Zune and Vista incompatible

[deecree]

This has to be the funniest thing I've read today:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/16/zune_vista_incompatible/

;D

[Alan]

Idiots. Honestly, what chance do we have? The only things this dinosaur of a company has are its vast customer base and power to intimidate. Like British Gas when the energy market was opened up, they are relying on their customers not wanting to change or feeling like they don't have a choice. Well, you do have a choice, and within the next year or two it'll be a no-brainer.

Don't buy a Zune. Buy something that will work across different platforms, like a Creative or an iPod. It'll make your life soo much easier and you won't be rewarding a company that has made an mp3 player that isn't compatible with its own software. If they can't do that, I wouldn't trust them to do anything else.

[Jules]

Creative[/b] or an iPod.

Though ipods are popular they are locked to the Apple software & the vagaries of Apple's corporate policy in part determines what you can do with it.

There is a lot to be said for buying a generic MP3 player because you don't need any software to use them (just windows explorer!). There is a wide choice & some (I am told) are as good as the ipod. I think Creative's players are generic MP3.

[Alan]

Good point, but the reason I mention it is that there are very reliable methods to use iPods using open source software. It has been reverse engineered and you don't need to use Apple's proprietary software at all. I do agree it is better to buy something without its own standards though.

I have a Creative which isn't generic, but it's pretty old. I think the newer ones are.

[teapotmonk]

With most software there are plenty of ways to move around restrictive uses...ipods have had 3rd party software available since the 1st generation pods were released 5 yrs back.
Curiously I read on one forum yesterday that the new Zune could be experiencing legal problems with its DRM (Digital Rights) software and its acclaimed wifi capability.
According to the forum, any open rights music that is "zuned" over to another player adopts microsofts DRM restrictions ...which......could be breaking umpteen laws governing open rights protection. So far Microsoft hasnt responded.
Personally, Im happy with my ipod mini from years back and a good couple of work-around 3rd party add.ons.

[deecree]

With most software there are plenty of ways to move around restrictive uses...ipods have had 3rd party software available since the 1st generation pods were released 5 yrs back.
Curiously I read on one forum yesterday that the new Zune could be experiencing legal problems with its DRM (Digital Rights) software and its acclaimed wifi capability.
According to the forum, any open rights music that is "zuned" over to another player adopts microsofts DRM restrictions ...which......could be breaking umpteen laws governing open rights protection. So far Microsoft hasnt responded.
Personally, Im happy with my ipod mini from years back and a good couple of work-around 3rd party add.ons.

That's right. If you are an independent artist and you copy your own music to the Zune (or your CD's that you have bought an paid for, for that matter) they adopt MS's new restrictive DRM.

When sending music to other users (Zunes biggest selling point) they are allowed to play that music a mere three times before it is defunct. If this is YOUR music that YOU created this is also the case. Also worth noting is that playing the first two seconds of the song would count as "one play" and you'd have two plays left.

[deecree]

ALSO, any poor b@stard who's spent the past year buying music from Microsoft's MSN Music store with "Plays For Sure" DRM is stuffed. Any songs bought certainly won't play for sure on the new Zune, which doesn't support Microsoft's previous DRM.
What does that person do with their hundreds of unusable restricted MP3's?
Delete them and re-buy the music for Zune of course!

A report I saw on BBC World didn't seem to think this was a bad deal and likened it to buying CD copies of the LP records people have.:eek:

[teapotmonk]

Maybe deecree we should go easy on Microsoft...I mean Apple needs the competition...and Microsoft ....well they need to be reminded now and then that money and power doesnt equal innovation and style.

Or had we told them that before?

[gary]

I would hate to be the poor kid that turns up at school with a Zune, imagine the ribbing... an old style iPod Shuffle is £25 at the Argos and whats most important is that it comes with the iconic 'mug me ive got an ipod' headphones - the whole thing is cheaper than buying the headphones alone - I have this model of the shuffle and it is great.

The Zune actually adds drm - isnt this an infringement of the GNU/Creative commons licence agreement - surely folk like Ben and Marina want people to share their podcasts as they drive traffic to the website where visitors have the option to make purchases?

What does that person do with their hundreds of unusable restricted MP3's?
Delete them and re-buy the music for Zune of course!

Not only that - the new version of vista (deliberately) doesnt allow you to back up the licences for music you have purchased so you wont be able to transfer your songs to your new computer.

Also Microsoft is paying a percentage of every Zunes price to universal because it accepts people will play music they havent paid for... like the blank tape levy in Canada. - So if you have music you have paid for from universal do you get a refund...? Nahh just pay again.

And Windows media player still doesnt have integrated handling of podcasts....

Having all the money and power clearly doesnt give you access to the plot!!

Its Christmas - brown Zune vs Shiny iPod - no competition (particularly in Europe as they arent planning on releasing it here til 2008)

[Alan]

Take a look at this review:
http://alanrae.wordpress.com/2006/11/24/an-excellent-opinion-on-the-microsoft-zune-aka-as-the-chunky-pocketweight/

[Brian]

Not only that - the new version of vista (deliberately) doesnt allow you to back up the licences for music you have purchased so you

Really? Haven't heard that yet. Glad that I got an iPod.

[deecree]

Really? Haven't heard that yet. Glad that I got an iPod.

Pff. The ipod is not much better as it only allows you to move music 5 times (in theory).
With two reformats, and having a copy on my work laptop and my desktop a year or so back - if I moved my music to this laptop in Peru I would be out of luck. I have been forced to download illegal copies of the music that I thought I owned but turned out to be merely renting - the future of music purchase I think.

[ValenciaSon]

EULA: end user listening agreement:rolleyes:

[gary]

Really? Haven't heard that yet. Glad that I got an iPod.


Yup - was covered on TWiT and Cranky geeks...

[gary]

Pff. The ipod is not much better as it only allows you to move music 5 times (in theory).
With two reformats, and having a copy on my work laptop and my desktop a year or so back - if I moved my music to this laptop in Peru I would be out of luck. I have been forced to download illegal copies of the music that I thought I owned but turned out to be merely renting - the future of music purchase I think.

naaah - you can have up to seven machines authorised at any given time and change machines by de-authorising old ones, plus i can play my sons tunes across the network on any machine in the house. Itunes only allows you to burn 5 copies of any given playlist to CD (ie as aiff for stereo, car etc or to give to friends) - change the play list burn another five copies.

You can also use any standard mp3 player with mp3s that you have ripped yourself or are not bought at the itunes music store.

I get no problems with itunes - its fair - what isnt fair is that the Zune ADDS DRM to non copyright or Creative

So if I was a singer songwriter and had my songs on a Zune I could send it to my agent on his Zune and DRM would be added so that my agent could only play it 3 times :eek: that cant be right.