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Yesterday, I posted a story from a NY Times blog, where it was reported that, as part of Microsoft’s deal to get NBC TV shows, J. B. Perrette, the president of digital distribution for NBC Universal, said Microsoft had agreed to adding technology into the Zune that would scan a user’s collection for unauthorized content. I copyright cop filtering system.
Today Microsoft denies there is any agreement to filter a users’ content.
“Microsoft has no plans or commitments to implement content filtering features in the Zune family of devices as part of our content distribution deal with NBC,” the software maker said in a statement.
Adam Sohn, a spokesman for Microsoft now says, “We’ve agreed to work with these guys on a number of issues, but we have no plans or commitment to put filtering technology as part of this arrangement with NBC.”
So there you have it crystal clear, I think. Seems then NBC shows are on the Zune, that is not selling and has few users, at the same prices that they where on U.S. iTunes for. By the way iTunes in Europe still sells NBC shows. I am getting pretty curious who is running NBC these days.
Microsoft’s official Zune blog claims that the company has “no plans to add content blocking features in Zune,” and suggested that NBC was “expressing hopes.”
According to a 
Seems Microsoft was not satisfied screwing over its “PlaysForSure” partners. Now it will leave the users who were unfortunate enough to have purchased music from their now-defunct MSN Music store realizing the there is NO way all the music they bought will “PLAY AT ALL.” I am sure many of these customers never thought they were just renting these tracks they paid good money for. 
I have owned two Apple TVs since they first became available. Sometimes it is hard being an early adopter of any device os technology. Many times you end up being the “beta” tester for a device or gadget that never gets to version two. The Apple TV has been useful to our household since we adopted them. But the Apple TV was not totally living up to its potential.
Yahoo is discontinuing its own music service and will partner with RealNetworks’ Rhapsody while facing a hostile takeover bid from Microsoft. Yahoo will drop Microsoft’s Windows Media for Real while it tries to keep business as usual. This deal does make Yahoo a little less depended on Microsoft, but was probably in the works for sometime.
Apple’s new iTunes Movie Rental service allows you rent movies in standard definition (640-by-480 almost DVD quality) and watch them on your Mac or Windows PC, as well on the iPod Classic, 3G iPod nano, iPod touch or iPhone. You must have the latest software installed on your iPod or iPhone. When you rent a movie you have 30 days to start watching. Once you start watching the movie you can watch for up to 24 hours as many times as you like. Once the 24 hour period is up the movie file will disappear from your hard drive. Prices for library titles (older movies) are $2.99 with newer titles costing $3.99.
As expected NBC has removed their content from iTunes including shows from Bravo, mun2, NBC, NBC News, CNBC, NBC Sports, Sci Fi, Sleuth, Telemundo or USA Network. Not a peacock feather in sight. This is due to NBC’s contract expiring with iTunes. NBC greedily wanted to raise prices, Apple said no and that was that.
When Amazon launched the Kindle yesterday I pondered the future of this device and the future of reading and have come to the conclusion that the Amazon’s model for the Kindle is flawed for several reasons. It is not at all the “iPod of Reading” as many websites are calling it. Sure Amazon is hopeful that many will think that is true, deriving the same success that Apple has had with the iPod when comes to selling the Kindle.
