2006-08-13
Microsoft PlaysForSure License
Microsoft PlaysForSure 
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Microsoft PlaysForSure is a marketing certification given by Microsoft to media players that have been verified to work with Microsoft Windows and with Microsoft's branded Digital Rights Management. It is intended to inform consumers about what types of video and audio formats the digital audio player or video player will be able to play. The PlaysForSure logo is applied to digital audio player and portable video player packaging as well as PlaysForSure compatible online music stores.
Overview
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The logo certifies that the device is able to play files recorded in Windows Media Audio or Windows Media Video format with the Windows Media DRM digital rights management scheme used in Windows Media Player version 10.
While various online stores sell digital media in these formats, the most popular such store, Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store (iTMS) uses a competing format (AAC+FairPlay DRM). iTunes Music Store files are encrypted with FairPlay DRM, rather than the Windows Media DRM used in PlaysForSure products. Because of this format difference, files purchased from the iTMS are not compatible with PlaysForSure equipment. Similarly, Apple's popular iPod personal music players and iTunes software do not support Windows Media files.
Devices that pass this certification use the Media Transfer Protocol or USB mass storage device class, and can play Windows Media Audio files with DRM.
Criticisms
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PlaysForSure appears to report only the audio formats Windows Media Player can play, rather than device capability. Accordingly, PlaysForSure may incorrectly inform the user that a portable device cannot play a non-Microsoft audio format (e.g. Ogg Vorbis) and will refuse to transfer audio tracks to the portable device.
A recent court case harshly criticised the wording of a recent Microsoft licensing agreement related to portable devices, see "Judge blasts MS bid to monopolize music devices". The license prohibited makers of portable devices, compatible with Windows Media Player, from using non-Microsoft audio encoding formats. Microsoft indicated that the wording of their license was poorly written due to an oversight by a junior Microsoft employee. Microsoft quickly amended their stringently worded license agreement at the judge's behest.
In a possibly related decision, iriver recently dropped support for Ogg Vorbis from their latest H10 portable music player in order to market it with PlaysForSure certification.
Due to the introduction of PlaysForSure and Media Transfer Protocol, makers of portable devices have another source for media transfer and music management software. If enough manufacturers adopt this option, both development cost and diversity will be reduced. Even if the actual development cost is not reduced, Microsoft might well offer the software at a reduced price to achieve market dominance. Reduced cost could be expected to benefit the consumer. Lack of diversity may improve some kinds of interoperability but it does reduce choice and could even lead to monopoly.
Media Transfer Protocol is not as convenient for a number of puposes as the previous dominant approach: having the device appear to the host computer as a USB mass storage device. Most systems provide support for such devices without additional software. Furthermore, such a device can be used for alternative purposes such as transferring files or even as a boot device.
Official PlaysForSure website
-----------------------------
Microsoft PlaysForSure is a marketing certification given by Microsoft to media players that have been verified to work with Microsoft Windows and with Microsoft's branded Digital Rights Management. It is intended to inform consumers about what types of video and audio formats the digital audio player or video player will be able to play. The PlaysForSure logo is applied to digital audio player and portable video player packaging as well as PlaysForSure compatible online music stores.
Overview
-----------------------------
The logo certifies that the device is able to play files recorded in Windows Media Audio or Windows Media Video format with the Windows Media DRM digital rights management scheme used in Windows Media Player version 10.
While various online stores sell digital media in these formats, the most popular such store, Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store (iTMS) uses a competing format (AAC+FairPlay DRM). iTunes Music Store files are encrypted with FairPlay DRM, rather than the Windows Media DRM used in PlaysForSure products. Because of this format difference, files purchased from the iTMS are not compatible with PlaysForSure equipment. Similarly, Apple's popular iPod personal music players and iTunes software do not support Windows Media files.
Devices that pass this certification use the Media Transfer Protocol or USB mass storage device class, and can play Windows Media Audio files with DRM.
Criticisms
-----------------------------
PlaysForSure appears to report only the audio formats Windows Media Player can play, rather than device capability. Accordingly, PlaysForSure may incorrectly inform the user that a portable device cannot play a non-Microsoft audio format (e.g. Ogg Vorbis) and will refuse to transfer audio tracks to the portable device.
A recent court case harshly criticised the wording of a recent Microsoft licensing agreement related to portable devices, see "Judge blasts MS bid to monopolize music devices". The license prohibited makers of portable devices, compatible with Windows Media Player, from using non-Microsoft audio encoding formats. Microsoft indicated that the wording of their license was poorly written due to an oversight by a junior Microsoft employee. Microsoft quickly amended their stringently worded license agreement at the judge's behest.
In a possibly related decision, iriver recently dropped support for Ogg Vorbis from their latest H10 portable music player in order to market it with PlaysForSure certification.
Due to the introduction of PlaysForSure and Media Transfer Protocol, makers of portable devices have another source for media transfer and music management software. If enough manufacturers adopt this option, both development cost and diversity will be reduced. Even if the actual development cost is not reduced, Microsoft might well offer the software at a reduced price to achieve market dominance. Reduced cost could be expected to benefit the consumer. Lack of diversity may improve some kinds of interoperability but it does reduce choice and could even lead to monopoly.
Media Transfer Protocol is not as convenient for a number of puposes as the previous dominant approach: having the device appear to the host computer as a USB mass storage device. Most systems provide support for such devices without additional software. Furthermore, such a device can be used for alternative purposes such as transferring files or even as a boot device.
Official PlaysForSure website
