[IP] Jumping through hoops?
Begin forwarded message:
From: Tim Onosko <onosko@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: August 26, 2005 1:18:29 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Jumping through hoops?
Reply-To: tim@xxxxxxxxxx
Dave:
The entertainment industry believes that it can make consumers jump
through any number of hoops if it wants the privilege of consuming
its "high value" content. This is typified by the plan to require
computer users to buy new monitors if they want to view high-def
programs on their computer screens, buy new HDTV sets if they want to
watch the next generation of HD DVDs, and have b'cast flag-aware
hardware if they want to watch network television. (That last one is
on hold pending new legislation.)
I just ran into another example, today. I saw a mention of MTV's new
broadband video service, MTV Overdrive, featuring video content
created especially for the Internet. Since MTV changed the face of
cable, and since broadband is changing the face of the Internet, I
thought I should see it, even if I am WAY out of the demographic.
The first apology came when a message appeared on MTV's home page
that said my computer wasn't compliant with MTV Overdrive's strict
technical requirements. It's deficiency? It was a Macintosh, and
despite the existence of a Windows Media Video plug-in for the Mac,
that plug-in does not support Windows Media digital rights management
(DRM). Sorry.
I went upstairs to my office, to a Windows XP machine, and keyed in
the mtvoverdrive.com URL. Same page, different message. Sorry. I
was using the correct operating system (Windows), and I had the
proper Windows Media software installed, but MTVOverdrive doesn't
support Netscape, Mozilla, Firefox or any browser that is not
Internet Explorer.
Luckily, I keep a copy of IE on my machine for JUST SUCH
EMERGENCIES. So I switched over, retyped the URL and was magically,
instantly connected to a screen that asked me to wait while it
connected to MTV's exclusive made-for-broadband programming which
looks, for all the world, exactly like the same MTV News b'casts that
occur throughout the network's dayparts.
Then, as I chose to sample a short news item about the making of some
video game, I was stopped cold by a standard Windows dialogue screen
that interrupted with the news that a "security upgrade" was
necessary if I wanted to continue viewing.
Security upgrade? For a 90-second bit about a video game?
Needless to say, I decided not to jump through that last hoop. I
don't think I need some anonymous Microsoft "security upgrade" to
watch any video content, MTV or otherwise. So, for the time being, I
think the door to that particular wing of our broadband future will
remain closed.
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