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View Full Version : URGE Offers No Way to Deauthorize Audio Players?


Jason Dunn
06-08-2006, 06:45 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.3366' target='_blank'>http://dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.3366</a><br /><br /></div><i>"After four phone calls to Supervisors at MTV Urge, I believe that what I am about to report is true. The policy of Urge is that you are allowed three PCs, of which each PC can authorize two mp3 players. But, what happens if you sell a player, or one breaks? Or it's stolen? You're out of luck! Here's the scenario: you own one PC and have two players, both authorized to use Urge. Then they both get stolen, so you purchase two more. There is NO WAY Urge can tell your account to deauthorize the two stolen players and permit the two new ones! Incredible, but true."</i><br /><br />If this is true (and I have a suspicion it is), then this is a serious limitation of the URGE service. I have no problem with URGE wanting to limit the number of players per install - it makes sense to have limits with subscription services - but not allowing people to deauthorize players? That's just crazy - and the suggestion of "go to another computer" is not realistic for most people. The only real solution would appear to be a complete reformat of the hard drive and a reinstall of Windows, which is just silly.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE:</b> It looks like this issue has been addressed (please check out the comments).

Darius Wey
06-08-2006, 07:40 PM
So, get this. If you copy your music over to a storage card in a Pocket PC or Smartphone, and for some reason, the card becomes corrupted or you format it (thus killing the WMDRM folder), that's one transfer license gone and there is no way to get it back. Limited, no? :roll:

Janak Parekh
06-08-2006, 07:42 PM
The only real solution would appear to be a complete reformat of the hard drive and a reinstall of Windows, which is just silly.
Are you sure this would actually appear as the same PC? ;)

I'm glad I didn't stick with URGE, and let the trial expire. I hope they change this, because it's a complete deal-killer in my opinion.

--janak

Jeremy Charette
06-08-2006, 09:09 PM
Holy naysayers Batman!

This issue will no doubt be raised at URGE (if it hasn't been already), and will be resolved.

Apple has dealt with this issue in iTunes in a few different ways. You can authorize up to 5 computers to play your DRM'd (purchased) music, and can de-authorize any of them at any time. If you swap a hard drive or perform some other major component upgrade, the same computer may be authorized twice. For this situation, they allow you to de-authorize all 5 computers once every 12 months. As far as iPods, you can connect as many iPods as you want to one PC, and sync either your entire library or just selected playlists, whether the music is DRM'd or not.

More info here:

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/musicstore/authorization/

Lee Yuan Sheng
06-09-2006, 01:20 AM
Oh so confusing. :P

http://dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.3372 (read the comments as well).

I'll leave you all to form your own conclusions.

ale_ers
06-09-2006, 04:17 PM
URGE is still in Beta. I think they will fix this. Napster had the same problem in the first few months, but they fixed it. As a matter of Fact I just got a new MP3 player and gave my old one to my Father. I cleared the two I have from the system, sent a quick note to Napster, and pow I have a new player working (one old, one new).

I think all will be well shortly.