Sven Johannsen
09-23-2011, 03:12 PM
OK here's the thing. I have a Zune pass, and listen to music, Much of it has DRM attached and it says so in the properties. I can sync that to Zune devices, actual Zunes, Windows Phones. I can also buy music, either with the 10 credits I get with the pass, or with Microsoft Bucks, those things with an exchange rate that makes you think you are paying less than with other services.
When I buy a song, it shows no DRM in properties and I can copy it to a flash drive, write it to a CD, digital or audio, do pretty much what I want. Much like if I ripped a song from a real CD. No DRM. Cool.
Music Videos seem to be another story. You can't get them via the Zune Pass, you have to shell out real money for them. BUT it appears they are still laden with DRM. How do I know? Well it says so in the properties, and when I tried to stick one on my new Android tablet, it told me so and refused. Said I had sync rights, not copy rights. WTF. Thought I bought it.
Would just be mildly irritating except that I went over to iTunes, where I have bought music videos, and low-and-behold, they weren't protected. I was freely able to copy a video to my tablet, and insult-to-injury I could play my iTunes purchased video in the Zune player. Not so the other way around.
What's up with that MS? Why are your videos shackled and Apple's aren't. I have bought movies from iTunes too, but I am certainly hesitant to do so from Zune not knowing if I can watch them on anything but my PC, Zune or Phone (Windows Phone).
Now I get that I really don't ever own any of the media, I just license it. But my license should let me play it on any of my devices. Let me be responsible for my integrity. You'll find most people will. Those that won't have no trouble finding a way around the DRM anyway.
When I buy a song, it shows no DRM in properties and I can copy it to a flash drive, write it to a CD, digital or audio, do pretty much what I want. Much like if I ripped a song from a real CD. No DRM. Cool.
Music Videos seem to be another story. You can't get them via the Zune Pass, you have to shell out real money for them. BUT it appears they are still laden with DRM. How do I know? Well it says so in the properties, and when I tried to stick one on my new Android tablet, it told me so and refused. Said I had sync rights, not copy rights. WTF. Thought I bought it.
Would just be mildly irritating except that I went over to iTunes, where I have bought music videos, and low-and-behold, they weren't protected. I was freely able to copy a video to my tablet, and insult-to-injury I could play my iTunes purchased video in the Zune player. Not so the other way around.
What's up with that MS? Why are your videos shackled and Apple's aren't. I have bought movies from iTunes too, but I am certainly hesitant to do so from Zune not knowing if I can watch them on anything but my PC, Zune or Phone (Windows Phone).
Now I get that I really don't ever own any of the media, I just license it. But my license should let me play it on any of my devices. Let me be responsible for my integrity. You'll find most people will. Those that won't have no trouble finding a way around the DRM anyway.