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November 20, 2008
We Will Control the Horizontal. We Will Control the Vertical.
Sony has cut off access to Columbia Pictures films for XBOX 360 users of Netflix's Streaming Video Service. The videos ar still on the service and available to non-XBOX 360 users, including users of the Roku streaming box, OS/X and some other Microsoft product called "Windows". I can only assume that Sony is doing this to convince users to buy a PS3 (which doesn't support Netflix streaming at all without a PC and third party software).
This is the next big grab for Hollywood - these videos are DRMed, but that isn't enough for Sony. They now want to be able to dictate the specific hardware that you will be allowed to watch your movies on. I predict the next step will be an announcement that Columbia pictures Blu-Ray discs will only play in Sony-branded players. That is really no more ridiculous than this is.
UPDATE - Sony is now claiming that the restrictions have nothing to do with competition between Sony's PS3 and the Xbox 360. This doesn't chagne anything thoguh - they still should have absolutely no say what so ever in which platforms I choose to watch content on. A client is a client is a client.
Posted at November 20, 2008 8:38 AM in Digital Rights
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