Apple & QT DRM

[iboi]

Hello,

This is about the future of QT as a media platform on the internet. As more and more content goes on line in some form I see that Mac users are going to be shut out of this. Television channels are putting TV programs online and most are choosing to use Window Media Video. Also most of this content is control with DRM. This mean that there is no way for Mac user to access this content. Having written to some of these companies the feed back I have is that Apple will not license QT with Fairplay DRM controls, so they are left with Real or Windows Media Player (WMP) as WMP is on virtually every desktop and has been on every new desktop with XP they choose this. Apple's refuses to license it software technology will ultimately leave Mac users out in the cold. It's just as well you can run Windows on your Intel Mac as you will NEED to! Still leaves us PowerPC user out tho. I have sent this feedback to people high up in Apple with no response as I used to work in the Retail chain. I have also submitted it to Apple's public feedback pages.

Your thoughts, opinions?

P.S Apple removed this thread from their own boards!!

Note: This is from the UK where we don't have iTunes with TV content and besides as in the UK we pay a license fee, few people would be willing to pay for content especially from the BBC.

 

[baleensavage]

I totally agree there. Apple has been shooting itself in the foot or worse with this whole liscensing thing. Anyone remember Firewire? Yeah, me too it was a technology that was far superior to USB but basically lost out to USB 2 because Apple charged developers an arm and a leg to use it. And Firewire 2?I can count the number of devices for Firewire 2 on my fingers.

With the whole fairplay thing they are doing this to the extreme. They're not even letting developers use it. And who does it hurt? The consumer. Do you think anyone would honestly choose to use crappy Windows Media format if they had the choice?

In Apple's defense though, I personally think that DRM is terrible all around. The fact that Microsoft canned Windows Media for Mac and will never port their DRM to Mac is just as bad as Apple not letting anyone else use Fairplay. I should be able to buy songs from Napster if I want and I should be able to burn a DVD of shows bought on iTunes. The way things are going, it won't be long before you have to get an implant that tracks how many times you listen to any given song and gives you intense pain if you think about copying it.

 

[MisterMe]

.... Anyone remember Firewire? ....

Seeing as how virtually every HDTV settop box and digital camcorder ships with FireWire--both markets still in their infancy--I would say that quite a few people remember FireWire.

 

[iboi]

I think Firewire would never have taken off anyway as USB is an Intel and thing and at the time Apple was competition. How things change!

Anyway back to QT & DRM. Just think how well iTunes could work I mean you could subscribe to the BBC and have every episode of EastEnders (just example i don't watch it!) download into iTunes after it has broadcast, then you would be able to watch it anytime you like. It could even delete it's self after 7 days.

As to DRM, It not great but then this is the world we live in. I mean 50 years ago you did not need to lock your front door. It's about trust.