Vodafone NZ Music Store

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Lipex666

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#52733 16-Nov-2006 21:52

Alasta - As soon as I attempted to download the song to my PC, Windows Media Player opened and told me that it couldn't download the file. Making another attempt at downloading the file required me to go to my list of historical downloads, which was empty apart from a message telling me that this feature won't be accessible for another week or so.

So, in a nutshell the concept is really good, but being unable to download songs to my PC makes the whole thing utterly useless to me

Just gone back and checked and I logged in and I looked under Full track music downloads =>My Music and I see my my saved track that I downloaded ok to my PC.

The downloads do work.

Also the site does not seem to support Firefox as i had to use IE to listen to the music

system requirements. These are:

Windows 2000 or later
Internet Explorer 6
Windows Media Player 9 (or above)

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alasta

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#52745 16-Nov-2006 22:18

Lipex666:
Just gone back and checked and I logged in and I looked under Full track music downloads =>My Music and I see my my saved track that I downloaded ok to my PC.

The downloads do work.

Also the site does not seem to support Firefox as i had to use IE to listen to the music

system requirements. These are:
Windows 2000 or later
Internet Explorer 6
Windows Media Player 9 (or above)

The system that I'm using at the moment meets all of those requirements. I've just gone into 'My Music' and I've been able to attempt the download again. This time, I got an error message telling me that the license couldn't be downloaded, but it proceeded to download the file anyway. Windows Media player refused to play the file, invited me to log into Vodafone's web site to make another attempt at downloading the licenses, and the login process now keeps failing due to 'technical difficulties'.

Frankly, this highlights the absurdity of the whole concept of DRM. I can't be bothered persevering with it any more, and I suspect that Joe Average-technical-ability will feel exactly the same.

Note that this is not necessarily a critism of Vodafone. I imagine other DRM crippled services suffer from similar issues.

grant_k

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#52747 16-Nov-2006 22:30

alasta: I imagine other DRM crippled services suffer from similar issues.

I've been using CokeTunes for well over a year without any issues at all, except for a brief glitch after I upgraded to IE7.

While none of us would ask for DRM-protected songs if we had the choice, in practice it hasn't been too much of a bother. I just wait until I've collected another CD full of downloaded (DRM-protected) tracks and burn them to a CD-R. Then I rip them back to MP3 so I can play them in the car or on my laptop.

If DRM is the price we have to pay so we can choose to buy only the tracks we want (instead of whole albums), I can live with it.

P.S. There was a lengthy section in the TimeOut supplement included with today's Herald that dealt with digital music. Today's launch of the Vodafone NZ Music store was mentioned in several places, but they also stated quite unequivocally that iTunes will launch here before the end of the year. Perhaps this has been mentioned elsewhere, but I haven't seen it until today.

alasta

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#52769 17-Nov-2006 07:15

Grant17: I've been using CokeTunes for well over a year without any issues at all, except for a brief glitch after I upgraded to IE7.

I've used Digirama a few times and I haven't had any problems with that (when using a Windows machine), but my experience with the Vodafone store shows that the complexities introduced by DRM make it so much more likely that something will go wrong during the process.

While none of us would ask for DRM-protected songs if we had the choice, in practice it hasn't been too much of a bother. I just wait until I've collected another CD full of downloaded (DRM-protected) tracks and burn them to a CD-R. Then I rip them back to MP3 so I can play them in the car or on my laptop.

That's fine if you're happy for your music to sound as if you're listening to it from the bottom of the ocean. Fortunately, it has been mentioned that Digirama is intending to start selling music in lossless format, which might be more forgiving if you choose to burn and rip it.

If DRM is the price we have to pay so we can choose to buy only the tracks we want (instead of whole albums), I can live with it.

Agreed. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't even comtemplate buying music with DRM.

P.S. There was a lengthy section in the TimeOut supplement included with today's Herald that dealt with digital music. Today's launch of the Vodafone NZ Music store was mentioned in several places, but they also stated quite unequivocally that iTunes will launch here before the end of the year. Perhaps this has been mentioned elsewhere, but I haven't seen it until today.

How many times have we heard that before? Unless there is some solid information to substantiate that claim, I wouldn't bet on it.

BrentR

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#52781 17-Nov-2006 09:01

I've downloaded 3 albums so far, no problems whatsoever!!!

I don't see High Street music stores lasting much longer when its SO much cheaper to download whole albums!

Well done Vodafone, a VERY impressed customer here

grant_k

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#52792 17-Nov-2006 09:58

alasta: That's fine if you're happy for your music to sound as if you're listening to it from the bottom of the ocean. Fortunately, it has been mentioned that Digirama is intending to start selling music in lossless format, which might be more forgiving if you choose to burn and rip it.

I think we had this discussion before Alasta. You're a purist and I respect that. Lossless format is the only option for you.

But so far as I can tell, there is no audible difference between the original 128kpbs WMA files, and the ripped 192kbps MP3s

johnr

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#52806 17-Nov-2006 11:42

I have just noticed it will not retreive the DRM keys in WM player 11 but no issues in 10

Anyone else noticed the issue

Or is just my PC?

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alasta

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#52812 17-Nov-2006 12:59

johnr: I have just noticed it will not retreive the DRM keys in WM player 11 but no issues in 10

Anyone else noticed the issue

Or is just my PC?

I think you've just identified my problem, John. My machine is running version 11 and downloading the licenses appears to be what it's choking on.

johnr

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#52815 17-Nov-2006 13:14

I upgraded to 11 cause I normally don't use windows media player as soon as I upgraded the error happened

Rolled back to 10 no issue

alasta

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#52816 17-Nov-2006 13:19

johnr: I upgraded to 11 cause I normally don't use windows media player as soon as I upgraded the error happened

Rolled back to 10 no issue

I might roll back to version 10 and give it another shot. The new features in 11 don't really do much for me, because I find WMP so aggravating to use that fewer features is better.

Lipex666

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#52844 17-Nov-2006 18:13

No issues with Media Player 11

There could be two issues.

1. Its the file and the it is faulty - only way to check is see if anyone else as a issue with it. Get Vodafone to download and check it.
2. Its something you have on your machine.

Media player 11 is far better than 10 and gives us xp uses a Vista experance.

"The only way to learn some- thing is to do it"

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