Sony brings TV to PSP, with limits
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Apr 18th 2006 at 1:35PM }
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JapanChronicles.com has the scoop on Sony's Portable TV service (P-TV), which is currently available to PSP users
in Japan. Despite offering valuable content (downloadable PSP-formatted videos), the P-TV service is flawed. All of the
videos are DRM-protected and only accessible for a limited amount of time (ranging from 5–30 days) — each
video must be bought separately (some videos are free).If Sony wants to stay competitive with services like iTunes, the company will have to give downloaders full ownership of downloaded video or move to a fixed low-cost subscription fee. That is, either sell users videos to download and keep, or charge them a monthly fee that will grant access to all (or part) of the video library, giving users a limited time to watch a downloaded video, but also permitting them unlimited monthly downloads. Given the Memory Sticks' limited storage capacity, users should also be given the opportunity to archive content on a PC.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sense @ Apr 18th 2006 1:38PM
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Sony sucks wang.
Brandon @ Apr 18th 2006 1:45PM
I agree. There outof control with this DRM bullsh*t. If I pay to download something, you better believe that's mine forever, otherwise screw it and you for all time. The perfect example is XBLA, if you delete it you downlad it again free of charge forever, you paid for it once so it's yours, and I imagine Nintendo will do the same with there VC app, sony needs to take a lesson.
crummy @ Apr 18th 2006 1:53PM
"If Sony wants to stay competitive with services like iTunes, the company will have to give downloaders full ownership of downloaded video or move to a fixed low-cost subscription fee."
iTunes doesn't give you full ownership of downloaded video. You still have all the DRM issues, the only difference that I can see is there's no time limit with iTunes (which admittedly is pretty lame of Sony).
Uglypimp @ Apr 18th 2006 1:57PM
This is what happens when half of your business is in electronics and the other half is in film. I'm sure Sony's film division is strong arming its electronics to ensure DRM is in place. It's funny how internal departments can make life hell for other divisions, even though they work for the same company.
FragEm @ Apr 18th 2006 1:58PM
Xbot fanbois: Sony needs to protect their artists rights. You're paying to hear their songs or see their videos now, whether you know it or not. If you watch TV or listen to the radio, it's ad sponsored. Even on cable. You don't own a song you buy, even when it's on CD.
Prof-KOS @ Apr 18th 2006 2:10PM
Hah, If Sony does this with their PS3 online service all theu will do is piss everyone off. I love it. There's nothing greater than watching abnoxious companies drown themselves with arrogant service decisions. Take this and your root kits and shove them.....anyways, I've bought my last Sony product, anyone else?
Kevin D @ Apr 18th 2006 2:16PM
This is EXACTLY what they'll do with the PS3..
They'll have a TON of great things to download... ONCE... for a fee, and it'll be date stamped...LOL...
Welcome to SONY's future for everyone....
Hell, they could even do this with BLU-RAY stuff, date stamp it and use a part of the hard drive (registry etc)...
This is why I'll never support Sony on ANYTHING anymore... Yeh, pirating is rampant, but to punish the innocent with draconian tactics is idiotic...
Cant wait to see how much the PS3 is gonna be DRM'd up the wazzoooo...LOL...
Oh well, theres always my 360 and the Rev...
mandarin @ Apr 18th 2006 2:27PM
It's been nice knowing you Sony... Enjoy the rest of my money while you still can.
Evil Inside @ Apr 18th 2006 2:29PM
This service WILL fail simply because television networks are going start offering FREE tv episode downloads begining in May 2006, well before Sony launches any service in the USA. Fox has already announced a similar plan. And if those companies are giving away downloads, how will Sony be able to charge for it?
There is no way anyone will pay to download tv episodes that are time restricted when you will be able to watch them for free(with commercials).
Apple has proven the business plan by offering cheap, commercial free tv episodes that use a reasonable DRM method. Why Sony isn't simply following the same, proven formula is beyond me.
Sony's got their heads so far up their a$$es that they are oblivious to what is going on around them.
Don't get me wrong, the PlayStation platform has help bring video games to mainstream entertainment levels and I think it's a great platform and Sony has done wonders with it, but I can't help but think they are going to screw everything up through greed and this sense of self-importance they seem to possess.
DG @ Apr 18th 2006 2:36PM
I got a MiniDisc player for Christmas a couple of years ago. I asked for an mp3 player and the giant "Plays mp3s!" sticker on the box fooled my mom. In order to get mp3s onto a MiniDisc I hate to convert mp3s to Atrac files, but could only do so a maximum of three times, and I couldn't rip songs off of the MiniDiscs themselves. Needless to say, I haven't touched the thing in over a year and I will not ever again.
The point? I didn't need this nonsense to show me how ridiculously Sony treats its customers. I was burned once before and will never buy a Sony product again.
Kye @ Apr 18th 2006 2:41PM
*He looks at the bullet hole in Sony's foot and shakes his head sadly*
Evil Inside @ Apr 18th 2006 3:03PM
This will fail, simply because US television networks are already planning on giving away free episodes of their most popular shows starting in May 2006.
Aside from that, Apple has already proven the business model of selling tv shows and it doesn't include time-limited DRM.
Sony doesn't simply follow other sucessful, proven business models (like iTunes), they have to be a beautiful and unique snowflake and do it their way, even if no one wants it. That's why their Connect service is a failure and this will fail as well.
GlitchCog @ Apr 18th 2006 3:18PM
DRM is wrong. Sharing ideas and art is more important than ensuring compensation.
Kye @ Apr 18th 2006 4:24PM
Aint that a b*tch?!
Just tried to switch sim cards in my Sony Ericsson fone and the damned thing won't work now. It's like it's gone retarded or something.
Then I put the sim card into my Nokia that I haven't used in about 5 years and guess what. It boots up, not a problem in sight!
Seriously I'm not making this up. This JUST happened.
Sony, you have just seriously jumped over the line into my bad books.
I hope you crash and burn and die... In a fire.
You and your cheap fones, cheap consoles, cheap media players, and cheap values.
Flying Caveman @ Apr 18th 2006 4:55PM
I have a dream!
That someday Sony will manage to pull their collective heads out their DRM'ed assholes!.
jadenguy @ Apr 19th 2006 2:39AM
once again sony will use consumer electronics to push their own content with highly negative content protection. it has failed in the past. it will fail in the future. i don't feel like making the list, but you all know it starts with betamax and currently ends with umd.
regarding the legal/moral status of media ownership and whatnot: i don't think anybody knows. i don't think the big companies understand it, i don't think the average consumer understands it, and i don't think the law books even have it straight, one way or the other. if you see something, do you have the legal right to see it again? can anybody steal your memories? how well can you share those memories with somebody else? can you describe them using trademark names (superbowl)? can you show them a quick picture fo what happened (fair-use images)? can you give them samples of something you yourself collected (concert bootleg tapes)? are you free to make digital facsimile that you interperet to be sufficiently similar? and share them? share them with people who never payed for it?
i think the difficulty of this question will plague humanity for as long as we still have trouble defining ourselves. perhaps it is that constant redefinition of self that is man.
well, can't talk now, my aqua teen torrent just finished.