After 1-2 years of waiting, Microsoft has finally updated their Windows Media Player for OSX and brings version 9 to the Mac. Along with it, it also brings DRM and a Safari browser plugin. Now, someone go tell Yahoo! to fix their code so the Safari WMV/A plugin can work with launch.yahoo.com.
Microsoft Releases Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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DRM is what rendered 50% of my legitimately owned music files on my hard disk useless. Anybody using Window Media Player version 9 is either extremely bold or extremely …
or you could just disable drm on the options menu DUHHH
It is a closed source wrapper for KHTML.
The plug in has no GPL’d code in it and you can obtain is seperately. It is a sperate piece of software. So there for its not GPL’d.
Why would anyone use M$ products on a MAC (except Office)?
Conspiracy theories, conspiracy theories…
If that was true, Apple would need to open source the whole Cocoa code, but they don’t need to, because they don’t statically link into it (and so not WMP either) and as KHTML’s libs are LGPL (not GPL), it is allowed.
or you could just disable drm on the options menu DUHHH
I already did that. It doesn’t work.
Does this mean the plug-in will work in Konqueror on Linux too. Somebody’s gonna hack it in. Is MS being forced into support for their products on Linux because of pressure to support the Mac?
Once again, Apple has MS on the defensive, by beatnig them to the punch with iTunes and calling their bluff on the abandonment of IE on Mac.
/g
“I already did that. It doesn’t work.”
You have to disable it before you encode content. If you encode the content with it enabled, you need to keep your licenses backed up. Disabling the option after you’ve encoded content will only make future encodings unprotected. Your current content will still be protected.
>Does this mean the plug-in will work in Konqueror on Linux too.
Of course not. Safari’s binary format is for PPCs (so it won’t work on x86 Linuxes), and YellowDogLinux and the other Linux PPCs don’t have an equivelant of WINE for OSX binaries (except a Vmware-like solution, maconlinux). So, you would have a better luck through WINE and the Windows WMP plugin than the Safari one for PPCs.
I think Mac is lacking a little bit in multimedia…or I should say video playback. Quick time isn’t very capable, and I can’t even get full screen without quick time pro which costs $29. I don’t mean WMP is a lot better, but there are many people out there make their stuff only playable on WMP. So this is a definite good piece of software to have on mac.
Usually I will just ignore what I can’t play with Qiuck Time or MPlayer…but there are times I can’t miss something and I can’t play it with Quick Time nor Mplayer, then I need WMP… the old one is not working quite right tho, at least I have difficulties searching through the media that I watch last time….
or you could just disable drm on the options menu DUHHH
Or better yet, just don’t encode to proprietary DRM-tainted formats. Really, the only reasons I can see for using WMA are: 1) You’re encoding at sub-128 bitrates, where WMA does tend to sound better than MP3, or 2) you’re using WMP to do the ripping/encoding and just left it with the default settings.
There is next-to-no reason to use WMA over MP3 (or OGG) at any kind of bearable bitrate (160kbps and up, IMNSHO), and there are certainly lots of reasons not to use WMA (proprietary, DRM-tainted, not as widely-supported, perfunctory and uncertain cross-platform support, etc).
While the Apples/Microsofts/RealNetworks of the world slug it out over proprietary media formats, the part of the general public that actually USES that sort of thing have chosen less-restricted formats like MP3/OGG and DivX/XviD. That’s some delicious ironing right there.
This is a nice little addon. Though today mplayer can play everything I have thrown at it. I can’t even remeber the last time I had to resort to a different player. There is something about being able to watch quicktime, mpeg4, wmv, divx, and realvideo that is just nice.
It is still nice to have this around just in case I stumble across something that mplayer can’t do.
Safari contains GPLed KHTML code right? So Safari is GPLed.
I don’t know what the license on KHTML itself is (I assumed LGPL), but your logic is terribly flawed. Safari links against two LGPL OS X frameworks called WebCore and JavaScriptCore, which are written in Objective C++ and expose an Objective C interface to use KHTML in Cocoa applications. Both of these frameworks are released under the LGPL:
http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/webcore/
Thus a closed source application like Safari can link against them perfectly legally.
i might finally be able to view all those PDC videos that MP8 couldn’t handle
Isnt a plugin “linking” according to the FSF?
I believe the phrase you’re looking for is “derived work”. Here is the relevant clause from the GPL:
You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License.
This is a terribly sticky issue with the GPL, and at this time there is no legal precedent as to what constitutes a derived work. As for the FSF’s interpretation (which is somewhat irrelevant compared to what a court’s interpretation would be, although it’d be nice to know what they will or won’t sue you for) they don’t provide any sort of direction as to what constitutes a derived work that I’ve been able to find. I have not yet been able to find if dynamic linking constitutes a derived work, and opinions vary wildly on this issue. I e-mailed the FSF for clarification on their interpretation of this matter and they never replied.
I believe there is some legal precedent for module interfaces not being copywritable (although I believe they can be patented), but I don’t know specifics and I’m certainly not a lawyer.
However, there are a number of closed source Linux kernel modules. Mozilla is able to load closed source plugins. It seems to me the GPL clause about derived works is overly vague and only a court could make a proper interpretation.
Yea.. I’ve never had a video that totem could not play.. Even streaming stuff off the web…
IMHO, WMP9 is a better video player than QuickTime. Then again, i think iTunes is a better music player than WMP9. If only Apple could re-work the Quicktime Player to work/look similar to iTunes, but for video.. mmm..
well, I downloaded WMP 9 so I have the codecs and player needed to play web streams. gee…that makes to much sense.
AAC is NOTY a proprietory CODEC.
it is an MPEG 4 standard. AAC is to MP3 as MPEG4 is to MPEG1. same group came up with it.
doesn’t seem to work on Safari. Does anyone else have trouble viewing WMP videos embedded into web pages?
Here’s some good discussion also:
http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187483
noting my experience with the install.
MPlayer for OS X:
http://mplayerosx.sourceforge.net/
Also, note that WMP9 is the only movie player that will play WM9 encoded files… until now, there was no way (that I know of) to watch WM9 files on a Mac…
Hmm… Is there some way to strip out the necessary codec files from the WMP9 install, use them in MPlayerOSX, and then throw out the rest of the WMP9 husk? If so, please post instructions or a link to instructions.
Bah’s comment should not have been moderated down.
Why? because you agree with his flame bait?
The person claimed that because KHTML is LGPL, then the plugin is linking to khtml, which is false.
khtml does not handle the plugin infrastructure and at any level one could see the the browser hooking into the plugin and not the other way around.
He was wrong and has been corrected.
I don’t know if it was flamebait, and my opinion is not relevant.
I think he had some false expectations and some fellows did him a favor by pointing his reasoning was not based on real facts.
Then someone thought he should be punished, which I find unfair (it has happened to me, too).
Next time _you_ say some innocent comment, and gets modded, let’s see how you take it…
Umm… mpeg is a propreitary format.
Also, WMV has been submitted for standardization.
Mpeg4 or AAC are definitely standards, but just like MP3 they are covered by some patents.
I wasnt trying to flame or troll, honestly.
I was just asking a question and, basically the question wasnt very informed becouse I thought the KHTML code was GPLed (cant blame me to much, QT after all is GPLed, and how can kdelibs (eg KTHML) then be LGPLed???)
But anyway, licensing stuff seems to be offtopic att osnews, so I should have asked it on slashdot anyway.
>Of course not. Safari’s binary format is for PPCs (so it won’t work on x86 Linuxes), and YellowDogLinux and the other Linux PPCs don’t have an equivelant of WINE for OSX binaries (except a Vmware-like solution, maconlinux). So, you would have a better luck through WINE and the Windows WMP plugin than the Safari one for PPCs.
the guy never said x86 linux, any good distro runs on ppc and x86 except crap like the dead redhat, i bet it could easly be ported to a ppc disro and then x86
I use Windows and refuse to use WMP. You would have to be totally nuts to do so on some other platform. If you support proprietary formats, you’ll be bound by them. I refuse to listen to or watch ANY music or videos that aren’t in an open format. I don’t understand what could be so earth-shatteringly important to see or hear that you would indirectly “vote” to give up your individual liberties for. Windows codecs and DRM are NEVER acceptable IMO.
But you’d miss out on soo much porn.
Seriously, if you want to view any kind of streaming media format on the web you either have to use WMP, RealPlayer or Quicktime. The majority of the web uses the windows media format because the majority of computer users have windows media on their systems. Personally I think it’s stupid to say I won’t use WMP to play a video because of proprietary format issues, and at the same tme I think it’s stupid to use WMP for anything other than a media player when no alternatives exist.
Also the only time you give up your individual liberties is when you purchase some DRM raped media file eternally tied to WMP. WMP is just a tool to view media, most of which is either streamed or just encoded in WM format without DRM. You really vote by not purchasing WM content.
Unless, by “open format”, you’re referring to something along the lines of Ogg or Monkey’s Audio, Windows Media is just as open as competing formats such as the ones from MPEG. Like WM, MPEG formats carry patents and licensing restrictions. In fact, WM 9 Series is less restricted and cheaper to license than MPEG-4. Most major codecs also have DRM options available. Like WM, it’s use is optional. If you’re encoding your own content and don’t want it protected, you don’t have to use it. Granular levels of protection are offered if the content producer desires them.
“But you’d miss out on soo much porn.”
## Porn is so ubiquitous, both in content and availability in open formats, that that is a rather ridiculous statement.
“… if you want to view any kind of streaming media format on the web you either have to use WMP, RealPlayer or Quicktime.”
## The only way I would install Real Player on my computer was if someone held a gun to my head and even then I would consider the fact that the afterlife might be more pleasant. Again, I ask, what could be of such earth-shattering importance?
“Personally I think it’s stupid to say I won’t use WMP to play a video because of proprietary format issues.”
## Obviously coming from someone with little historical perspective. Ask people why Open Office isn’t quite there yet and one of the reasons you will get is lack of complete Word compatability, although it has improved greatly. Stifled competition in the Office Suite market is largely thanks to people like you who support proprietary formats. The individual liberty of people to choose alternative Oses has been greatly stifled by such carelessness. On another level, using IE does the same thing, by encouraging web site designers to code non-compliant web pages, thus discouraging the use of other browsers. Guess what? I don’t go to those websites either…
“Also the only time you give up your individual liberties is when you purchase some DRM raped media file eternally tied to WMP. WMP is just a tool to view media, most of which is either streamed or just encoded in WM format without DRM. You really vote by not purchasing WM content.”
## The only media you need WMP for is Windows-specific media. There are other better players for other formats. Just downloading one of those files tells the people encoding them as such that their behavior is acceptable. Therefore you are indeed willingly participating in the killing of open formats and all for what? Something you can’t even really justify or at least haven’t bothered to try. Where is this plethora of vital media that will somehow transmogrify the overall quality of my existance that makes it worth wearing yet another set of MS chains??? Especially considering that just 10 years ago everybody got along just fine without having the internet at all… The actions you make today shape tomorrow. Remember that.
When will the new player be available?
MP3, mpeg, etc… are NOT open. They may be a standard, but that in no way makes them open.
Microsoft has submitted WMV to be a standard, making it no different than the above mentioned formats, are you still going to say it’s no good?
Why would anyone use M$ products on a MAC (except Office)?
I would, if I had a Mac. There’s a lot of wmv stuff out there, and with my new camcorder, most of my video stuff is in wmv. Having WMP would be swell.
Obviously coming from someone with little historical perspective. Ask people why Open Office isn’t quite there yet and one of the reasons you will get is lack of complete Word compatability
No, the response is along the lies of “Open What?”. And StarOffice is actually more popular that you think. And this is after the fact that Microsoft spends far more money on advertising Office than Sun. And even if Sun can claim to be 100% compatible, I doubt the pace of adoption would be much faster.
AAC is NOTY a proprietory CODEC.
it is an MPEG 4 standard. AAC is to MP3 as MPEG4 is to MPEG1. same group came up with it.
Having a consortium behind it doesn’t make it a open standard. Yeah, I agree it is a standard because most of the major players in the field are consortium members, but standard isn’t the opposite of propreitory. AAC dan MPEG-4 has more patents ties, more licensing restrictions and certainly more expensive to license than WMA and WMV. But if that’s not propreitary, a lot of other things aren’t propreitary.
Although, WMP 9 installs a safari plugin it des work. After deleting the RDM Plugin.bundle and the window media plugin (both in Library/internet plugins), I tried reinstalling. <2kool4radio.com> (streams music) still doesn’t work.
If you ask me WMP is sh’t.
What you guys should do is write some nice letter to the website whose media you’re trying to access.
Chascon