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A PSA : P2P MP3 and DRM on the PSP

So it was announced last week that the Playstation Portable game system will feature Wifi networking, a digital music player and data storage on Sony Memory Sticks. Now Sony has done similar things with their line of PDAs giving them the ability to play music and view pictures stored on Memory Sticks.

There is a real possibility that if there is not restrictive DRM - Digital Restrictions Management imposed on how the Playstation Portable plays music and handles files that the PSP could evolve into a very powerful untraceable and popular tool for music piracy in the world youth. There has been no mention as to how DRM will factor in the PSP or if it will factor in at all.

There is going to be a USB networking cable on the PSP that will probably allow users to transfer digital music to the Sony Memory Stick in the PSP. These sticks range in size from 32megs, 64 megs,and 128 megs and I think even up to 265 megs. The PSP will also have a file transfer memory unit manager like the ability to move a file from one Memory Card to another in the PSOne and PS2.

If the PSP has only one Memory Stick port on the unit the only way to transfer one saved game file from one PSP to another would be the wireless networking WiFi chip. This is a connection at at least 11 megs per second and could enable the user to transfer the contents of the Memory Stick to another PSP within the WiFi' 300 feet in doors range. This networking will be done all without using the Internet and would be untraceable and unpreventable by the hired thugs of the RIAA.

Then music could be played on the PSP or transferred to a PC, or PS3.

This is all dependent on if Sony uses common protocols for how the PSP networks using WiFi and if they do not include "Big Brother" DRM software into the PSP that limits what the system can and can't do. There current line of music players, notebooks and PDAs do not feature these restrictions.

This is all pure hypothetical speculation on my part of if the current generation of personal digital devices are any sample of what we can expect from the PSP then it could be a useful tool for personally trading large amounts of files at high speeds among the world's digital youth. The best part is how the RIAA will not be able to trace and prevent this. It is yet to be seen if they will lobby Sony a major member of their group to put anti consumer DRM restriction on the PSP.

Or I might have just had to much coffee this morning and am ranting about music piracy and video games without making any sense.

Jake at August 3, 2003 Games

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Comments

Posted by: lilly at August 4, 2003 8:11 AM

Posted by: Jake at August 4, 2003 8:55 AM

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