Portable Media Center's the Harbinger of a Microsoft Monoculture?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=1350&tag=nl.e539' target='_blank'>http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=1350&tag=nl.e539</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Earlier this year, I wrote a column that asked whether Microsoft’s monoculture might take the ‘pod’ out of podcasting? In an online whiteboard session (see the video) I explain the phenomenon in more detail and talk about how a monoculture in media player technologies could also lead to a monoculuture in digital rights management (DRM) since the two, at least for now, are inextricably linked. If a single player — be it one from Microsoft, Apple, Real Networks, Adobe (by virtue of its acquisition of Macromedia) or any other multimedia player — find its way into dominating the media player and/or the DRM categories, the result could be unprecedented leverage over the entertainment and media industries."</i><br /><br />An interesting article, but I'm going to need to see PlaysForSure media players gain more market traction before I'll believe that Microsoft is on the right track.

[Felix Torres]

Who else has a media/DRM ecosystem that runs from smartphones to PDAs to dedicated players to PCs to the living room and car?

Depending on how you look at it, they have a minimum of one year lead and a maximum of five years on the competition...
...some of which haven't even gotten out of the garage...

[Jason Dunn]

Who else has a media/DRM ecosystem that runs from smartphones to PDAs to dedicated players to PCs to the living room and car?

True, but playing devil's advocate for a moment here, does that really matter right now? The real numbers are in hard-drive based audio players.

I think this is a case of Microsoft anticipating the market, and just like the Pocket PC, they built a platform that's ahead of what consumers want but eventually the market will grow into it. That's what they're hoping at any rate. ;-)

[sojourner753]

Who else has a media/DRM ecosystem that runs from smartphones to PDAs to dedicated players to PCs to the living room and car?

True, but playing devil's advocate for a moment here, does that really matter right now? The real numbers are in hard-drive based audio players.

I think this is a case of Microsoft anticipating the market, and just like the Pocket PC, they built a platform that's ahead of what consumers want but eventually the market will grow into it. That's what they're hoping at any rate. ;-)

That certainly makes sense.
But to play the "son of the devil's advocate" I think its a little different here. DRM is probably the most successful strategy for creating a captive market. While MS is anticipating the market, hopefully their anticipating a pretty good incentive for people to go through the trouble of converting all their iTunes purchased music to WMA.

[Felix Torres]

True, but playing devil's advocate for a moment here, does that really matter right now? The real numbers are in hard-drive based audio players.



Well, if we're advocating for the prince of lies, I'd advocate that the *real* numbers lie in disk-based players like Mp3/wma-capable dvd-players and game consoles. And PCS.
Which all sell in the tens and hundreds of millions, not low single-digit millions.
Focusing on hd music-only players is a good way to become a big player in a 4% niche market.

Which, I guess is something the fruity company knows a lot about.

:twisted:

[Jonathon Watkins]

...... is a good way to become a big player in a 4% niche market.

Which, I guess is something the fruity company knows a lot about.

:twisted:

Harsh, ...... but fair! :P


Converting one lossy DRMd format to another lossy DRM format? Yuk! :x

Yup, I'll continue buying CDs.................