DRM Renders Google Movies Unplayable

[admin]

DRM will render legally purchased movie downloads useless as Google Video closes its doors. As consumers are forcibly ushered into the Digital Rights Management (DRM) controlled digital era by content providers bent on enforcing their rights above the rights of consumers who have legally purchased content, users of Google Video among the first casualties of DRM.

Discuss "DRM Renders Google Movies Unplayable" here. Read the article.

 

[stratman]

That's why music CDs are great, I make two copies: one for my car in case the heat destroys it, one for my 2.0 gear since I have a four year old, just in case he wants to play frisbee. No hassles with DRM or any bs, my originals are in a rack where junior can't reach and they only pull duty as my "masters", some of my CDs are rare and out of print, totally irreplaceable.

That's why I skipped the i Tunes of the net, nothing like having your own master to re-copy as you wish.

 

[obscbyclouds]

This is so typical, it's almost disgusting. It's one thing to go after those who've illegal downloaded or copied movies/music, quite another to tell people who have purchased them over legal channels that they will no longer have access to their material.

 

[WmAx]

This is one reason I have utter hatred towards DRM. I will not use it if I have a way around it. Let's even say I have a computer that had a license for Windows XP Home or Office. I will wipe out/delete that copy and install XP Corporate (DRM free) in it's place. Same with any other software. Even if I legally own a copy; I will not use that copy if it has DRM. I will use a bypass/crack or whatever else to remove the DRM before use, even though I may have legal ways to access the software.

-Chris

 

[MDS]

This is exactly what I've been talking about for years and is why I also won't 'rent' music from a subscription service. Once the music is no longer deemed popular - it is gone. If you lose your license key or your hard drive crashes - it is gone. If the company maintaining the server that supplies the music goes out of business, as is the case here, once again - your music is gone.

I fully embrace digital music but as an adjunct to a physical copy and not a replacement. Same would go for video if I were actually interested in collecting movies.

My philosophy is similar to Stratman except I rarely burn CDs anymore. I rip the tracks and save the original uncompressed PCM as well as make MP3s. I catalog my collection in a database I created for that purpose. If anything ever happens to my digital copies, I can simply rip them again (despite the fact that it would be incredibly tedious to have re-do all of them). I want a physical archive of my music forever - just as vinyl LP lovers collect LPs.

I have about a dozen out-of-print and super hard to find CDs of relatively obscure rock bands and most of them I've been able to obtain from EBay. I was able to find King Kobra III in mint condition for $30. A 'hard to find CDs' website had one too - for $180! Do you think any of the record labels will EVER re-release KK III? Not a chance.

 

[jinjuku]

This is exactly what I've been talking about for years and is why I also won't 'rent' music from a subscription service. Once the music is no longer deemed popular - it is gone. If you lose your license key or your hard drive crashes - it is gone. If the company maintaining the server that supplies the music goes out of business, as is the case here, once again - your music is gone.

The general understanding with the subscription based service is that you don't get to keep tunes outside of your subscription period...

My philosophy is similar to Stratman except I rarely burn CDs anymore. I rip the tracks and save the original uncompressed PCM as well as make MP3s. I catalog my collection in a database I created for that purpose. If anything ever happens to my digital copies, I can simply rip them again (despite the fact that it would be incredibly tedious to have re-do all of them). I want a physical archive of my music forever - just as vinyl LP lovers collect LPs.

Amen to that brother

 

[jinjuku]

None of this will change until a congressman/senator loses their entire media collection to something like this. Or all their DVD's are lost in fire/flood etc or their kid ruins them.

I am not purchasing the media per se, I am purchasing the content. I am at the point that I won't purchase anything but used dvd's and cd's. I just can't give them my money any longer. Even though I am called a criminal with every DVD that I buy (encryption) or with the frikin' stupid anti-piracy commercials.

Maybe Audioholics should throw a fund raiser. Collect a $ or two from every member and have a similar 'your customers aren't crooks' commercial made. Let me know where to send my $5.

 

[DavidW]

Maybe Audioholics should throw a fund raiser. Collect a $ or two from every member and have a similar 'your customers aren't crooks' commercial made. Let me know where to send my $5.

For those who want to help stop the curtailment of consumer rights through digital means, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is non-profit organization that fights this crap in court.

Join, volunteer, donate, whatever your preference.

Electronic Frontier Foundation

About EFF

I've also included some present and past activity to show what this organization is doing for consumers.

EFF Action Center

EFF Legal Victories

With enough help, hopefully DRM will not rule everyones lives.