“Hollywood is challenging the hegemony of Apple in digital distribution. A consortium of major studios — excluding key Apple ally Walt Disney Co. — is teaming up with leading retailers and consumer-electronics firms to essentially transform the paid download into an experience akin to buying a DVD. The goal is letting video purchased at any outlet be played on any device worldwide,” Andrew Wallenstein reports for The Hollywood Reporter.
“Known as the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), the consortium brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment, Fox Entertainment Group, NBC Universal, Sony, Paramount Pictures and Comcast Corp. with retailer Best Buy along with tech giants Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Philips, Toshiba and Verisign. Each company has an invested an unspecified sum in the endeavor,” Wallenstein reports.
Wallenstein reports, “If DECE takes hold, it would institute several precedent-setting principles:”
• Participating devices and services will be interoperable regardless of differing brands or corporate provenance. A TV episode, for instance, could be just as easily accessed on Microsoft’s Zune as it would a Philips broadband-enabled TV set.
• DECE would allow an unlimited number of copies of a video to be created or burned onto a disc.
• The consumer would even have the option of not storing the copy at all, but rather streaming it from a server-based “rights locker” that can be tapped from any location.
• DECE would create open standards whereby any company that chose to create contents or services can do so to available specifications.
“‘While we haven’t yet had conversations with them about joining, we’d love to have them,’ said said Mitch Singer, chief technology officer at Sony Pictures and the lead architect of DECE, who added that DECE has reached out to Disney,” Wallenstein reports. “‘We’re going in a slightly different direction than Apple by offering more choice in terms of storefront and device.'”
Wallenstein reports, “DECE plans to announce a brand name and logo, as well as a more detailed plan, at the upcoming Consumers Electronics Show in January.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “KingMel,” “Martin” and “Grigori” for the heads up.]
Without Apple, DECE is likely to be a PlaysForSure rerun.
I agree, but I think the DECE is confusing the DRM issue… maybe deliberately.
The first point below appears to be about an absence of DRM, except it is contradicted by the second which clearly advocates some form of DRM.
• DECE would allow an unlimited number of copies of a video to be created or burned onto a disc.
• The consumer would even have the option of not storing the copy at all, but rather streaming it from a server-based “rights locker” that can be tapped from any location.
If you can make an unlimited number of copies, why would anyone want a server-based “rights locker”?
This smells of the old DIVX disc format.
“If I’m correct, Apple only has DRM on their files because of the content providers. “
No Apple uses DRM on iPhone apps, where they have full control of the terms under which software is sold on the device.
Actually Apple uses DRM on iPhone apps SO that they have full control of what apps are used on the device.
So from Apple’s perspective DRM is bad until it serves some Apple business purpose to use it , then DRM is good.
IMO, Apple is shooting themselves in the foot with the Apple TV/ HD movie arrangement. I’ve tried two movies on my MacMini HDTV setup and the resolution was terrible. I know, the MacMini doesn’t do HD, iTunes movies. Why not?
Bought a PS3, hooked it to the same TV as the MacMini. Playstation Network, SD movie rental $2.99 The PS3 played the movie at least as sharp as an upconverted DVD. Why can’t we get this from Apple? Sony is getting more rental dollars from me until Apple wakes up.
DRM “protected” content such as music/video and control over what iPhone apps can be sold thru Apple’s online storefront are two different discussions.
Besides, iPhone apps do not have DRM.