so users can take their favorite movies with them wherever they go.”

“More than two million movies have now been downloaded from the iTunes Store making it the world’s most popular online movie store,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We’re absolutely thrilled so many legendary MGM films are joining an iTunes film catalog that now has over 500 movies.”

Film titles to now be offered include: “Dances With Wolves,” “Mad Max,” “The Great Train Robbery,” “Rocky,” “The Thomas Crown Affair,” and “Ronin.”

Video content downloaded from the iTunes Store are downloaded “…in near-DVD quality at a resolution of 640×480 (up to 480, depending on the aspect ratio) and can be viewed on a computer, fifth generation iPod or widescreen TV with Apple TV.”

This can’t be good news for the BitTorrent Entertainment Network whose real strength is the breadth of video content it offers. DRM and playback issues aside, as iTunes continues to add to its video content library it makes BEN further irrelevant.

I think in the end that the BitTorrent Entertainment Network will be primarily an ad-supported content model rather than a pay per download one. The reason for this lies primarily in the fact that it just can’t match iTunes in standardization and user familiarity. Your average user just won’t be able to configure a BitTorrent client server properly (i.e. port forwarding), nor will he be able to find the content as portable and media player friendly as iTunes allows him. He can’t put content from BEN on his iPod or even necessarily be guaranteed that there will be no playback problems or concerns. With iTunes its “pay, click, and watch.” The average user just won’t stomach anything more difficulty than that.

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iTunes adds more movie titles

soulxtc — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 05:13:00 +0000

More bad news for the BitTorrent Entertainment Network.

iTunes, the world’s most popular online movie download store, has announced that movies from Lionsgate films will be available for download on the site starting today.

Among the titles to be included are “Terminator 2,” “LA Story,” “Basic Instinct,” “The Blair Witch Project,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Total Recall,” ” Rambo,” “Monster’s Ball,”“Chaplin,” and “The Boys From Brazil.”

“We’re delighted to offer these incredibly popular Lionsgate films on iTunes, and look forward to adding even more films in the future,” said Steve Beeks, president of Lionsgate. “iTunes lets users download these wonderful films to watch on their computer, TV or iPod, so movie fans can take their favorite Lionsgate films with them anywhere.”

Downloaded movies are still mostly priced at around $9.99 USD each, with older movies usually costing less than the newer releases.

This could mean additional trouble for the BitTorrent Entertainment Network which up until now had a collection of movie download titles that far surpassed that of iTunes. With this news, iTunes can now offer much more than the simple Disney content as it was previously limited to.

Perhaps Disney titles served as an excellent test case for the system itself and that of concerns over copyright protections, finally making a movie studio comfortable enough to come forward and embrace it.

In any event, download speeds aside, if iTunes begins to evenly match movie title selection with BEN, coupled with the fact that playback, DRM, and BitTorrent client server considerations are ongoing issue for it, it just may mean that iTunes will make BEN both irrelevant and undesirable in the minds of most consumers.

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SOULXTC: “walkin’ the streets of P2P”

Cisco to sue Apple on iPhone name

soulxtc — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 17:08:00 +0000

Cisco Systems is suing Apple for trademark infringement in a US federal court, for using the iPhone name.

Apple launched its new handheld mobile phone device under the iPhone name on Tuesday, at the hotly anticipated Macworld event in San Francisco.

Following the launch Cisco said it hoped to resolve the matter by Tuesday evening after negotiations.

Apple responded by saying the lawsuit was "silly" and that Cisco’s trademark registration was "tenuous at best".

Apple denies download sales fall

soulxtc — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:02:35 +0000

Apple has denied a report which claims US sales at its iTunes Music Store fell by 65% in the first half of 2006.

Research group Forrester said it was too soon to say whether its findings showed that buyers were “reaching their saturation level for digital music”.

Apple said the report is “simply incorrect”, but will not divulge iTunes financial figures.

Forrester said Apple users may be put off since iTunes songs can only be played on iPods or via iTunes itself.