What is DRM and how does it affect me? and vista
- Thread starter aceofskies05
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Schadenfroh
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- Mar 8, 2003
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Cerb
Elite Member
- Aug 26, 2000
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Digital Rights Management. It is used for the further protection of content by media companies, especially the **AAs. Got a HDTV ready receiver, video card, and TV/monitor pre-HDCP? Yeah...that's it (start Googling 
).
This is not to say there aren't decent uses (such as key/account checks for games, and such things), you're not hearing so much complaining about those (for one thing, they tend to be fairly used).
).This is not to say there aren't decent uses (such as key/account checks for games, and such things), you're not hearing so much complaining about those (for one thing, they tend to be fairly used).
Cerb
Elite Member
- Aug 26, 2000
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Nothing. That's sort of the paradox of it. You will have an easier time using using ripped-off content than if you actually paid for the media. The main objective is to get every last bit of $ from you, not to curb piracy (the lawsuits are to curb piracy, the technology is largely to make non-techies re-buy stuff).
From the first page of Google hits for "DRM":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Rights_Management
http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/
From the first page of Google hits for "DRM":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Rights_Management
http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/
So If i get illegal stuff of bitorrent and some songs off limewire, am i going to have a better chance getting caught? or does it have to deal with copying cds and stuff?
It may also prevent you from making fully legal backup copies of discs, or keep you from watching hi-definition content if you don't pay extra for a special monitor.
Let's consider the Star Wars movies - if you want to copy them over to DVD from VHS so you can throw out your old VCR... DRM (specifically "MacroVision") prevents you from doing it.
The DRM in question is trying to make it harder for the original people (those who posted it on Bittorrent) to rip the content into a shareable form in the first place. Once that occurs and is shared, there is no DRM to speak of, so it' doesnt' affect you in the situation you asked about (but don't steal content, people do make their living from this...)
Same deal with MP3s. DRM has no way of 'knowing' where you got those from, since AFAIK MP3s can't be DRM tagged, like AAC and WMA can, so it can't tell if you ripped them from your own discs via LAME or got it of a torrent. That doesn't mean I endorse getting MP3s of the net instead of buying the albums, though.
My recommendation to avoid problems with DRM, music-wise, is to buy CDs in stores instead of online stores like iTunes.
My recommendation to avoid problems with DRM, music-wise, is to buy CDs in stores instead of online stores like iTunes.
Cerb
Elite Member
- Aug 26, 2000
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Copying CDs and stuff.
They use other methods for p2p (like becoming a peer for content they have license to).
Look at a real CD: you can format-shift it all day long. Stick on a file server, stream it to wherever, put it on your DAP, etc..
Look at iTunes: much more limited. If your iPod goes TU on you, any purchased music on it is toast, and you need to rebuy it. FYI, though, Itunes is actually one of the better ones (that use DRM).
Look at DVDs: busted now, but initially you had to use a small number of software players, making it set-top-box-like. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are in an interesting circumstance, now.
But, let's take HDCP as a good example of why many of us are against DRM. If you were an early adopter, you might have gotten a TV/monitor, receiver, etc. ready for HD, right? Well, now, you may need a connection that supports HDCP to get the digital out at full quality. So, that's thousands of dollars down the drain. Or you can spend more for a magic box to convert it, but I'm not sure if they are entirely legal.
The wikipedia article really does have a lot of good info...
Your last statement seems weird. How are they able to tell you that you can't watch your ripped Star Wars movies? How would MacroVision prevent you? I don't understand. I thought the new media has DRM on them which is what stops you..
VHS tapes had technology called MacroVision which was designed to cause issue when copying the tapes but not when watching them on TVs. That is what the poster was refereing to.
Right. MacroVision was a predecessor to DRM... I guess you could call it "Analog Rights Management". Basically, MacroVision messed with the signal data on the tape in a way that doesn't significantly interfere with displaying the video on a TV, but causes major quality loss when making copies.
edit: Fortunately, it's not too difficult to work around MacroVision, so it's still possible to exercise your legal rights with VHS tapes. However, modern DRM schemes are becoming very advanced, which means in the future, your rights under fair use law may be, for practical purposes, nonexistent.
"MacroVision messed with the signal data on the tape in a way that doesn't significantly interfere with displaying the video on a TV"
that's how it was supposed to work, but in practice Macrovision sometimes screwed up just watching a tape on tv.
Hopefully DRM will work like it's supposed to, but I wouldn't count on it being perfect.
that's how it was supposed to work, but in practice Macrovision sometimes screwed up just watching a tape on tv.
Hopefully DRM will work like it's supposed to, but I wouldn't count on it being perfect.
That's got to be one of the most stupid statements I've read in a while. Congrats on making the idiot list!
blackangst1
Lifer
- Feb 23, 2005
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Yep pretty much. DRM is actually having a reverse effect for which it was intended. For example (just for arguments sake) you have a movie you got from somewhere. You ripped it from your mom's collection. In the ripping process you strip off DRM. You insert DVD into your PC, and Windows doesnt see DRM, so therefore it doesnt affect you.
If anything this whole DRM debacle has encouraged pirating.
You got that part backwards. It only affects legal media. All the pirated stuff will work great, better than the original.
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