A report on Wired says that some iPods are not compatible with the iTunes video rental store. Not good news for fifth generation iPod owners planning on using the service.
Note: This is an article I wrote that was published elsewhere first. It has been republished here for archival purposes
“We just have to make [piracy] as difficult and as tedious as possible,” Dan Glickman, Motion Picture Association of America said during an interview on the internet documentary film Steal this Film 2, “and we have to let people know that there are consequences if they are caught.”
It’s one of the bigger lines pushed by the movie studios on movie piracy. Unfortunately for the MPAA, an authorized venue may be much more difficult and tedious, let alone expensive, to rent movies on iTunes for some iPod owners than some alternatives.
Some are speculating that it is the result of Digital Rights Management, the same DRM that major copyright holders say offers consumers choice – whether it be a seucirty flaw or simply a way to encourage 5th generation iPod owners to buy the latest iPod. Some Apple iPod owners expressed frustration and anger when they found out that they are the proud owner of an incompatible iPod. This is despite the fact that the iPods are actually capable of video playback in the first place. Whether it’s a security glitch or something more sinister at work, Apple has yet to make an official statement on the matter.
For some, the DRM incompatibility argument dates back to at least since the launch of Napster 2.0. This is particularly the case when the Electronic Frontier Foundation posted a guide entitled, ‘The Customer is Always Wrong’ back in 2005. Since then, some music services like
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
