“NBC Universal has formed a coalition with a group of technology companies, including AT&T and Microsoft, with the aim of developing anti-piracy measures that would restrict the illegal transfer of copyrighted video content over the internet,” Matthew Garrahan reports for the Financial Times.
MacDailyNews Take: “Anti-piracy” is another way of writing “Digital Rights Management” or “DRM” that’s often used by those trying to promote the use of DRM.
Garrahan reports, “NBC, which is owned by General Electric, is also understood to have approached Apple to discuss how anti-piracy technology could be used to stop unauthorised copyright-protected content being transferred to the computer maker’s devices, such as the iPod. However, Apple is believed to have refused to participate in any anti-piracy discussions with NBC.”
Garrahan reports, “NBC, meanwhile, has had positive discussions about filtering and watermarking technology with its partners in Hulu, the online video joint venture it started with News Corporation.”
Full article here.
Obviously, NBC needs new leadership. The current batch of suits they’ve over there simply just don’t get it. From misguided, futile attempts to slap DRM on everything to risking pissing off Steve Jobs at this juncture, these NBC fools are committing career suicide.
Wow! First post?!
Suckers. Serves ’em right too.
yeah team up with Me-to-soft..that’ll fix everything..
A coalition – that’s just the ticket to get things done in a speedy and efficient manner! Ha ha.
Fools. DRM is dead. Who’s running NBC anyway, Michael Scott?
Content providers just don’t get that the only ways to compete with piracy is to make the process easier than free options and make that option reasonably priced. DRM only points people who would be willing to pay for the content into the direction of piracy where they’re not going to be pestered by this nonsense.
Hmmmmm AT&T;, NBC, Microsoft. Boy, there’s a collection of leading edge minds that have never made a mistake.
The only smart thing AT&T;has done is iPhone related. It must have been an accident. Someone at AT&T;probably lost their job over that “blunder”!
I’ll bet the same brilliant minds at M$ that banked on HD are behind this stellar move.
“Despite Warner Bros’ recent decision to back Blu-ray (and Paramount’s rumored reversal), Microsoft says it is standing by its decision to support HD DVD on Xbox 360.
“We continue to believe that HD DVD is the best quality experience at the most affordable price,” said a Microsoft representative in an email to GamePro on Tuesday. “We stand behind our decision to offer the Xbox 360 owner an affordable choice to adopt HD optical media.”
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141177-page,1/article.html
Apple believes in normal consumers, that under the right conditions they’ll do things appropriately. The philosophies are very different.
I think Apple is looking more at social infrastructure, whilst large corps are thinking more about protecting revenue.
@Drew III,
Who is Michael Scott?
Hey, I like Hulu. At work, I can watch movies during lunch or after work, or when I have to work late. The system works surprisingly good for a pc based system.
However,…..
I would NEVER, NEVER, ever buy movies or tv from them. FREE is just fine when it works (compared to netflix free tv which stalls and stops all the time). But buy something with packed DRM and gliches that only works on a pc from these idiots??????? never.
en
@F1Mikal
Michael Scott is the inept manager at Dunder Miflin that’s played by Steve Carrell on The Office. A great TV show that was saved by iTunes to boot.
As a user of HD-DVD is unfortunate that the format will see its demise. For movies it offers increased functionality over blue ray players and it isnt in a state of flux like blue ray is. Even the latest players available on the market don’t allow all of the future features in blue ray. All of these things were there in my hd DVD player.
” . . . after Apple told NBC to kiss off”
THAT would be a YouTube video worth seeing.
@ F1Mikal:
What PeterJ said.
I wonder if NBC will promote their DRM features the way Ford advertises that their SYNC system is “powered by Microsoft”.
“NBC downloads – Now with embedded ‘Microsoft Protection Scheme’!”
Hey, THAT’S the a way to inspire consumer confidence!
I will also guess that Microsoft will push NBC to lace its movie downloads with unskippable advertising.
For increased viewer enjoyment, of course.
While not a Steve kissup like most around here, I sincerely hope that MDN’s irrational crowning of His Steveness is right this time and he does, in fact, have the power to destroy NBC – a network leading the Socialists movement in this democratic, Captalist, greatest nation on earth.
NBC, AT&T;, Microsoft…a coalition with vision.
Fools. DRM is dead. Who’s running NBC anyway, Michael Scott?
No, it’s Gumby.
I can get NBC shows like SVU in high definition AND FREE! AND I can tell NBC to kiss off, because I am getting my favorite NBC shows in HD AND free of ANY DRM.
BJ
” . . . and he does, in fact, have the power to destroy NBC . . .”
You might be thinking of Mothra.
This all came about because Steve Ballmer wants to be on the next celebrity Apprentice.
NBC, AT&T, Microsoft = Fist & mob contract.
” . . . Steve Ballmer wants to be on the next celebrity Apprentice.”
The only delay is the $1.5 million Trump is investing in gorilla-proof boardroom chairs.
I never watch any NBC content.