Sony Fixes Problems With New DVDs 210
An anonymous reader writes "Following up on reports that DVDs for some Sony titles were causing problems, Video Business is reporting that Sony has fixed the copy-protection problem on recent DVD releases, and will provide replacement discs to customers. The problem was with the ARccOS DRM system. The company issued the following statement: 'Recently, an update that was installed on approximately 20 titles was found to cause an incompatibility issue with a very small number of DVD players (Sony has received complaints on less than one thousandth of one percent of affected discs shipped)... Since then, the ARccOS system has once again been updated, and there are no longer any playability problems.' Customers can call 800-860-2878 to inquire about replacement discs."
I got a more reliable fix for such problems... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
If a DVD was not working, I would just bring it back to the shop, the second time I would exchange it for another DVD (not the same movie).
My 2 cents on what probably happened is that they did not count all the returns for these titles, they just counted the people who sent emails complaints or called their hot-line and who told specifically about the DRM problem so they could minimize the problem, which is alot better for them from a marketing point of view.
Re:So few complaints? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:So few complaints? (Score:3, Insightful)
Does anybody believe that Sony sold 10 million copies of Casino Royale? Personally, I have a hard time believing they even pressed 10 million copies of that.
This is like their inflated Blue-Ray numbers as well.
You can't trust what Sony says. They are a bunch of
I have the solution! (Score:5, Insightful)
Have a great day Sony.
learn to count (Score:5, Insightful)
Or one out of a hundred thousand. Your argument still stands, though.
Phuttt... there goes the last trust for Sony (Score:0, Insightful)
That's a pity, there comes a point where a company gets bigger than it's customers, and it looks like Sony have reached that point. Well the PS3 was only a discretionary buy anyway, I was torn between a Wii and a PS3, now that decision is a lot clearer.
Then there's my camera update, I'll opt for the Canon Ixus now over the Cybershot.
Knock yourself out Sony, really, I can avoid buying your stuff till the cows come home with no inconvenience to myself.
Cynical? (Score:2, Insightful)
It must suck to be a DRM engineer (Score:5, Insightful)
I have a simpler fix..... (Score:5, Insightful)
One lesson here: Vote with your Wallet and don't give your money to prick companies.
You can say a lot about Sony (Score:4, Insightful)
On the other hand, this fix would not have been necessary, had they not used DRM in the first place.
And it doesn't leave the fact, that I'm still not buying anything that Sony makes.
Re:So few complaints? (Score:2, Insightful)
But who complains to the publishers? I tried to find a number or email address ro anything to complain about the stupid anti-piracy ad at the start of DVDs but the contact details are pretty hard to find (Which is strange. I'd have thought they'd like to know when they're irrritating their customers). It's a lot easier to just take it back to the shop.
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Contradiction? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So few complaints? (Score:2, Insightful)
They might have shipped 100gazillian disks but if they are sat in a distribution warehouse in each respective country then that could explain the difference.
Re:You can say a lot about Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
Therein is the reasoning that still eludes Sony, even after this event and the rootkit. When the security feature is designed to guard against the customers, and the real security threat can get around the security feature anyway, then we're all wasting time and money. Sony is probably still looking at this as a PR issue, rather than as a bad security and technology decision.
Awaiting arrival of clue ... error: clue still absent.
ARCcOS DRM? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:If the disc plays... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I have a simpler fix..... (Score:1, Insightful)
Not to mention that their first fix for the rootkit made the problem worse. Why would we believe we weren't being slipped some other evil in this new iteration and fix?
Sorry seems to be the hardest word (Score:3, Insightful)
Sony's PR department really don't seem to understand that they have a monumental image problem. A bit of humility in their press releases could have won back some respect for free, but instead they sent out something that reeks of arrogance.
Sony global boycott (Score:2, Insightful)
After the PS2 class action, the rootkit DRM fiasco, and now this DVD DRM fiasco, how many more times will it take for the public to wake up and realize they have ALL of the power in this situation?
Check out http://defectivebydesign.org/ [defectivebydesign.org] for details on how DRM hurts consumers.
If you don't buy ANY of their stuff, including movies, you can't get hurt. The last Sony product I purchased was a movie ticket to a showing of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
As for Microsoft avoidance, that's what GNU/Linux systems are for.
Re:I have a simpler fix..... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
DVD standards seem to be set in jello
Re:I have a simpler fix..... (Score:5, Insightful)
And what else should I be keeping myself informed about? The latest proposed abuses of drivers to extort more money, and the latest stupid "pro-cycling" legislation that makes cycling more dangerous? The relative morality of the food sourcing policies of the four major supermarket brands with stores near my home? The levels of customer service of my ISP and telephone company? The details of the different extortionate charges levied by all the banks with branches in my city?
There are two big problems with your argument. Firstly, no consumer has the time and experience to know about everything. Secondly, even if they did, since it's common for most or all of the big name businesses to cut the same corners in the name of increasing profits while keeping competitive prices, while the smaller or more ethical businesses can't compete on price and are essentially a niche market for dedicated "ethical consumers".
This is why a completely free market is often not a good idea, and government should intervene with regulation/legislation where markets fail to act appropriately without such incentives. No-one else has the time and resources to monitor diverse consumer markets and keep the big boys in line.
Re:Sorry seems to be the hardest word (Score:4, Insightful)
Many Slashdot posters really don't seem to understand that most consumers don't care about DRM and company image. They just want to watch Casino Royale or whatever, and as long as it works, they'll be happy.
Sony, however, do understand this, which is why they keep trying this sort of crap without much fear of the consequences. Until DRM becomes a high-profile issue with the general public (which basically means until the majority have been directly and adversely affected by it) Sony's PR department probably don't much care.
Of course, when DRM does become socially unacceptable, which may finally start to happen as a result of the major changes in the on-line music market over the past few days, Sony's history of abuse may well become a PR headache for them. But it's rare for any corporate PR group to think that far ahead, because often consumers just forget or don't care enough by the time the issue comes up.
Re:learn to count (Score:3, Insightful)
No, Sony has the math right (Score:4, Insightful)
They sold 200,000 discs. Complaint #1 was from Wal-Mart, and #2 was from Best Buy.
You didn't really think they include what consumers think in any of their decisions, do you?
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Cynical? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:So few complaints? (Score:4, Insightful)
Usless statistic (Score:2, Insightful)
Think about it. You go out to the store and buy a DVD and have this problem. Say that you have the persistence to play with the problem and somehow figure out that it is the formatting of the disk that causes the problem.
How are you going to "contact Sony"? This company has a billion contact points and none of them are labeled "call here when your DVD disk has a problem". The likely course is that you return it to Circuit City or Best Buy and the pimply kid behind the counter certainly isn't going to call Sony and report it.
Basically there is almost no chance that Sony will hear a thing because they are structured so they don't have to listen to customers.
Re:So few complaints? (Score:5, Insightful)
A lot of companies wouldn't do? Just off the top of my head, I can think of two examples: When Back to the Future was released on DVD, the panning for the full screen version was messed up. The discs were recalled and re-released. People who purchased copies of it got a replacement. The Twilight Princess for the Wii had a bug in it that could cause a player to get stuck. Nintendo's now offering free replacements of the game. I'd bet that if I hopped on Google, I'd find more examples of that. But is that really the issue? I don't think so. They twiddled with copy restriction, which in reality has a harder effect on legit users than pirates, and some of their own players couldn't even handle it. Then they went on to claim there were dizzyingly few complaints about it. Bit the bullet? They're still using the scheme and claiming virtually nobody was really affected.
"Is everybody just so firmly strapped to the Anti-Sony bandwagon that it's impossible for anything sony does to be met with anything but derision and petty insults?"
*Sigh* Anti-Sony bandwagon. I love it. Sony racks up numerous complaints over the course of a year, but really it's just a fad. Right? You would think with all the bad PR, especially surrounding copy restriction, they'd pull back a bit. Instead they just keep getting into mischief. Yet there's always somebody who says "I don't understand, so you must be some group of crazy people." Whatever. The next time you stay up late one night pondering Sony's predicament, at least try to give everybody a little credit and assume they weren't born with S0N3 SUXX0Rs tattooed to their forehead.