From: Ad 

Ad wrote:
>
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId
=9005047&intsrc=hm_ts_head
>
Oh BTW a quote which will warm Geo's heart:

"Matt Rosoff, lead analyst at research firm Directions On Microsoft,
asserts that this process does not bode well for new content formats such
as Blu-ray and HD-DVD, neither of which are likely to survive their
association with DRM technology. "I could not be more skeptical about
the viability of the DRM included with Vista, from either a technical or a
business standpoint," Rosoff stated. "It's so consumer-unfriendly
that I think it's bound to fail -- and when it fails, it will sink whatever
new formats content owners are trying to impose.""

I for one am not about to buy either Vista or Blue-ray/hd-dvd.

Specifically coz of the DRM bollox.

"Microsoft's official position is that Vista's DRM capabilities serve
users by providing access to high-quality content that rights holders would
otherwise serve only at degraded quality levels, if they chose to serve
them at all. "In order to achieve that content flow, appropriate
content-protection measures must be in place that create incentives for
content owners while providing consumers the experiences they want and have
grown to expect," said Jonathan Usher, a director in the Consumer
Media Technology Group within Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices
division. "We expect that the improvements in Windows Vista will
attract new content to the PC, which is exactly what consumers
want.""


Ummm no.....people want new films & most have std TV sets which won't
play......so....

At least he's a realist:

"Yet Usher also pointed out that while Microsoft may provide the DRM
technology, it is entirely up to content providers to decide whether their
business models should make use of it. "As a platform provider, we
provide the technology that allows our partners to test and implement new
business models and scenarios," Usher stated. "It remains up to
the market to determine the equilibrium that drives any free-enterprise
system.

"Consumers are the final arbiters because they can vote with their
wallets," Usher added. "This is as it should be in any
well-functioning market, and we believe the improvements in Windows Vista
play to this strength.""


BTW Given that Zune & Vista don't play...this is humorous marketdroidspeak:

"Microsoft's Jonathan Usher acknowledged that interoperability
differences between Zune and the existing PlaysForSure specification were
necessary in order for Microsoft to deliver the type of user experience and
feature set it envisioned for Zune. "The Zune team’s focus is on
building a rich community and service around the brand that provides
consumers with a unique, integrated end-to-end experience," Usher
said. "PlaysForSure, on the other hand, is designed for partners who
choose to rely on broad compatibility -- for example, a device manufacturer
who wants to connect to multiple services or a service provider who wants
to connect to multiple devices.""

Specifically: "brand that provides consumers with a unique, integrated
end-to-end experience"

So MS Zune won't play MS plays5syre & won't work with MS vista.....boy
that's integration.....


Adam

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