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Update: Why is NBC Flagging Digital TV Programs - and Why is Microsoft Obeying
It?
,----[ Quote ]
| After further investigation of reports of Vista refusing to record NBC, we
| have found at least one case where a user receiving digital TV over-the-air
| has been blocked from recording TV shows. Justin Sanders, who took this
| screenshot, says he was recording Raleigh's HDTV channel WNCN-DT1 on his
| Vista machine when a popup stating that "restrictions set by the
| broadcaster ... prohibit recording of this program" appeared.
|
| This is significant: this is the first case we've heard of equipment
| voluntarily obeying broadcast flag-like restrictions on TV content digitally
| broadcast over-the-air.
|
| The broadcast flag is a small piece of data broadcast alongside a digital TV
| program. The ability to flag broadcast content was created by the ATSC
| standard which governs digital TV broadcasts in the United States. By itself
| the broadcast flag cannot restrict use of broadcast content. Instead, its
| force comes from a tech mandate law - an FCC regulation - which required
| manufacturers of DTV-receiving devices to detect and respond to "switched on"
| broadcast flags. EFF and others opposed the use of the broadcast flag and
| fought successfully to have the FCC regulation overturned by the courts. We
| did that because it handed control over your hardware to a remote authority,
| limited your right to your fair use of media, and would have made illegal
| open source products like MythTV. As a result of that victory, manufacturers
| are not legally required to force their devices to detect and respond to the
| flag.
|
| It would now appear that Microsoft has voluntarily chosen to obey such
| content restrictions in Vista, despite the successful work of thousands of
| users to defend Microsoft's right to innovate and our right to fair use.
`----
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/05/update-nbc-and-microsoft
Microsoft doing its usual legwork for moguls (again [1]), trying to illegalise
FOSS and suck up to prospective partners. Another reason to boot the company.
Recent:
[1] Microsoft Misleads on Copyright Reform
,----[ Quote ]
| The Hill Times this week includes an astonishingly misleading and factually
| incorrect article on Canadian copyright written by Microsoft.
`----
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2670/125/
EFF: Microsoft betrayed MSN Music customers
,----[ Quote ]
| The Electronic Frontier Foundation says that Microsoft has "betrayed" MSN
| Music customers and wants the company to make things right by issuing an
| apology, refunds, and eliminate digital rights management technology from the
| Zune music player.
`----
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9931304-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Related:
Microsoft: We Like DRM
,----[ Quote ]
| Steve Jobs wants the music business to drop restrictions for digital
| tunes. But Microsoft, which began competing head to head with Apple
| in the digital music business last fall, is happy with the way things
| are, says media exec Robbie Bach.
`----
http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/08/zune-drm-itunes-tech-media-cx_df_0208bach.html?partner=yahootix
http://tinyurl.com/2lrz3y
Microsoft Misleads on Copyright Reform
,----[ Quote ]
| The Hill Times this week includes an astonishingly misleading and factually
| incorrect article on Canadian copyright written by Microsoft.
`----
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2670/125/
EFF: Microsoft betrayed MSN Music customers
,----[ Quote ]
| The Electronic Frontier Foundation says that Microsoft has "betrayed" MSN
| Music customers and wants the company to make things right by issuing an
| apology, refunds, and eliminate digital rights management technology from the
| Zune music player.
`----
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9931304-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
The Longest Suicide Note in History
,----[ Quote ]
| Gutmann: The genie's out of the bottle before the operating system has even
| been released! But that doesn't mean Vista users in particular - and
| the computer community at large - won't end up paying for Microsoft's
| DRM folly. At the risk of repeating myself repeating myself, yet
| another reason to move to Linux.
`----
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/01/the_longest_suicide_note_in_hi.html
Avoid the Vista badge, it means DRM inside
,----[ Quote ]
| The root of this crappy DRM infection is Microsoft. It is the driving
| force here. This has nothing to do with protecting content, as we
| keep pointing out, there has never been a single thing that has had
| a DRM infection applied that didn't end up cracked on the net in
| hours. DRM is about walled gardens and control.
|
| He who controls the DRM infection controls the market. DRM is
| about preventing you from doing anything with the devices
| without paying the gatekeeper a fee. This is what MS wants,
| nothing less than a slice of everything watched, listened to
| or discussed from now on. DRM prevents others from playing
| there, thanks to the DMCA and other anti-consumer laws.
|
| Make no mistake, MS is pushing the DRM malware as hard as
| it can so it can rake in money hand over fist with no
| competition. It is really good at lock-in, in fact, the firm
| based its entire business model on harming the user so they
| have to comply and spend more.
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http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38926
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