WARNING !! Windows Media Player 7 (Beta)

[Keith Doxey <keith.doxey@xxxxxxx>]

Hi All,

Mark just sent me a link to Microsoft for the new (still in beta) Media
Player 7.

Just downloaded and tried it and apart from being a bit resource hungry on
my P133 laptop it seems to function OK.

It has a feature to copy CD's to hard disk but NOT as MP3. They are *.WMA
(Windows Media Audio) a COPY PROTECTED format. There are options to disable
the copy protection but it warns that if you do so you may not be able to
transfer them to a portable player. When a track is protected, a licence is
hidden somewhere on your PC. If you use the software to transfer to your
portable player, a copy of the licence is also transfered.

I tried two tracks, one protected, one not, and played them both back on
the
host machine using the older Media Player 2 (6.4) and both played OK. I
tried to access the files over the LAN on my other machine with the same
version of media player. The UNPROTECTED file played OK but the PROTECTED
file fired up Internet Explorer and went off to the Microsoft site to
display this......

Windows Media Personal License
Sorry, you won’t be able to play this content on this PC.
The content you are trying to play is protected with a digital license. The
key to open this license resides on the PC which originally recorded this
file from CD, and the file can only be played on that PC. If you are
attempting to play the content on the PC which originally recorded this
file
from CD, then the license file is missing or corrupt and you'll need to
re-record the content from the original CD. The software used to record the
file from CD uses a digital rights management system to help protect the
copyrights of musicians and songwriters. This system, developed by
Microsoft
and called Windows Media Rights Manager, encrypts the music files you
record. Use of the system helps prevent accidental violation of license
terms and conditions set by a copyright owner.

Today you can transfer these encrypted files to many portable devices that
support the Windows Media Format, such as the Casio E-100, and in the very
near future, Diamond Rio, Creative Nomad II, and Thomson/RCA Lyra. Soon you
will be able to transfer encrypted files to another PC that you own.
Microsoft is currently developing a backup/restore and transfer service for
the license information associated with encrypted music recorded in the
Windows Media Format. Look for this feature in a future version of your
player.

For more information on the Windows Media Rights Manager, visit the Windows
Media Technologies Web site </windows/windowsmedia/features/drm/>.

......
so before everyone leaps for the latest software....think!!!

Microsoft say they are working on allowing you to "transfer"
files to
another PC but does that mean the file will have to be physically on that
machine, if so, it defeats all the benefits of what many of us are working
on. 1 PC with loads of storage and smaller less capable machines as
players.
For a home entertainment system based on a server with local PC's for
playback, there is still a lot of mileage in MP3, Napster,  Winamp, Xing,
Audio Catalyst, BladeEnc etc.

Make sure you have copies of the install files of older programs just
incase
you need to revert to a more "HA Freindly" piece of software :-))

Keith.
(Sticking with MP3 for now)

Keith Doxey
http://www.btinternet.com/~krazy.keith
Krazy Keith's World of DIY Home Automation


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