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Why ebooks are bad for you
Renegade:
Kind of related, I came across this:
Why ebooks are bad for you
Looks pretty cool. And, "Watch it any way you like". That sounds good...
1) XBOX 360
Don't have one. Next...
2) iTunes
Ummm... Sorry. I'm not a crack addict. My Mac is already infected with iTunes. I don't want to infect my main machine with it.
Next...
3) BigPond
WTF? Huh? TV?
4) FetchTV
Again, WTF? TV?
5) FoxTel OnDemand
Huh? TV? No thanks. Don't have it, and don't want it.
6) Austar
Huh? WTF? TV? Again?
Where's the download? If it's any way I like, then I like to watch videos in a normal media player that I know works properly. My personal preference is ALPlayer, or maybe VLC in a pinch. But certainly not some junk that I'd bet won't work properly.
Here are a few of the things I like:
1) Pause
2) Resume
3) Stop
4) Fast forward
5) Rewind
6) Seek
7) Watch whenever I darn well feel like
8) Stop. Do the dishes. Come back. Watch.
9) Stop. Eat dinner. Come back.
10) Stop. Do work. Watch the rest tomorrow.
11) Watch while I work. Realize that I never actually watched it, so watch it in a few days when I have time.
Networks do not work. They do not let you seek reasonably. Any kind of media content over a network is a complete failure. Seeking should take the time it takes to click, and not the time it takes to buffer 300 MB over a 20 Mbps connection that really only delivers a max of 10 Mbps, but practically only ever achieves 700 kbps, but can realistically be expected to get 100 kbps if all goes well.
Downloads in solid, third party media players work.
And these guys wonder why The Pirate Bay is so popular. Duh! It's called having a superior product...
It's a shame, because the film looks good, and I'd certainly be up for buying a copy if I could do it reasonably. I guess that's too much to ask.
Carol Haynes:
Networks do not work. They do not let you seek reasonably. Any kind of media content over a network is a complete failure. Seeking should take the time it takes to click, and not the time it takes to buffer 300 MB over a 20 Mbps connection that really only delivers a max of 10 Mbps, but practically only ever achieves 700 kbps, but can realistically be expected to get 100 kbps if all goes well.
-Renegade (June 19, 2011, 12:12 AM)
--- End quote ---
Actually not quite true - I subscribe to the DIgital Concert Hall (basically all of the concerts from the Berlin Philharmonic) and that works great. You watch either using you browser on your computer or I watch it on my Sony Bravia TV. The streaming content works really well on this site so some people can get it right.
It's a shame, because the film looks good, and I'd certainly be up for buying a copy if I could do it reasonably. I guess that's too much to ask.
-Renegade (June 19, 2011, 12:12 AM)
--- End quote ---
You can - buy a DVD and then you can flog it on eBay afterwards!
Going back to earlier points my biggest concern is not with DRM per se, it is the restrictive nature of the DRM.
For example I like to borrow,lend and sell books. There is absolutely no reason why devices like Kindle can't have a lend and sell feature - like a physical books these books would only be in one place - ie. if you lend it to someone it is temporarily attached to their account and suspended from yours, if you sell it you transfer it to another account. It sems ridiculous that Amazon of all companies have a product that doesn't allow you to sell things when their whole business encourages people to sell unwanted items online.
Presumably the publishers have enforced this restriction but companies as big as Amazon should simply say if you want your book on our device this is the way it is going to be - especially now it is an established device. This would go a long way to making me feel more comfortable and in control of my library.
They should also make it a term of their original contact that if the publisher withdraws a book or it is withdrawn from the Kindle library for other reasons then people who purchased it are either not affected by the change or are given a non-DRM copy. There is absolutely no excuse for a system where you content is deleted - even if you are reimbursed for the cost.
All this goes for software too. Why can't systems like Valve's Steam and EA Games Origin have built in lend functions. Actually this would boost their sales because if it is a game someone likes they will buy a copy - especially if it is a co-op game they want to play with the lender. I just bought a copy of Portal 2 for a friend but I would have been a lot happier if he could have played it first and said "yes I like that"! (By the way Portal 2 is already less that half price on Amazon - at least in the UK).
Finally I don't mind activation on software but they should do it right. Why can't manufacturers include deactivate as an option and save all the hassles of having to contact them to get something to activate again. OK there will be occasions you will need to contact them because you can't deactivate the current copy (such as a computer dying or a dead hard disk) but these should be the exception rather than the norm.
Adobe got it right - you can install Photoshop on as many computers as you like but you can only use it on two without having to deactivate a copy and activate another copy. This means you can be as flexible as you need to be, and if you want someone else to use the software you can given them temporary access to the software by deactivating the copy on your computer.
Xara have got it wrong big time - they now allow only 3 activations on a product and lock it to a single machine - after that you have to buy another copy (at least in theory). This is ridiculous for software that costs nearly £300 and I am sure they will lose customers as a result - especially as they have become difficult to contact.
Renegade:
Networks do not work. They do not let you seek reasonably. Any kind of media content over a network is a complete failure. Seeking should take the time it takes to click, and not the time it takes to buffer 300 MB over a 20 Mbps connection that really only delivers a max of 10 Mbps, but practically only ever achieves 700 kbps, but can realistically be expected to get 100 kbps if all goes well.
-Renegade (June 19, 2011, 12:12 AM)
--- End quote ---
Actually not quite true - I subscribe to the DIgital Concert Hall (basically all of the concerts from the Berlin Philharmonic) and that works great. You watch either using you browser on your computer or I watch it on my Sony Bravia TV. The streaming content works really well on this site so some people can get it right.
-Carol Haynes (June 19, 2011, 07:03 AM)
--- End quote ---
It's true and not true.
No site in the world can fix the problem. Even Microsoft with an Akamai CDN can't fix it.
The problem is that every link in the path is a point for failure, and if you live somewhere with poor Internet infrastructure, then you're hosed. (I'm having yet another assie shiternet day.)
But for streaming? A movie? You need seriously SICK speeds to be able to seek. And Flash doesn't cut it. Only raw power from a real, compiled client can deliver. Browsers are flaky at best with stability, and just can't compare to the pristine experience you get in a real media player. (Not "Real Media Player". ;) ) Silverlight delivers the best video experience, but, it's not got the wide adoption for video, and Novell has basically killed any last hope of that unless Miguel can pull a rabbit out of his hat.
If the site works well, and the Internet infrastructure is there, AND the ISP is decent, then it can work. I just don't think that we're anywhere near "there" yet though. Acceptable broadband is in a few locations, but they're not representative.
Josh:
For example I like to borrow,lend and sell books. There is absolutely no reason why devices like Kindle can't have a lend and sell feature
-Carol Haynes (June 19, 2011, 07:03 AM)
--- End quote ---
You can do temporary loans (14 days) of books on the kindle. It is up to the publisher if they want you to be able to do this, however.
Source
johnk:
Networks do not work. They do not let you seek reasonably. Any kind of media content over a network is a complete failure. Seeking should take the time it takes to click, and not the time it takes to buffer 300 MB over a 20 Mbps connection that really only delivers a max of 10 Mbps, but practically only ever achieves 700 kbps, but can realistically be expected to get 100 kbps if all goes well.
-Renegade (June 19, 2011, 12:12 AM)
--- End quote ---
Actually not quite true - I subscribe to the Digital Concert Hall (basically all of the concerts from the Berlin Philharmonic) and that works great. You watch either using you browser on your computer or I watch it on my Sony Bravia TV. The streaming content works really well on this site so some people can get it right.
-Carol Haynes (June 19, 2011, 07:03 AM)
--- End quote ---
It's true and not true.
No site in the world can fix the problem. Even Microsoft with an Akamai CDN can't fix it.
-Renegade (June 19, 2011, 08:10 AM)
--- End quote ---
Well, for what it's worth, I recently bought a cheap Sony Blu-ray player which has the usual "widgets" for online services that most AV devices seem to have these days.
They included Lovefilm (DVD rental company that now does streaming, recently bought by Amazon). As I already use Lovefilm for DVD rental, the streaming facility didn't cost me anything, so I tried it. And it works just fine. I've watched a few movies without a single glitch, and the initial buffering only took 30 seconds or so. Yeah, not DVD quality, but perfectly watchable. Tried the Digital Concert Hall Carol mentioned, and that too streams well, no glitches, and really excellent picture and sound quality (and that's on a 5ft projector screen).
Now I have a very reliable 7Mbps internet connection, so others may not be so lucky. But streaming does work well with reliable, fast connections.
Tech note: when my current ADSL connection was first installed, speeds were higher (up to 12Mb/s) but unreliable. Generally speaking, ADSL2 networks will do everything they can to maximise your speed, but if you have a noisy line that can work against you. So I got my ISP to "lock" my speed at a much lower level, and my connection has been rock solid ever since (not a single problem in two years). I can download at 7Mb/s all day long. Worth bearing in mind if you have a dodgy ADSL connection.
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