|
|
User Controls
|
New User
|
Login
|
Edit/View My Profile
|
|
|
|
ActiveMac
|
Articles
|
Forums
|
Links
|
News
|
News Search
|
Reviews
|
|
|
|
News Centers
|
Windows/Microsoft
|
DVD
|
ActiveHardware
|
Xbox
|
MaINTosh
|
News Search
|
|
|
|
ANet Chats
|
The Lobby
|
Special Events Room
|
Developer's Lounge
|
XBox Chat
|
|
|
|
FAQ's
|
Windows 98/98 SE
|
Windows 2000
|
Windows Me
|
Windows "Whistler" XP
|
Windows CE
|
Internet Explorer 6
|
Internet Explorer 5
|
Xbox
|
DirectX
|
DVD's
|
|
|
|
TopTechTips
|
Registry Tips
|
Windows 95/98
|
Windows 2000
|
Internet Explorer 4
|
Internet Explorer 5
|
Windows NT Tips
|
Program Tips
|
Easter Eggs
|
Hardware
|
DVD
|
|
|
|
Latest Reviews
|
Applications
|
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
|
Norton SystemWorks 2002
|
|
Hardware
|
Intel Personal Audio Player
3000
|
Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse
Explorer
|
|
|
|
Site News/Info
|
About This Site
|
Affiliates
|
ANet Forums
|
Contact Us
|
Default Home Page
|
Link To Us
|
Links
|
Member Pages
|
Site Search
|
Awards
|
|
|
|
Credits
©1997/2004, Active Network. All
Rights Reserved.
Layout & Design by
Designer Dream. Content
written by the Active Network team. Please click
here for full terms of
use and restrictions or read our
Privacy Statement.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Time:
09:57 EST/14:57 GMT | News Source:
Mac Daily News |
Posted By: Brian Kvalheim |
"The next version of Microsoft Corp's Windows Media Player looks set to be the company's answer to Apple Inc's iTunes and RealNetworks Inc's music services, featuring a built-in music and movie store for the first time," Computer Business Review Online reports. "Microsoft released a "technical beta" of WMP 10 this week, and said it features a streamlined interface and a Digital Media Mall comprised of storefronts provided by partners Napster LLC, MusicNow LLC and CinemaNow Inc. The company is also saying that WMP simplifies the process of transferring tracks from PCs to portable devices and synchronizing playlists. WMP 10 will automatically detect compatible devices and synchronize via a new Multimedia Transfer Protocol."
|
|
#1 By
1868 (141.133.144.99)
at
6/4/2004 11:33:31 AM
|
Yeah, I'm trying to get used to the idea. I mean I like the idea of having access to 100s of thousands of songs and movies for a monthly fee, but I still don't like the high price point. I mean 29.95 for movies and 29.95 for music, that's 60 bucks a month and $720 a year and I don't end up owning anything. Sure I get access, but if I look out 5 years from now that's a total renting investment of over $3,500.
And what happens to my subscription if I cancel is all of the content lost or do I have to pay an incremental fee for each file?
|
#2 By
1868 (141.133.144.99)
at
6/4/2004 1:38:17 PM
|
For a cheaper price, I may like 9.95 a month for music and $10 for videos. Kinda like netflix but with limits on how many you can watch and listen to. 19.95 a month is my price point. I mean realistically it's impossible to watch 10,000 videos in a month, or listen to 100,000 songs a month.
|
#3 By
1868 (141.133.144.99)
at
6/4/2004 2:50:05 PM
|
I do have a question about itunes. I purchased a song in intunes, burned it on a CD (you have to burn it in Itunes with Itunes burning software), and then I converted it to WMV. (I use media player to play everything. I checked out all of the tag information and nothing tracks that I bought that song. So I decided to try to burn 10 copies of the song in WMV format. I know have 10 cds with the 1 purchased i-tune track on them.
I didn't do anything extreme to get around their anti-copy technology. I just simply burned it to a CD and then when I put the CD in my computer I ripped it using Windows media player, now I can make infinite copies---where's the security to copyright holders in that??
Has anyone else noticed how easy it is to get around Apple's built in "security"???
|
#4 By
2960 (68.101.39.180)
at
6/4/2004 3:00:42 PM
|
"This is another case of Apple VS. Microsoft, where Apple came up with idea, but Microsoft made it cheaper, easier and more accessible. "
They did?
Where do I download it?
TL
|
#5 By
2960 (68.101.39.180)
at
6/4/2004 3:02:05 PM
|
#6,
Welcome to FairPlay.
Once it's on CD, it's yours to do with as you please.
TL
|
#6 By
1868 (141.133.144.99)
at
6/4/2004 4:26:04 PM
|
#7,
The article refers to itunes, which is what I think Mr. Dee is refering too. You must admit that apple atleast came up with the concept of a large scale, media company endorsed music purchase system. Now Microsoft is just taking the idea further and easier with Media Player 10.
Microsoft is partnering with companies such as CinemaNow and Napster to make Media Player 10 the primary conduit for large scale distrbution of legitimate music and movies.
|
#7 By
1868 (141.133.144.99)
at
6/4/2004 4:28:08 PM
|
#8
So while I love Fair play because I can do with my music as I please, how is Itunes or Janus going to stop P2P distribution of copyrighted material?
|
#8 By
3339 (64.160.58.135)
at
6/4/2004 5:03:09 PM
|
Zeo, they aren't. Who said it was their responsibility?
I'd also disagree with Mr. Dee... Microsoft isn't particularly savvy as a media outlet, and I think there is huge room for confusion if you are consolidating or enabling many stores through the same application. How are they going to secure better licensing when they are competing directly with studios and other services which they are also claiming to support? Not to mention that everything points to Microsoft pushing their store through MSN, this will be a big limiting factor... I already think the test version of WMP looks silly with its hooks to Napster... The Napster application is pretty sophisticated already, why would I want to use Napster through WMP? Also, I think you will find that devices are going to work quite differently through WMP and/or they will all work the same with nothing unique. Either way it is a Catch-22. Then there is the much larger Catch-22 of pushing their own store while trying to enable others...
|
#9 By
3339 (64.160.58.135)
at
6/4/2004 5:57:14 PM
|
"Apple said something like that about Windows in the 80's when it just came out, they will never get it right, but look at them now"
Completely irrelevent. I'm not even making an Apple v. Microsoft comparison... Just trying to make it very clear that even within the PC-only space, Microsoft by no means has demonstrated any particular prowess or advantage.
"when you say Microsoft is competing with the Studios' does not necessarily mean on every level, it might be a specific market."
I'm very specifically referring to licensing content they own.
"You talk about Microsoft in a way as if they are going build a record company and take all the artiste and actore from other music and moview company's."
No, I'm not.
"The studio's will not refuse Microsoft, especially when they are integrating Windows Media encoding technologies into their film product environments."
Don't know what the hell you are talking about here. A Disney movie encoded in VC-9 (which is being added to mpeg-4 by the way) has nothing to do with whether or not BMI or SubPop licenses their content to Microsoft.
"I also believe that Music and Movie companys' will lean more to MS, seeing them as viable option, that will be able to more securely distribute their content since MS has larger userbase compared to Apple."
That's been said for over a year now... And iTMS is still killing Napster and Walmart and all the others... whether that be on the Mac or the PC. So... since iTunes and the Music Store are already doing well on the PC, how does MS have the larger userbase? Right now, MS has virtually zero userbase... Apple has a user base that has bought 70 million tracks... And expect a big announcement next week (if my source is correct ;-) )
|
#10 By
2459 (69.22.124.228)
at
6/4/2004 8:55:12 PM
|
Mr. Dee: "This is another case of Apple VS. Microsoft, where Apple came up with idea, but Microsoft made it cheaper, easier and more accessible."
Apple was not first to have this idea. There were several online music stores (some with similar pricing models as Apple) in exisiance before iTunes, a large number of portable media devices, and a player with built-in browser and the integration of content services. Apple was probably the first single-source vendor of all three.
Contrary to the Computer Business Review report, this isn't the first time MS made movie or music stores accessible from within WMP. WMP 7 integrated the browser into the player with the Media Guide functionality. WMP 9 integrated premium services directly into the player (music/movie stores) before iTunes was available. WMP 10 is the continuation/enhancement of this integration.
Sodajerk, Napster has been accessible as a plugin in WMP 9 (and MCE) since the service launched. It was also accessible through WMP when it was PressPlay (along with CinemaNow and a couple of other services). The main reason it's useful is if you use WMP as you main media player, you can access Napster and other services from there and manage the content you purchase from such services the same way you manage your other media in addition to gaining service-specific features. No need to install an additional app per service that you purchase content from, and you still get the integrated buying experience and choice of vendors.
|
#11 By
3339 (64.160.58.135)
at
6/5/2004 10:20:15 PM
|
enforcer, I get the point and know the history. I'm simply saying that Napster has a nice application that can also access other non-Napster audio files. So, given the choice, I would use Napster's app if I was a Napster user and not use WMP.
|
|
|
|
|