“If you like to download the latest episodes of ‘Heroes’ or other NBC shows from BitTorrent, maybe you shouldn’t buy a Microsoft Zune to watch them on,” Saul Hansell reports for The New York Times.
“A future update of the software for Microsoft’s portable media player may well include a feature that will block unauthorized copies of copyrighted videos from being played on it,” Hansell reports.
“Tuesday, Microsoft announced that it would start selling video programming for the Zune, mainly TV shows. These include programs from NBC Universal, which has pulled its shows off Apple’s iTunes Store,” Hansell reports.
“Late Tuesday afternoon I reached J. B. Perrette, the president of digital distribution for NBC Universal, to ask why NBC found Microsoft’s video store more appealing than Apple’s,” Hansell reports. “He explained that NBC, like most studios, would like the broadest distribution possible for its programming. But it has two disputes with Apple.”
“First, Apple insists that all TV shows have an identical wholesale price so that it can sell all of them at $1.99. NBC wants to sell its programs for whatever price it chooses,” Hansell reports. “Second, Apple refused to cooperate with NBC on building filters into its iPod player to remove pirated movies and videos.”
“Microsoft, by contrast, will accept NBC’s pricing scheme and will work with it to try to develop a copyright ‘cop’ to be installed on its devices,” Hansell reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jack” for the heads up.]
Microsoft is desperate. Apple is not. And this is yet another reason not to buy a Zune, as if another one was needed. NBC can keep dicking around until the cows come home for all Apple cares. iPod and iTunes sales continue unabated with or without also-ran NBC TV shows. P2P just keeps on serving up NBC shows at very nice prices, iPod- and Mac- compatible, thanks. NBC will come crawling back to Apple in due time.
[UPDATE: 8:59pm EDT: According to CNET, “Microsoft denies putting ‘copyright cop’ in Zune.“]
“Microsoft, by contrast, will accept NBC’s pricing scheme and will work with it to try to develop a copyright ‘cop’ to be installed on its devices,”
SO, you will pay $5.99 to watch a copy of Heros, and the best part is that MS will “TRY TO DEVELOP” a way to stop extra copies of the downloads from being made. Hmmm. MS did say they ARE GOING TO DEVELOP, only that they would TRY TO DEVELOP. Guess NBC is going to be screwed. MS can’t even get their OS to work right after 7 years, I don’t think they will be able to make a whole new program to work any faster.
You should go read the comments on the original story. Some of them are so funny.
Nicole’s comment is one of the best.
“My goodness, as a former MSN Music customer I can ASSURE you that your legitimate purchases are safe in Microsoft’s hands. You don’t ever need to worry about your purchases ceasing to work with every Windows update or Microsoft suddenly deciding to terminate your licenses.
I know I’ll be running out and buying a Zune.
— Posted by Nicole”
Line 2 should have said, “MS did NOT say they are going to develop”…
Demon:
I looked up “astroturfer” and there was a picture of Nicole next to the definition.
Let Microsoft do it. That would hurt Zunes cruddy market share even further.
This will benefit Apple.
But I still haven’t seen a Zune Yet, so I don’t get Microsoft’s hype on how successful it’s been. I just hear talk about it.
That Music sharing feature has gotta suck when there’s nobody to share music with.
“That Music sharing feature has gotta suck when there’s nobody to share music with.”
Norman Bates wasn’t stopped by the lack of real companionship either.
So how many hundreds of clients does NBC get out of this deal… one or two?
The only time I’ve ever seen a Zune in the wild was in early January at Office Depot. A girl was exchanging a white Zune for a brown one. I was being polite by not saying anything because, clearly, she was insane.
@Ampar
“I looked up “astroturfer” and there was a picture of Nicole next to the definition.”
Maybe she is bogus. Nevertheless, her comment is accurate enough. She says Redmond have a track record: so they have.
Anyway, look what The Borg’s own guy says:
“Adam Sohn, a spokesman for Microsoft, declined to discuss details of this effort other than to say that the software company is exploring anti-piracy measures with NBC. He said Microsoft, which suffers from its own piracy problems, is sympathetic to Hollywood’s concerns.”
So (1) he admits they are working on it; (2) he says MS is “sympathetic” to Hollywood; and (3) he talks of MS “suffering”.
No comment on (1).
On (2): well, how about some “sympathy” for the people who are supposed to be Microsoft’s customers, and who will inevitably get burned when this scheme goes wrong, as all such schemes do? C.f.:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=wga+"false+positive"&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
On (3): This is supposed to provide a rationale for (2). So this “piracy” — an emotive and inflated term by which the Borg actually mean digital copying not robbery with violence on the high seas — causes MS “suffering” does it? I don’t believe people should steal, but I hadn’t noticed much “suffering” in Seattle — except, perhaps, that caused to Seattle residents by Microsoft’s not paying its taxes in its home state:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2004-09-29/news/citizen-microsoft.php
Besides, Microsoft spokesmen may talk large about its “suffering” at times, but in candid moments it admits it likes people to steal from it sometimes.
Quote:
As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.
http://www.news.com/2100-1023-212942.html
Do they still make Zunes?
NB who?
ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,
nice way to kill Zune sales, keep it up, or even better, close down Z division and give money back to shareholders.
Shhhhhhhhh. Hear that sound? It’s the sound of worthless Zunes being flushed down the toilet by furious users who can’t get their content to play. Hey Redmond, Sony has some good technology for you.
1- Haven’t seen a Zune yet?
Go to Wal-Mart or Best Buy. You’ll probably have to blow the dust off of them to see them in all their glory.
2- NBC/Universal Idiocy
Other than sports (Sunday Night Football) does anybody below the age of 70 or with an IQ higher than a glass of warm water really watch the #4 network?
3- DRMatic
When will MPAA/RIAA members (both illegal cartels) realize that draconian DRM or spyware will kill the deal for many legitimate potential customers? How about pricing content at $1.99 an episode without commercials and 99¢ with commercials for a trial period? I would wager that most would pony up the extra cash to be free from the barrage of advertising on TV.
The DRM crack will be out before the DRM Zune.
Remember, this is MS we’re talking about.
MW: quality
*yawn*
Someday the networks will offer some kind of subscription site, like maybe 50 years from now. Until then I guess they’re okay that I’m paying a $19.95 to giganews instead of them.
“Microsoft, by contrast, will accept NBC’s pricing scheme and will work with it to try to develop a copyright ‘cop’ to be installed on its devices,” Hansell reports.”
Thats just awesome. I hope more major news sites beside NYT start publishing this little important tidbit. I wonder how Thurrott will spin this little feature as a great thing for Zune.
I really want a Zune, but I can’t have one cause I’ve got a Mac.
Does anyone know if there’s a Leopard version of Zune Store coming out?
I was going to make a rather lengthy post about this, but right now I have to go take a Zune.
Darn, just read that Zune spokespeople are denying this and its just a rumor…
Uh, Nicole’s post was clearly satire.
ASSURE… <–hint much?
Do your sarcasm filters need calibrating? Sorry, I haven’t been around…
To come to think it, the only time i’ve ever seen a Zune player is at Walmart or Target on the Dusty Store Shelves right by the portable cassette players.
What does ZuneTang have to say about all of this? If Microsoft can write a program that will police their Zunes and not get hacked, that alone would be a triumph for them.
I have seen an actual Zune in the wild-my coworker got it as a free giveaway and was showing it to a group of people.
It’s ugly, chunky and the quality seemed very poor(buttons looked wrong-like they were going to fall off). The screen did look pretty good showing the free MS included video(bear fishing in the stream).
I pulled out my iPod touch and began demoing-no one gave the zune another look.
MS nearly crippled Vista with DRM encoded into the OS, now they will kill the zune with the same.