OT:Sony to patch Blu-ray burners for BD-ROM p

apit34356 wrote on 10/3/2006, 3:39 AM
For those who have BD-burners but could not play BD-ROM movies, Yesterday tech release;

Sony's BWU-100A Blu-ray Disc burner will this month gain the ability to play pre-recorded BD discs, the consumer electronics giant has revealed. The fix will come courtesy of an update to the copy of CyberLink PowerDVD bundled with the internal drive.

The free update will be made available from Sony's storage support site here. Downloaders will required the software key included with their current copy of PowerDVD.

They'll also need an HDCP-compliant graphics card if they want to be sure BD content will be output at the correct resolution, Sony warned. Users will also need a powerful enough PC and a modern graphics card. There's a system checking tool available at the support site link above.

It also said users have just one opportunity to download the software - if the tool doesn't download correctly, or you throw away the downloaded file before applying the patch, you'll need to pay Sony for a copy of the software on disc. The company didn't say how much this money-grabbing exercise will cost consumers, but it claimed the fee will be "nominal".

Comments

apit34356 wrote on 10/3/2006, 3:46 AM
This is a licensing issue between Sony and Cyberlink concerning the number of licensed copies of PowerDVD being bundled with Sony's drive. This not Sony refusing to release Sony owned software.
p@mast3rs wrote on 10/3/2006, 6:47 AM
"It also said users have just one opportunity to download the software - if the tool doesn't download correctly, or you throw away the downloaded file before applying the patch, you'll need to pay Sony for a copy of the software on disc. The company didn't say how much this money-grabbing exercise will cost consumers, but it claimed the fee will be "nominal"."


Sorry but that is complete Bullshit. No way can you charge a customer who already has bought your expensive drive and software for an update especially a second time if the transfer or patch doesnt work. Sounds like a major scam.
Spot|DSE wrote on 10/3/2006, 10:34 AM
"I'm sorry Mr. Groceryman...I left my shopping cart in the parking lot while I was talking to my neighbor and someone stole my groceries...please replace them at no charge to me."

Sony has to pay for those licenses just like everyone else. XXX number of licenses are available from the generator of the licenses, the BD organization controls them (of which Sony is a part) and Sony has to pay for them, even if they're paying their own parent corporation. Someone has to pay for those lost licenses, just as the grocer won't give you free groceries to replace those you negligently lost. If it's a corrupted download, that's a different story, IMO.
It's not a scam, it's just business. In my business, I have to pay for every license key issued to one of our partners, because we have licensed code in the software. We sometimes absorb that cost when someone loses their key, but it can be very expensive even for a small company. I can't imagine the millions it could cost a big company.

By example, if Sony Electronics, Sony Medical, Sony Broadcast, or Sony Business wants copies of Sony Vegas, they buy them. Just like we do. Maybe at a lower price, but they pay for them all the same. If Sony Media Software wants an HDV camcorder, they buy one. Just like we do. Sometimes it's even faster and cheaper to buy it at Best Buy rather than buying internally.
p@mast3rs wrote on 10/3/2006, 11:01 AM
Spot, I agree with your analogy. My response was more on the side on a corrupted download or something happening during the flashing of the firmware. If a user loses it or is negligent, they should pay again. But for them to charge customers for things out of there control is a scam.

Thats almost liken to Microsoft charging users every time they need to reactivate.
Chienworks wrote on 10/3/2006, 5:15 PM
A far better approach would be to use the license key to activate the software after downloading rather than requiring it to obtain the file.
apit34356 wrote on 10/3/2006, 5:42 PM
Chienworks, unfortunely this would not work this time because it contains the latest code for BD-rom features. CyberLink has a huge cash investment in getting BD feature set working in a "general pc" . Niether Sony or CyberLink want to let third party hackers have quick access to the BD "features" command set code.
apit34356 wrote on 10/3/2006, 5:56 PM
"Sometimes it's even faster and cheaper to buy it at Best Buy rather than buying internally." This is true in almost all large corporations, that don't run an internal corp "store".