MS doesn't like the lack of choice offered by IPOD

[mobrien_12]

Microsoft slams HP's iTunes move

 

quote:from the article
HP's move to release an own-branded digital-music player based on Apple's iPod

[hm_murdock]

doesn't bother me much. I suppose it means that WMA will come to iTunes?

Good. Now there ain't jack shit I can't play. Out of the... uh... installer, iTunes can do MP3 and AAC. You can easily add ogg vorbis. Now WMA. Good.

Good.

When is WMV support coming to Quick Time

[Xeen]

Hopefully never. In case you don't know, WMV is a proprietary ripoff of some mpeg4/divx format. I forget the details, but basically MS took a freely open mpeg4/divx format, tweaked it, and made it proprietary. Now theres newever versions of divx and they are MUCH MUCH MUCH superior to WMV. Why not use the real thing?

[Laukev7]

Hasn't Microsoft opened up the WMA/WMV format recently?

[Xeen]

quote:Originally posted by Laukev7:
Hasn't Microsoft opened up the WMA/WMV format recently?

News to me if they did. Maybe they changed it since series 9, I'm not sure.

But regardless of whether their format is good or bad, I don't want to see it dominate the market either way. I don't like ANY company, good or bad one, to control so damn much - OSes, browsers, media players, office suites, and now audio/video formats.

Bill Gates was able to get rich after the collapse of Bell Corporation, which controlled close to everything back 20 years ago. The same future awaits Microsoft. The question is not if, but when.

[Laukev7]

At any rate, it turns out that the rumours about Apple and HP implementing the WMA format were bogus, anyway.

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61897,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

[Xeen]

YAY! Best news of the day!

[WMD]

quote:General manager of Microsoft's Windows digital media division David Fester has suggested that iTunes' emerging dominance would be bad for consumers, because it would limit them to the iPod.

Of course...it's better to be locked into WMA/WMP than the iPod format.  :rolleyes:

[hm_murdock]

Really? And why is that? And what is "the iPod format"?

If you're referring to AAC, what's wrong with it? I'm all for AAC and the loose restrictions it has. You can burn off as many copies as you want. You can toss em on an an iPod, and plug it into a computer that has iTunes and listen. You might have to authorized the computer... god forbid! Just type in your password and let it do it.

The only problem I have is with the iTMS, which doesn't let you re-download if the files are lost, which is shitty, but I don't care. I keep everything safe.

This foolish opposition to *any and all DRM* is a block to legitimate uses. This ridiculous fight will never end until the hollywood pigopolists are appeased. They're not going anywhere, so you might as well just FUCKING COMPROMISE ALREADY. The tech industry is doing their part in creating fair DRM like Apple's AAC. Shit, even the policies I've seen MS propose are very fair and open.

So, I've got a great idea... stop bitching about how bad "this DRM shit is"... and get your lazy ass out there and fucking do something. I'm going to throw my lot in with the compromise so that *I TOO CAN BE PROTECTED*.

I guess I have a unique perspective, being an independent musician. I don't want to have anything to do with the RIAA, and I certainly don't have any need to CONTROL things. I, and many other musicians would just like a little security.

If you ever hope to move beyond tapes and CDs into a new "digital age" then you have to accept some compromises. If you can't, then go back to the 19 fucking 90s, that shitty ass decade.

(Yes I know that was probably a sarcastic comment, WMD, but it was the perfect leaping-off point. I'm not yellin' at you.)

[ January 13, 2004: Message edited by: Jimmy don't give a shit about MS ]

[cahult]

There

[solarflare]

quote:Originally posted by cahult:
There