GigaOM

[...] (via GigaOm) [...]

Google Purchases / Google Video

Update: Om just pointed out what I missed. The new Google Video service brings along with it, a new DRM system to protect the paid for videos. As one of the comments said, this is not progress. Its giving us skews of DRM solutions which are not compat…

[...] And when it comes to Google Video I’m not sure how I feel about that either after hearing about the Google DRM. [...]

[...] Google の発表はまだだと言うのに、Google が自社開発したと伝えられる DRM がホットな話題になっている。と言うか、Techdirt や Om Malik を見ればわかるのだが、皆「DRM がかけられること」に対して怒っている。Sony rootkit の集団訴訟がようやく和解したばかり (しかもカナダでは新たな訴訟が起こされたばかり) のこの時期に DRM 付き新サービスというのは、時期的にまずかったかもしれない。 [...]

[...] Oh dear, yet another DRM implementation. As if two incompatable DRM systems wasn’t enough. [...]

[...] Google’s move to have a separate DRM has been getting news recently. Larry Page is quoted to have said We have our own DRM that we’re using. We’ll be open to other things, but (creating our own) seemed like the easier thing to do. (source) [...]

Microsoft Retreats in the Battle Against FairPlay

Microsoft has announced that they are stopping development of Windows Media Player on the Mac platform. The explanation they’ve given is absurd on its face:We’ve been so focused on Vista and we’ve been so focused on creating an incredible media

Maybe it’s me; maybe CES has spread from it’s roots as THE Consumer ELECTRONICS Show but doesn’t anyone else think that Google’s announcement belongs outside CES or in a Press Release. Sure, computers are electronics but the service that’s being hyped is purely an online (software) play - no hardware involved

I also noticed the omission of the DRM system. I’m guessing the writers didn’t really understand the significance of it. What I also find funny is that while Microsoft has been actively licensing its DRM out to others (i.e. Yahoo!), Apple has refused to and I think it’s unlikely Google will either.

There are already 100s of DRM-free videos available online from (link) They are all Mac, PC, and iPod compatible, and encoded using multi-pass AVC/H.264 codec. Just $1.99 each, with many free samples avaiable to boot!

I’m curious what kind of DRM system Google will come up with that is not evil.

Rishi, why pay when you can get the same movies for free at (link) ?

I hope they bundle it with a Skype phone.

Screw all these companies and their proprietary crap. Sorry, I’m just getting fustrated with all of this. Locked cell phones, proprietary VoIP hardware, MSN and Skype phones… oh, and worst of all DRM. This is not progress.

@Matt VB:

Maybe Google will make a hardware announcement today when Page speaks.

Time to vote with our wallets and feet, y’all. Enough is enough.

Om, are you concerned that a DRM system exists in Google Video or that Google has gone ahead and created a new DRM system instead of using an already existing DRM system?

I’m sure someone will eventually crack Google DRM. Maybe DVD Jon can do it, if he has the time.

Come now Om, I expected more from you than this. Wiegh the options, get all the info first!

If Google is going to sell premium content from people like TV networks and movie studios, they don’t have a choice but to include DRM with their content. There’s NO WAY the likes of the big networks and studios would allow someone to download content without some kind of use-limiting wrapper that protects their interests. Whether it’s good or bad, I’m not going to debate that, but for the record, I hate DRM, but I understand that it’s necessary whenever you’re going to sell content. You have to have some way as a content distributor to make sure that the person who gets your stuff can use it, but not spread it around the world for free-it’d defeat your whole business plan.

The article doesn’t even discuss WHAT KIND of DRM is going to be in the movies, and what you can and can’t do with the movies. If Google can strike the line between making sure I can do whatever I want with my movies short of giving them away for free to all my friends and relatives while simultaneously protecting my privacy, then they could be an example of how to protect both the customer AND the distributor. Wait until the details are released before passing judgement, although I doubt they’ll be able to hit that line.

It’s not DRM that’s evil, it’s the way so many companies have implimented it; that is, sacrificing our rights and privacy for the benefit of the distributors and content owners.

David Utter -

I think a device is a possibility since they do already have experience marketing plug and play devices like the Google Search Appliance.

Maybe a (Another) TIVO killer?

What was Google doing at CES again? What a lackluster Keynote.

Blah

Why aren’t we talking about the fact that mainstream people (like your mom) don’t like to watch video on their PC’s? Or their 2.5″ portable screens? Especially content that is longer than 10 minutes…

It’s exciting to see so much energy reinvested into this market but until and unless this content gets to the TV set with simple navigation it feels like an early adopter only product…

Interesting that many people seem to want “One DRM to rule them all . . . and in the darkness bind them.”

Ok so its got the same avantages in only wanting one operating system around - but - if one or two companies control the DRM world they also control everything we can watch or read and can turn off or control any document. Surely its better to have a few so that we can pick and chose what level of control we will accept (hah hah yes I know you want all your content free . . .) and so control of the world’s content is at least spread a bit.