Subscribe to chromatic.netSphere: Related ContentComcast Corp. on Tuesday acknowledged “delaying” some subscriber Internet traffic, but said any roadblocks it puts up are temporary and intended to improve surfing for other users.
The statement was a response to an Associated Press report last week that detailed how the nation’s largest cable company was interfering with file sharing by some of its Internet subscribers. The AP also found that Comcast’s computers masqueraded as those of its users to interrupt file-sharing connections.
Internet watchdog groups denounced Comcast’s actions, calling it an example of the kind of abuse that could be curbed with so-called “Net Neutrality” legislation. It would require Internet providers to treat all traffic equally — as has largely been the case historically. (Read More)
Archive for the 'DRM' Category
Woohoo.
Sphere: Related ContentGet the New Yahoo! Music Video Player BETA
The new Yahoo! Music Video Player is here, with a host of new features, improvements and enhancements. You’re invited to check out the BETA version, and take all the new features for a spin!
New Features:
- Video Lineup: Create a customized video lineup, arrange and reorganize videos, monitor upcoming selections, and create your own session playlist.
- Easy video search: from within the video player, instantly find videos by searching for your favorite artists or video titles.
- Browse by category: get customized recommendations based on your video ratings, or choose from recommendations by category.
- All new design: enhanced video player controls, simplified video search, and easier ways to browse content.
- Mac Compatible: now available for Macintosh OS X.
Sphere: Related ContentDraft legislation making the rounds in the U.S. Senate gives us a preview of the MPAA and RIAA’s next target: your television and radio. (Please write your Senator about this!)
You say you want the power to time-shift and space-shift TV and radio? You say you want tomorrow’s innovators to invent new TV and radio gizmos you haven’t thought of yet, the same way the pioneers behind the VCR, TiVo, and the iPod did?
Well, that’s not what the entertainment industry has in mind. According to them, here’s all tomorrow’s innovators should be allowed to offer you:
“customary historic use of broadcast content by consumers to the extent such use is consistent with applicable law.”
Had that been the law in 1970, there would never have been a VCR. Had it been the law in 1990, no TiVo. In 2000, no iPod.
Fair use has always been a forward-looking doctrine. It was meant to leave room for new uses, not merely “customary historic uses.” Sony was entitled to build the VCR first, and resolve the fair use questions in court later. This arrangement has worked well for all involved — consumers, media moguls, and high technology companies. (Read more at eff.org)
TiVo on Monday is expected to announce plans to enable users of its digital video recorders to transfer television shows onto Apple’s fifth-generation (video) iPods, as well as Sony’s PlayStation Portable, with the company’s TiVoToGo service. (From Engadget)
When will they start doing HD? Comcast has an HD DVR, but you rent it, so you can’t mod it. And since the POS only records about 16 hours of HD content, its kind of useless to me. I save up weeks of TV and watch it all at once.
Yay. and Boo.
Sphere: Related ContentFrom Boing Boing: Sony anti-customer technology roundup and time-line
Since Hallowe’en, we’ve been posting the details about he revelations relating to Sony’s DRM systems, which show jaw-dropping contempt for their customers, for copyright law, for fair trading and for the public interest. With all these posts strung out over a couple weeks, I thought it was high time we put together an omnibus post, summing up all the posts to date…
I wrote about this anti-sense on November 1 after reading the article at Mark’s Sysinternals blog, which arguably started this glorious rain of fire upon Sony’s clueless/malicious head.
People are always going to steal shit wholesale, There is no way around that. But generally, if you give people reasonable options they will take them. Sony needs to get into micropayments and rental agreements, and kiss the feet of anyone who buys the physical product.
If they didn’t make such glorious TVs (like the one I just bought… 
… they would be irrelevant.
I love that the EFF is taking them on now. It may be legally moot, but its a neat principle.
Sphere: Related ContentSony has gotten into installing filthy evil spyware on people’s machines in yet another new and exciting (and doomed) attempt at DRM. It’s practically a virus.
This is not really the most effective way to gain back a taste of the walkman salad days, kids. If you didn’t make such fine televisions, I would have nothing to do with you ever again.
DEAR SONY, WHAT THE F**K IS WRONG WITH YOU? LOVE, ERIK.
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