Archive for the ‘Microsoft’ Category

DirecTV HDPC-20 Patent Review

January 16th, 2008

The DirecTV HDPC-20 is generating lots of buzz. In a nutshell, this product will let you record DirecTV to a Vista PC, which you can then (perhaps?) stream to any TV in the house via Media Center Extenders like the XBox 360. This image comes from the back of the device, revealing several patent numbers:

DirecTV Patents

I thought it’d be fun to track these down via Google Patent Search.

4631603
1986, John O. Ryan, Macrovision: Method and apparatus for processing a video signal so as to prohibit the making of acceptable video tape recordings thereof.
4819098
1989, John O. Ryan, Macrovision: Method and apparatus for clustering modifications made to a video signal to inhibit the making of acceptable videotape recordings.
4907093
1990, John O. Ryan, Macrovision: Method and apparatus for preventing the copying of a video program.
5315448
1994, John O. Ryan, Macrovision: Copy protection for hybrid digital video tape recording and unprotected source material.
6381747
2002, Peter J. Wonfor, Derek T. Nelson, Macrovision: Method for controlling copy protection in digital video networks.
6516132
2003, William J. Wrobleski, Ronald Quan, Macrovision: Method and apparatus for improving the effects of color burst modifications to a video signal.

None of this is surprising. Although DRM-free music seems attainable, video is an entirely different battle. Most of the patents describe techniques to prevent analog copies, such as recording to VHS. Patent 6381747 is a lot more interesting, however. This one lets service providers like DirecTV “activate, control and reconfigure the copy protection process”.

You should be very skeptical before buying into this system.

  • Will they prevent you from recording certain types of shows? DirecTV already does this for music channels, for instance.
  • Will you be able to stream all recorded shows to Media Center Extenders, or will certain categories of shows only work on the PC?
  • With Windows Home Server, will you be allowed to stream your recorded DirecTV content to remote locations via the Internet?
  • Will recorded shows expire after a certain number of days?
  • Will recorded content expire after a certain number of viewings?
  • Will your existing monthly DirecTV DVR fee cover this device, or is this a new charge?

This could be a really kick ass product, but it could also be a nightmare if you spend thousands of dollars on computer equipment and extender devices, only to discover your favorite shows are blocked.

Posted in Microsoft, Technology | No Comments »

IE 8 Passes Acid2 Test

December 19th, 2007

Didn’t see this one coming…today the IEBlog breaks the IE 8 cone of silence:

Last week, we achieved an important milestone that should interest web developers. IE8 now renders the “Acid2 Face” correctly in IE8 standards mode.

Here is how Acid2 renders today, under IE7 on Vista:

Acid2 on IE7 Vista

Under IE8 “in standards mode”, the face renders like this:

Acid2 on IE8

Standards Mode or Quirks Mode?

Here is the first line of the Acid2 Browser Test test page:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN">

That line actually puts IE7 into something called “Almost Standards Mode”, according to the Wikipedia Quirks mode article.

Watch the Video

When you visit the Acid2 Browser Test page, will IE8 be in “Almost Standards Mode”, or will it render in “Standards Mode”?

The IEBlog did not make this clear. I found myself wondering if they did this:

  1. Visit the Acid2 Browser Test page
  2. Save the source to a file
  3. Edit the first line of HTML to something that puts IE8 into standards mode
  4. Load that slightly modified file

Fortunately, the Video on Channel 9 clears this up. Fast forward to around 21:30 in the video to see that the smiley face renders correctly on the live site, not on a modified local copy.

This is really good news. Let’s hope they continue improving standards compliance in IE8 and beyond.

Posted in HTML and CSS, Microsoft | No Comments »

Notepad Still Sucks

December 12th, 2007

The bundled applications…Notepad, Paint, etc…are the biggest Vista disappointments. Complete. Lack. Of. Innovation.

Notepad Still Sucks

Anyone have a better theory?

Ballmer Tongue
Crap

Posted in Comics, Microsoft | 2 Comments »

Make CSS Work

December 6th, 2007

Microsoft just announced the next version of IE will be called…IE 8.

Add that to my “Wow” list.

My ideas for IE 8:

  • Properly implement CSS, in particular the box model. Consistent page layout across browsers is a huge challenge.
  • Make sure Vista still works even when I have Firefox configured as my default browser.
  • Make standards modes default, not quirks mode.
  • See that search box at the top of my blog? It works in Firefox, but in IE I’d have to use a hack to get that background image to disappear when the box has focus. Fix that.

I guess the last bullet is another CSS issue. The previous bullet is probably more an issue with Microsoft web sites insisting on being IE proprietary, which sucks.

So, to summarize:

Make CSS Work.

Posted in HTML and CSS, Microsoft | No Comments »

The Baffling World of Microsoft Music

September 30th, 2007

Can anybody on planet Earth explain Microsoft’s music strategy?

“I am a cipher wrapped in an enigma smothered in a secret sauce.” - Jimmy James

Windows Media Player version 11 is actually — surprisingly — a decent application. Upon opening Media Player, you’ll notice an integrated music service called Urge. Urge has a decent music selection and offers an unlimited download subscription option as well as an iTunes-like music purchase option.

What about Zune?

But why Urge? Microsoft, unbelievably, is its own competitor. Zune is not integrated into Media Player, and its DRM is not compatible. Zune requires a separate download. Vista comes bundled with something called “Sync Center” that is deeply integrated with Windows Media Player. I don’t know if this works with Zune software.

This is just weird.

It Gets Worse

News flash: Urge is now dead. OK…Mr. Obvious thinks “now they’ll consolidate under a single brand.” Nope. Urge is merging with Rhapsody, which is NOT integrated into Windows Media Player. Instead, you have to download and install the proprietary Rhapsody client software. Here’s what it looks like:

Rhapsody Bug

Rhapsody crashes constantly. And (as I found) if you leave the “auto login” checkbox checked, it won’t auto-login. Worse, you have to exit, go to IE, clear ALL browser caches, and then restart. Sometimes several times. If you are lucky you can play a few songs, but eventually it kicks you out.

Rhapsody sucks ass.

If you downloaded a library of songs from Urge, you can allegedly transfer them to Rhapsody. It turns out you *can* import the songs, but after a few days or weeks the DRM expires and bricks the music. You have to re-download everything at this point.

This assumes the songs are even available. I’ve found that Rhapsody appears to offer LESS music than Urge. Almost every album appears to have partial content, with at least 2-3 songs missing:

Many Songs Not Available

Those are the best songs on the albums. The fillers are still available for monthly-subscription customers.

In their defense, these missing songs are available for MP3 purchase. Surprisingly, these are 256 Kbps DRM-free MP3, just like DRM-free MP3s from Amazon. (makes you wonder why there is SO MUCH BUZZ about Amazon’s MP3 downloads, when you can get the same thing from Rhapsody? Maybe if Rhapsody didn’t crash so often…)

In Summary…Please Explain

So back to the original question. Can ANYBODY offer a logical explanation for Microsoft’s music strategy? Allow me to summarize:

  • There is no brand. Consumers are given a bewildering array of choices…Windows Media Player, Urge, Rhapsody, Zune…???
  • Many choices are not integrated — at all — with Vista’s otherwise decent Media Player and Sync Center
  • Software like Rhapsody crashes and is complex to configure
  • Many songs simply are not available, despite other parts of the album being available
  • Rhapsody is part of the new breed of DRM-free MP3 providers, just like Amazon, but nobody’s really talking about that. Surely that should be a prominent part of Microsoft’s marketing?

Here is my theory. I don’t think they are stupid, nor do I think they are intentionally trying to fail. I think this is mostly a case of a huge corporation that is dominated by special interest groups, bureaucracy, and committees. Trying to please everybody leads to wishy-washy shit that inspires nobody.

Microsoft needs a dictator.

Posted in Microsoft | 3 Comments »