Evil companies (How sony compromised user systems)

I never read about it in detail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_CD_copy_protection_scandal

"The Sony rootkit is designed to hide any files, registry keys and processes starting with the string $sys$, making it very easy for writers of worms and other malware to also hide their files by simply using the same name"

Just how retarded are companies ? Or does rampant greed cloud everything else

 

Yes, it does.

Well, for Sony, it was a way to install their DRM software on people's computers. Unfortunately, they got an incompetent company to develop it for them, and they didn't really care that it could cause problems for users.

 

Wow; I had heard that the rootkit allowed malicious software to be hidden.. but I didn't think it was that easy to exploit it.

WTF were they thinking.

 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

I don't think we'll ever know the answer to that...but AFAIK those CDs shouldn't be out anymore. Hopefully.

 

I think you are overly optimistic. Surely some people must have kept their CDs and it is likely that not all stores returned unsold CDs to Sony. To be safe, one should avoid Sony BMG music CDs.

 

Sony goes way over the top with their anti-piracy stuff sometimes. A lot of companies do, Microsoft being another good example. In all their attempts to make their stuff "secure," they end up screwing the consumer. Case in point: Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. When originally started, both formats were not going to be able to play on TVs without HDMI and a certain coding built in. This was initiated by Hollywood to prevent piracy, but in the end it screwed all of those people who bought an HDTV early. AFAIK, this is no longer the case (thank God), but it's still a valid example. They just don't realize that by implementing all this anti-piracy stuff it makes people want to pirate the stuff more so that they don't have to deal with all this extra BS which, in Sony and Microsoft's case (a la WGA), should be considered malware for sure.

 

The HDMI requirement is optional now, I believe. So Hollywood can (and will) still choose that for all their releases, you need HDMI support to get access to the full quality version of the movie you bought. Otherwise you get a scaled-down version.

 

Another reason to avoid Blu-Ray and HD-DVD both...

Not that the $30+ pricetag that I've seen on Blu-Ray disks is keeping me away... honest gov.

Oh, and Sony has a history of completely boneheaded moves...

See: MiniDisc (Now pretty much deceased)
PSP (yes, cause people will spend $20 to buy a movie that they can only watch on a screen that is 2.5x4 inches... yes they will.. really... I mean WHO in their right mind wants to watch a movie they purchased on a TV??)

 

You forgot Beta as well.
Even if Sony's formats are technologically superior, they never succeed. As I doubt Blu-ray will.
I mean, who wants to buy a DVD that can only be played on a BR player when you can buy an HD-DVD now and use it on both HD and standard dvd players?

 

Sony has some GREAT ideas, and even better products, but they usually manage to find a way to make all of their work a complete waste of time. They go to over board on the anti-piracy things, no matter what you do to protect from it people will still pirate things, and like stated before what they are doing is just making more BS for the people that actually buy things. Its to bad too, cause there are some Sony products that I wouldn't mind owning, but with all of the BS that Sony comes with its just not worth the time or money.

 

I think it's more a complaint of the UMD format and their handling of it, rather than the PSP itself. The system, as a gaming format, is not bad. And those with a modicum of knowledge can easily use memory sticks to store their videos; but the implementation and pricing of videos on UMD did not work. As you say, buying a movie for the same price (or greater!) than the same copy you have on DVD is just silly. At a discounted price, it might have fared better. Not to mention that there was really no follow-up with using UMD in anything other than the PSP.

Not that those things would've made it a slam dunk, but it certainly couldn't have hurt.

 

What would have been even better is if they had packaged a UMD and a DVD together for a little more. They would have saved on the packaging, printing, and distribution costs, and transferred that savings to just tack on 5-10 bucks onto the price of a DVD, but then you have both. Sometimes, I really wonder about the marketing of these big companies.

Personally, I hope Blu-Ray wins out. Although this is the first I've heard that an HD-DVD can play on a regluar DVD player. If that's true, I might just have to go with it. But, Blu-Ray has so much capacity. 50 gigs on one disc is just amazing. This is one thing Sony that I hope can make it through.

 

Why is it so important with that extra capacity? First, there are *already* dual-layer HD-DVD out, which pretty much closes that gap, and second, well, what do you need it for? Movies don't need it (and so far, they're better quality on HD-DVD), and for backup? An external harddrive is cheaper, faster and safer.

Who cares about 10% extra storage space? If it also means higher price, (much) more fragile media and more prohibitive DRM, they can keep it.

 

Well, looking from a gaming standpoint, Blu-Ray offers much more in terms of having higher resolutions, better sounds, more music offerings, more sounds, and an overall larger game. This could come in handy especially in games like GTA and Final Fantasy. Speaking from a movie standpoint, HD-DVD has proven to have better picture clarity thus far, so I agree with you there. And right now, external hard drives are a cheaper option than Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, but DVD-Rs are cheaper overall for strictly simple backup purposes. So looking down the road when HD-DVD and Blu-Ray reach more reasonable prices, they would become more reasonable (for your basic user who just wants to backup their important files once). Also, discs are much more portable than the majority of external hard drives. But I also agree with you, that if it comes at the price of more prohibitive DRM, then they can forget it. As I said earlier, they're getting stupid with this anti-piracy stuff these days.

 

it's a SONY !!