Steve, I admit I do not have a technical understanding of secure digital, but this is pretty much what has been described in press releases and other material when the cards were first announced. You wonder whether something like this would attract customers, and I do too. But consider that this standard was developed through well coordinated meetings between companies like SanDisk, Matsushita (Panasonic), and Toshiba, and music publishers and recording artists. There was general consensus that this was the most useful and practical design that still protected copyrights, if the artist or publisher wanted those protections. The manufacturers and publishers, in order to make sure everything was coordinated, formed an association called the Secure Digital Industry Association, and it includes almost all the key players, except Sony.
Sony has chosen to create its own format, using the MemoryStick as the storage medium. When its version of a secure format was tested, many people found it was a real hassle. It has few, if any proponents other than Sony.
Before you give up on SD, remember that if an artist waives copyright protection, there are no restrictions on copying a particular file with such a waiver. If an artist wants what in the practical everyday world will amount to a toke fee to copy a file, then that alternative is available in a form that is not all that difficult for the average user to handle.
ABOVE ALL, THOSE WHO ADOPT SECURE DIGITAL WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. Everything is a compromise, but this one makes sense to me.
Art |
