There are also braille based displays for text rendering. If the output is text, these things can communicate it to a blind/sight impaired individual.
There have already been DRM systems shut down, and people did lose their media. Microsoft did issue refunds if you asked, but still, you lost your content. We also have issues with old storage formats that do not have DRM. Being DRM free is no panacea. There are proprietary formats made by companies long gone (early library CD multimedia systems are a classic example) and we have no way to migrate the data. Lots of fun. With respect to Ogg. I love this format. It is not in a technical sense very good (the audio is decent, roughly on par with MP3, but before you flame me do your research, preferably test them yourselves and not just regurgitate the fanboy opinions.). VP8 is technically a little better, and h.264 is the king in a technical and quality sense. I absolutely favour open codecs (and I applaud Google for their recent choice to exclude h.264, this is complicated issue and I could probably talk about it for hours) but recent moves by the MPEGLA show why we are not out of the woods. The MPEGLA are assempling a patent portfolio. The only purpose is for them to go after VP8 and probably OGG. We could still be screwed. On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 10:10 AM, Dafydd Crosby <[email protected]> wrote: > Ogg Theora has decent quality, but until it has share on Windows machines > (think 60% penetration), it would be unlikely to imagine that it will make > any serious gains against Microsoft proprietary formats. Ellen is right in > pointing out cost/benefit - often the amount of profit on DVD's and CD's is > slimmer than you'd think (I used to run a boutique record label, and in the > end lost money despite relatively good business). It's not just about > boycotting WMF, it's about putting money behind Ogg. The vinyl record > industry is having a rebirth because people are buying records again. You > can be sure that when the money dries up, so will the amount of records > pressed. > > For more info on mechanical royalties, check out the Wikipedia article > (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Royalties#Mechanical_royalties). > > IANAL, but I believe in the states the DRM clause of the DMCA was struck > down for educational institutions and libraries, with the argument being > that they would then be able to adequately save them for posterity. > > Anyhow, that's my two cents. Records and paper books don't have DRM ;-) > > -Dave > > On 02/24/2011 01:15 AM, [email protected] wrote: >> >> Ellen >> >> Thank you for your comments and I hope we get lots more. The format is >> available already. Its on the shelf. Its Ogg Theora. >> >> In fact the manufactures are using Linux and *BSD in the cpu's inside the >> readers and burners. They are FULLY aware of it which is why they typically >> use it. So any excuse is just that... some salesman making an excuse. >> >> >> I've not heard the term "mechanical rights". Does this term exist in law? >> >> With regard to DRM and DMCA style laws the issue is that if one tries to >> break the DRM then one is guilty of a felony. I know all about this because >> I work with OpenSSL (sometimes) and donated to free Skylarov when Adobe had >> him arreste for disclosing that they used ROT-13 encryption in their e-books >> products. >> >> But related issues are this... how is a blind person suppose to read an >> e-book? >> >> How about backups? >> >> What happens if the DRM algorithm is left out of the machine? >> >> Note for many this is already an issue: What of someone from Japan for >> instance who is in university and wants to watch a DVD from home? The only >> real solution is two DVD's. I htink it is totally predictable that >> whaterver DRM is in a machine this decade will be gone by the next... then >> we are suppose to repurchase the media. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 11:37:45PM -0700, Ellen Mably wrote: >>> >>> Hi Terr: >>> >>> You've raised two issues I'll comment on. Copyright applies to making >>> something like a tape of a TV show. Generally, one can make one photocopy >>> of >>> something for one's personal use or research. I think the new copyright >>> law >>> was finally introduced; it's been a long time in the making. I don't know >>> what the TV people think about VCRs. >>> >>> The inability to watch a pre-made DVD (is that what you meant?) on Linux >>> is >>> related to mechanical rights. It could be that the manufacturer(s) are 1. >>> unaware of the Linux market; 2. think it is too small for a cost/benefit; >>> 3. >>> think it might be too complicated to produce and/or market a different >>> format. So the answer would be talking with manufacturers about the issue >>> (and perhaps helping them develop the format). >>> >>> Ellen >>> >>> On 23 February 2011 23:46,<[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Precisely. WHatever DRM might be in place now... there is a good chance >>>> it >>>> will be broken in the very near future. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Another related issue is CBC programming and this of course spills into >>>> CTV, Global, etc. >>>> >>>> They have tried to erect "walls" which means if you take a trip and want >>>> to >>>> see something while out of the country... forget it. If you want to >>>> copy it >>>> to your hard drive while say visiting an internet cafe forget it. This >>>> means if you are camped by the lake forget it. >>>> >>>> >>>> There are open formats like Vorbis and I think we need to be demanding >>>> that >>>> the programming they put on line is available in vorbis. >>>> >>>> >>>> Here is another issue... what of the Calgary Public Library? I can >>>> borrow >>>> from 1000's of books and DVD's. However even though they "say" they >>>> have an >>>> online service and even though as the tax payer I have paid for this... >>>> its >>>> not available to me. Note that while the partron pays I think $25 bux >>>> for a >>>> library membership... the taxpayer forks over at least 5x this. >>>> >>>> Of course we all know the taxpayer pays a hefty chunk for CBC. >>>> >>>> >>>> Well - we've paid for it... so why can't we have open access to it? >>>> >>>> >>>> In the past if we want to tape a TV program so we can show it to a >>>> friend >>>> or watch it at another time we had the right to so this. As we go >>>> digital >>>> we're losing our rights >>>> >>>> Do we have any lawyers who can answer this? Does copyright to say a DVD >>>> allow whoever owns the copyright to deny me the right to watch the DVD >>>> on my >>>> linux machine? Does CBC have the right to force me to fork over cash to >>>> microsoft? apple? I already have all the copies of windows for instance >>>> that I want. But NT4.0 is out of date and I don't think it can access >>>> their >>>> programming anyways. >>>> >>>> >>>> To me this is like CBC telling me I have to buy an RCA television and if >>>> I >>>> want to use a Toshiba then I should screw off. >>>> >>>> What about City Hall? Shouldn't I have the right to access their >>>> material >>>> on the Calgary web site in Vorbis? >>>> >>>> Maybe we need to look into some legal challenges. This might be done >>>> via >>>> small claims and the key is that if we can get a judgment then the city >>>> will >>>> have no excuses. But of course I'm not a lawyer so I don't know. >>>> Opinions? >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> I this particular situation we should be demanding that the 'flow' is >>>>> actually an open format. >>>>> >>>>> Want happens when their propriatory DRM server is taken off line in a >>>>> few >>>>> years time... you lose access to the media you purchased? >>>>> >>>>> Simon > > > _______________________________________________ > clug-talk mailing list > [email protected] > http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca > Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) > **Please remove these lines when replying > _______________________________________________ clug-talk mailing list [email protected] http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) **Please remove these lines when replying
