XB360's media capabilities a little misrepresented?

[Shifty Geezer]

It's been said XB360 connects directly to iPod for playing music, and this was also shown on the Money Programme special. However what MS had failed to tell us was it won't play iTunes DRM'd music, so if you're iPod is populated by music you've bought over iTunes, that music can't be used.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=12801

...but what's less well-known is that the next-generation console will be unable to play songs purchased from Apple's iTunes Music Store.
That's according to Microsoft's Jeff Henshaw, who told CNET News.com that because of the digital-rights-management (DRM) software in iPod, playback of those tracks was not possible.

Henshaw said Microsoft had tried to forge a partnership with Apple on the issue, but that Apple had rejected the idea.

During the same interview, Henshaw also declined to comment on whether Microsoft has had to engage in any reverse-engineering to achieve iPod compatibility.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Apple totally kicked MS in the nutz

 

[London Geezer]

OUCH!!!

Will the X360 eventually open up to ANY kind of MP3 player? That would be neat. Lots of people have iPods but lots of people also have other MP3 players.

Not that i'd use such a feature, i plug my HD5 directly to my Hi-Fi...

 

[robofunk]

Never once have they said it could play DRMed iTunes music. People will complain and forumers in the know will point them in the right direction for deDRMing the music.

 

[Guden Oden]

Don't all modern MP3 players simply present their contents as a USB storage device when hooked up to a computer (including next-gen games console with USB ports)? Therefore there'd be no need for specific iPod (or PSP) support built-in, other than merely for marketing purposes.

 

[BlueTsunami]

right direction for deDRMing the music.

Is that illegal?

 

[robofunk]

Don't all modern MP3 players simply present their contents as a USB storage device when hooked up to a computer (including next-gen games console with USB ports)? Therefore there'd be no need for specific iPod (or PSP) support built-in, other than merely for marketing purposes.

The iPod keeps it's music in a mess of folders.

 

[scooby_dooby]

This is OLD news. Apple's fault not MS.

 

[robofunk]

Sony is going to have the same problem with DRMed .WMAs.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Sony is going to have the same problem with DRMed .WMAs.

Thats why we must break away from proprietary codecs like that (would it even be called proprietary?). DRMed anything is bad.

 

[London Geezer]

Sony is going to have the same problem with DRMed .WMAs.

Pretty sure they're fully supported these days. Kind of a last-week news on the AVforums, but i'm not confident about the details.

 

[drpepper]

This is to no surprise, Apple has been very stingy with FairPlay and I don't think the 360 is part of their equation.

And it's not the codec that's closed but the DRM.

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple provided firmware to even block the iPod connectivity. Apple wants people to either connect their Pods to stereos directly, using lin out, or use Airport express.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Will the X360 eventually open up to ANY kind of MP3 player? That would be neat. Lots of people have iPods but lots of people also have other MP3 players.

That should be fine. I dunno what XB360 looks for but I'm guessing it just searches for .mp3s or other formats. If you plug a USB HDD into it witha chock load of .mp3s it ought to be found I'd have thought, same as devices are found and accessed on Windows PCs.

 

[London Geezer]

That should be fine. I dunno what XB360 looks for but I'm guessing it just searches for .mp3s or other formats. If you plug a USB HDD into it witha chock load of .mp3s it ought to be found I'd have thought, same as devices are found and accessed on Windows PCs.

Well it largely depends on what MP3 player it is. If i plug my MP3 player to my PC, it won't play songs like that. It will play songs to a hi-fi - and very well i might add - but you can't play MP3s from the player through the PC (and i'm not sure why you would anyway, all my music collection is on my PC and on my MP3 player...)

 

[expletive]

That should be fine. I dunno what XB360 looks for but I'm guessing it just searches for .mp3s or other formats. If you plug a USB HDD into it witha chock load of .mp3s it ought to be found I'd have thought, same as devices are found and accessed on Windows PCs.

I would think that at LEAST the dvices which carry the "plays for sure" logo would work but probably all the devices. Only trick is how are they configuring playlists in these demos we're seeing. Is a playlist a universal file type that will also be searched for by the 360?

 

[lefizz]

I think all this was fairly predictable. And also shows you that iTunes music store is even worse value for money than you first thought, you bought it but apple wont let you play it. How kind of them.

On a slightly different angle, what the situation with USB harddrives and divx movies. I havent got xp medi acente and was just wondering if this was an option. Buy a big ass usb2 drive and plug that in to watch movies. Is the usb thing only gonna support mp3 and wma?

Being able to plug in extra usb 2 harddrive would be pretty damn useful.

phil

 

[Guden Oden]

Apple's fault not MS.

How can it be Apple's fault? It's no more Apple's fault you can't play itunes-DRM'd music through the x360 than it's Ford's fault their distributor caps don't fit on Honda engines. (See! The old car analogy owns everything else. )

Apple made their choice not to open up the DRM. Calling it their "fault" is just lame f-boy nonsense.

 

[c0_re]

Who in there right mind pays for MP3's? I can stick a CD in laptop and rip it at CD quality in about 5 minutes, don't you all have friends with like 2000 CD a piece?

Only lamer yupie tools(or just uninformed consumers) own Ipod's there a fashion statement, theres better products out there with more features for less $$$.

Until he Ipod can play WMA and has recordable FM radio other flash players get my money.

 

[jvd]

How can it be Apple's fault? It's no more Apple's fault you can't play itunes-DRM'd music through the x360 than it's Ford's fault their distributor caps don't fit on Honda engines. (See! The old car analogy owns everything else. )

Apple made their choice not to open up the DRM. Calling it their "fault" is just lame f-boy nonsense.

I'm sorry who's fault is it then ?

Ms said they asked if they can use it and apple said no and that they tried to make a deal and apple said no .

SO who's fault is it really ? Is it ms's fault for trying to get it to play ? Because apparently its not apples fault for saying no ?

 

[expletive]

I'm sorry who's fault is it then ?

Ms said they asked if they can use it and apple said no and that they tried to make a deal and apple said no .

SO who's fault is it really ? Is it ms's fault for trying to get it to play ? Because apparently its not apples fault for saying no ?

Agreed. I know the end result is for MS to sell consoles, not charity, but Apple's stance on this appears, to me at least, anti-consumer.

Apples decision to not open DRM to be used on the 360 is exactly what makes it apple's "fault". They have the right to do what they want with their products when they have the choice, as MS has done for years, but in this case it seems Apple is making the consumer suffer as a by-product of them screwing MS.