“To test Real’s new Harmony Technology, I downloaded RealPlayer 10.5 Beta, logged onto the RealPlayer Music Store, purchased a track, connected my iPod, configured RealPlayer to use the iPod, and then transferred the song–originally a 192 Kbps AAC file protected by Real’s DRM–to the iPod. Voila! It works,” Paul Thurrott reports for Paul Thurrott’s Internet Nexus.
“Curious about the file that’s on the iPod, I looked at it under the Windows version of iTunes. According to iTunes, the song was a 192 Kbps Protected AAC song utilizing FairPlay version 1. Thus, it’s pretty clear that RealNetworks has, in fact, reverse engineered Apple’s FairPlay scheme,” Thurrott reports.
Thurrott has posted a screenshot of the file’s info complete with the cartoon-like Windows XP default UI in all of its glory in his full article here.
I smell a lawsuit in the works!
Is there any significance to the fact Paul T chose “Out of Touch” as his test download?
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If you play with fire, you’ll burn your hands
Apple’s lawyers are going to have a field day with this. Especially since there is now precedent for Apple to license FairPlay, thanks to the Motorola announcement. Real should get shut down relatively quickly on this one.
Bizarro Jeff
The one advantage that Real has over iTMS: 192 kbps. I’d like to see at least that on the iTMS (although I find the 128 kbps AAC to be adequate).
I want 192 kbps AAC tunes. I guess it’s time to move over to REAL music. Goodbye iTMS. :-(.
Is anyone even the least bit surprised that Thurott picked a Hall & Oats song to test this with? I wonder when his article about which music store is best to get Air Supply’s collected works will come out.
Since the iPod has an OS and a file system they probably just figured out how to have Real’s DRM called. Maybe the iPod OS looks up DRM schemes in a hierarchy like the way OS X uses frameworks and plug-ins.
But nevermind all that. Is that big turd next to Bugs Bunny PT ?
Yeach!
I smell a bunch of Mac zealots who don’t have a clue about the law.
That’s awesome. it will only mean Apple will sell more iPods. Why should Apple sue them. Apple has a better store and the best MP3 player. REAL is only bringing more customers to Apple.
Actually, Wendy, that’s probably just your yeast infection flaring up. Time to switch to Monostat 3.
Cartman, you are funny.
Let’s see…. What would happen if Apple then come out with the next “update” for the ipod software and the music that was purchased from the Real site won’t play on the iPod? Is this against the law because you can still play it on your computer? Like “BigMacX” said, “you play with fire”. That would suck if I purchased songs and then wasn’t able to play them on my iPod. I wonder…..
I thought this was funny, straight from the realplayer license agreement: “LICENSE RESTRICTIONS. a) You may not: (ii) modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble (except to the extent that this restriction is expressly prohibited by law) or create derivative works based upon the Software or Documentation”
Jkman: similar phrasing on Apple’s side of the stick. That is why Glaser stresses that they have not reverse engineered anything at every occasion.
If a lawsuit comes Real will have to prove that whatever they have done has not infringed anything: doubtful.
> I want 192 kbps AAC tunes. I guess it’s time to move over to REAL music. Goodbye iTMS. :-(.
the higher the bit rate, the shorter your battery lasts as there are more disk accesses. so unless you can really hear a difference, i’d stick with the 128 kbps. 256 really does last about half as long as all 128 kbps files.
iGads… AMEN!
Should Apple punish those people who switched, so that Real can turn around and say, “Hey I guess Apple doesn’t like competition” etc.
Do you guys know what 192kbs means..
If you don’t standardize bitrate, you can’t exactly make claims like “10,000 songs in your pocket” now can you?
Real just reduced the ipods song capacity by 30%. (assuming all songs are bought, get it?)
If this Harmony technology is so stable then Real should be able to fix any problems that should arise, if… say… Apple rejigs the iPod with an iPod Update.
Better yet, how about blocking members who have a Harmony track on their iPod, in much the same way that MS blocks Xbox live users who have a mod chip.
The point is not to piss of your customers, the point is to make an example of them.
The iTMS will always be a better store with more songs and better exclusives. Being banned from that store is certainly a punishment.
[the higher the bit rate, the shorter your battery lasts as there are more disk accesses. so unless you can really hear a difference, i’d stick with the 128 kbps. 256 really does last about half as long as all 128 kbps files.]
Where can we find this info?
If you ever sit down and read this Thurrott clown…you will find he suffers from a classic case of narcissism. He is the first guy to have DSL in the USA. He is the first guy to bitch and moan about the capicitor driven blah blah blah 3G scroll wheel. In fact the Sun actually rotates around Thurrott. It’s true. I read it on his website.
I have never seen so much self righteousness in one place. Freud would have a hay day with this serious malcontent.
Let’s See:
It doesn’t even run on a Mac!
> complete with the cartoon-like Windows XP default UI in all of its glory in his full article — heheh
>Real just reduced the ipods song capacity by 30%. (assuming all songs are bought, get it?) — It just gets REAL messy from now on, eh? Most of the tracks on the larger capacity iPods are mp3z of various bitrates anyway. You can always re-encode a 192kbit down to 128 for your iPod if size is an issue; you could even go from 128 to 192 although there should be no increase in quality for the larger sized file.
>Where can we find this info?
In your brain? The same difference as walking a mile versus walking two miles — double the energy, double the wear on the shoes….
192k files also mean fewer songs stored in the cache, which translates to more reads from the disk, which means less battery life.
It’s also how Sony can claim their outrageous numbers for songs and battery life using their 48k static as their basis.
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> If you don’t standardize bitrate, you can’t exactly make claims like “10,000 songs in your pocket” now can you?
EAsy… add it to the smallprint: 10,000 songs @ 128kbps
>It doesn’t even run on a Mac!
Ahhh… the REAL issue here. ( i crack myself up)
I’m not sure, but would changes that wouldn’t allow Real’s DRM allow any previously bought songs from Apple? If they’re using the current DRM, and it’s the same as the REAL DRM… hmmm…
>The iTMS will always be a better store with more songs and better exclusives. Being banned from that store is certainly a punishment.
Good idea… push people away from the Apple Store to the multitudes of others that REAL will sell Harmony to. People just won’t upgrade their iPod bios and leave iTMS and maybe even iTunes… You know what… don’t allow MP3s either… or AIFFs… or any non-protected music file. THAT’LL teach those pesky users for not buying AACs… erm… i Mean music from Apple.
Motorola licensed the iPod technology… the ability to PLAY Apple DRM AAC… not to create it.
>Motorola licensed the iPod technology… the ability to PLAY Apple DRM AAC… not to create it.
That technology lies in QT. You don’t DL QT to ‘create’ QT files when you DL iTunes for Windows… you DL it to read the DRM.
Same goes for this.. it just means it accelerates adoption of QT technology, it doesn’t mean Motorolla is creating QT files.
Sorry my comment was messy.
This just means entrenched QT technology vs. WMedia..
Motorola has not licensed iPod technology. They licensed the software to play Apple DRM/ACC. Actually all they’re doing is letting Apple produce software that makes it easy to transfer song files from iTunes to the cell phone. atomic flower: You crack yourself lup? Good. Maybe that crack in your head will let out all your nastyness and demons you’ve collected for all this many – ummm, 16 or 17 years of your life? Putz.