Sony's Pictures Television division knocked us dead today
by announcing that their online retailers will soon be able to offer Sony content in DivX format. You know, not until recently DivX was considered the rebel codec (ab)used by licentious pirates for swapping Hollywood movies over P2P networks. But before you're jumping up and down in joy, also consider this:
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She [a spokesperson for DivX] also said that all titles would be download-to-own, but that there will be some type of unspecified DRM. Tracking down those DivX Sony movies might be a challenge, though. "We have no announcements with retailers at this time," she told us.
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Here we have it again. DivX yes, but afflicted by DRM disease. I understand that there are (perhaps outdated) business models requiring the technical means to prevent people from copying content; however, I pray that Sony will not fall into the trap of introducing yet another DRM mechanism that would require "compatible" players. Or maybe they are eyeing the official
DivX DRM. While it might have the power to gain a wider acceptance (with the sale of more DivX-certified devices), I would feel naturally uneasy about using a tool that was co-developed by the MPAA.
Coming back to the question that I raised at the beginning. What are the chances that Sony's e-book devision will switch from their proprietary LRF e-book format to something more open, like, let's say, Adobe ePub? We've heard it many times before that a Sony Reader future upgrade might deliver ePub support, but this doesn't necessarily imply that Sony will abandon LRF as its preferred format for selling e-book. Or does it?
Related Business Week article: Sony BMG Plans to Drop DRM