Zune won't play MS DRM infected files

MICROSOFT JUST BIT its partners in the donkey euphemism with their DRM infection on music and video files. According to the EFF, backed up by the MS Zune docs here, the new MS DRM infection is incompatible with the old MS DRM infection. 'Tis to laugh. No, 'tis to cry.

If you were dumb enough not to heed the advice of, well everyone, and bought DRM infected files, you are SOL. If you believed the MS Plays For Sure logo, and bought things based on that, well, it won't play for sure, it won't play at all on Zune. Basically, as we have been saying, you squandered every cent you overpaid for your music because of the DRM infection. I smell a lawsuit.

Does it get better? Sure it does, Microsoft also shafted its partners. If you signed up to send out content in infected WMA/WMV format, you can't sell to the hot new device this non-denominational year end season. Partners get bitten as hard if not harder than the users. Luckily, if you ignored the law, you can enjoy Zune to the fullest.

So, what do you do if you want to play videos on your shiny new Zune? If you follow MSs advice, you break the law. "Lots of DVD ripping software out there that encodes to those formats, so the most popular formats out there, whether it's MPEG-4 or H.264, we'll support those." Yes, J Allard, MS Corporate VP is actively advocating that the new device be used to break laws, DMCA be damned, it is only meant to be observed when it is fattening their wallet.

So, in general, the device that Microsoft is aiming to gut the iPod with does three things really well. It screws legal music customers, screws partners, and actively advocates breaking the law to use. What a wonderful world we live in, all brought to you by the letters D, R and M, and the term infection. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. µ

* FOOTNOTE The Microsoft footnote in question says "4 Zune software can import audio files in unprotected WMA, MP3, AAC; photos in JPEG; and videos in WMV, MPEG-4, H.264."