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Time:
17:09 EST/22:09 GMT | News Source:
E-Mail |
Posted By: Todd Richardson |
Your next personal computer may well come with its own digital chaperone.
As PC makers prepare a new generation of desktop computers with built-in hardware controls to protect data and digital entertainment from illegal copying, the industry is also promising to keep information safe from tampering and help users avoid troublemakers in cyberspace.
Silicon Valley — led by Microsoft and Intel — calls the concept ``trusted computing." The companies, joined by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Advanced Micro Devices and others, argue that the new systems are necessary to protect entertainment content as well as safeguard corporate data and personal privacy against identity theft. Without such built-in controls, they say, Hollywood and the music business will refuse to make their products available online.
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#1 By
1896 (216.78.253.12)
at
7/6/2003 5:47:53 PM
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Personally I have no problems to buy music online as long as I can burn it on CDs and play it wherever I want, whenever I want. As for DVDs I am already tired of them for two reasons: first if I want to play a European DVD I should buy a second player; second and more important because you can't skip the ads at the beginning which is ridiculous. In fact I am taking a look at these digital VCRs that, I have to admit, I never considered before.
I am not so sure that the real problem is that without these devices Hollywood and music companies will refuse to make their products available online as much as if customers will buy music and movies with the limitations they are trying to impose us now.
Btw let us make something clear: nowadays banks, credit cards and utilities companies offer online services like statements etc. like a big bonus to customers and sometimes they even ask you a fee to access them; well the truth is that sending statements online instead that by mail, they save money and should offer these services at least for free.
This post was edited by Fritzly on Sunday, July 06, 2003 at 17:51.
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#2 By
135 (208.50.204.91)
at
7/6/2003 7:05:41 PM
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I am not terribly concerned with trusting computing, because I don't know what it is. If there are features which are compelling to me, then I might use it. If they aren't compelling to me, they probably won't be to anybody else and the chances it will take off are null.
Fritzly - I think the DVD makers are learning some lessons. It's getting more rare for me to see DVDs with stuff at the beginning I can't skip. As for the region codes, I don't know we used to have the same problems with VHS because european videos were in PAL instead of NTSC format.
My Wells Fargo accounts are all available online for free, however I pay $7/month to be able to pay my bills online. I think the fee is waved if I have over $5k in my checking account, or something like that. But to me the $7 was a small price to pay, because they cover postage. I send about 10 bills a month, so that'd be like $4 in postage by itself. But I save so much by not having late fees any more, and that's the killer for me! :)
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#3 By
1896 (216.78.253.12)
at
7/6/2003 7:22:27 PM
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The problem Soda is that in Europe you can have multi-sytem devices like PAL-NTSC VCRs and even multi-regions DVDs, I have one DVD player made by Pioneer that allows you to change the region from the remote, but here are considered illegal by the "Millenium Digital Copyright Act".
I have no problems to pay a fee in order to pay bills online what upsets me is when you are asked to pay just for get download statements etc. and yes sometimes still happens.
Btw I don't know if Wachovia Bank (formerly First Union) is avaialble in your area but they have an account called "Crown account" which among other things allows you to pay an unlimited number of bills online for free if you have more than 5K in the account or a credit card, linked with the account, with a line of credit higher then 5K; I specifically asked if the condition was an outstanding balance higher than 5k or just the line of credit and they confirmed it was the latter. It could be worth to take a look at it.
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#4 By
860 (68.62.237.7)
at
7/6/2003 9:12:20 PM
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Go to www.hkflix.com and put down some cash on a region-free player!
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#5 By
20 (67.9.179.51)
at
7/6/2003 11:46:57 PM
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#3: Use MSN Money BillPay. It's $5.95 and uses the CheckFree service. It's really good.
I don't like Wells Fargo. Unfortunately I have an account with them and I'm too lazy to move it. I don't keep any money in there anyhow, it's just a basic checking account I xfer money into and then write checks (e-payments online, actually).
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#6 By
135 (208.50.204.91)
at
7/7/2003 1:39:29 AM
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Fritzly - Well in general I do agree that the region code thing is kind of bogus. The few DVDs that I might have purchased while in Europe were tourist things and were available for Region 1.
I don't know, I guess I just never saw it as that important. I have a few friends who do, and to be honest I think they bring it upon themselves.
daz - I guess I've never had any issues with Wells Fargo. Around here the alternatives are worse(TCF and USBank).
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#7 By
2960 (156.80.64.196)
at
7/7/2003 8:46:49 AM
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This comment has been removed due to a violation of the Active Network Terms of Use.
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#8 By
2960 (156.80.64.196)
at
7/7/2003 12:01:39 PM
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Man, you guys will just slop up anything Microsoft tells you. I can't believe this place sometimes.
TL
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#9 By
135 (209.180.28.6)
at
7/7/2003 1:21:43 PM
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TechLarry - To be quite honest, you haven't really given a convincing reason why people should be against this.
I will point out that you've been asked several times for more detail and have not provided anything of substance in response.
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#10 By
13998 (217.122.34.74)
at
7/7/2003 2:03:47 PM
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I thought region issue was a problem for Europeans rather than Americans. Europe in total is a much bugger market compared to the US market, but if you look at individual countries withing Europe the US market is far bigger than any one of them. For that reason you can find almost any DVD in the United States (namely on amazon.com and bn.com) but not in Europe. Unfortunately I cannot buy any of these DVDs.
* By Europe I actually mean European Union.
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#11 By
135 (208.50.204.91)
at
7/8/2003 12:12:54 AM
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RickNL - But you get all the good uncut versions with the juicy parts still left in, which are totally unsuitable for the United States of Puritanism. :)
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