Canonical Opens Codec Sales and Potential Can of Worms
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Canonical Opens Codec Sales and Potential Can of Worms
by Kristin Shoemaker - Sep. 18, 2008Comments (19)
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This week, Canonical opened sales of legal multimedia codecs and DVD playback software to all Ubuntu users, regardless of whether the distribution was pre-installed on a purchased system or downloaded gratis from an Ubuntu mirror. Fluendo handles the bulk of the codecs using the GStreamer framework. CyberLink offers DVD playback through a Linux version of its PowerDVD software. It feels the most positive word that can be applied to this announcement is "bittersweet." There are many more colorfully negative words that are applicable, as well. To be clear, it is certainly possible to get proprietary multimedia codecs and DVD playback capabilities running in Linux, free of charge. It's actually fairly simple. And depending on the codec, or your country of residence, it could also be illegal. It is hard to imagine that Canonical won't get a certain amount of grief for this offering, and that doesn't seem right. On the one hand, they aren't able to legally redistribute these codecs. So instead, they've opted to open an area in the storefront that makes downloading and installing purchased codecs work similarly to installing with Synaptic. They've made it so that a complete reinstall of a system won't require another codec purchase. They've made the best out of the situation. Is there something inherently distasteful about needing this software in the first place? Is it troubling that a legally-procured DVD can't be played, just as it is, in a computer's DVD drive? Yes -- a loud, emphatic yes. But Canonical and Ubuntu -- and ultimately Linux end users -- don't have a lot of great options, at least in the short term. Canonical could simply not offer the proprietary codecs at all. Users would either need to convert their media to open formats, acquire new media in open formats, or abandon the idea of listening or viewing media they've purchased on their Linux machines. Realistically, of course, a far greater percentage of Linux users would do what is done presently. They have computers, they have media -- and they want to use them. These users would continue to install the codecs despite local laws prohibiting their use. Canonical surely realizes that there are many Linux users who will use the available gratis codecs they find online. They still opted to partner with Fluendo and CyberLink to offer proprietary codecs legally. Why? They could have taken the approach that every last Ubuntu user is vested in the "free as in speech" aspect of open source and does not own a single piece of media in a proprietary format. That would have been seen through immediately as either a blatant lie or delusional thinking. Or they could have thumbed their noses at the intellectual property laws in several countries, and refused to offer a legal alternative on the grounds that the laws are simply restrictive and misguided. The laws are misguided. They are restrictive. They are still legally binding, though, and it is not Canonical's call to encourage (or require) that any Linux user violate them. For this reason, Canonical is doing the right thing in offering a legal alternative. The bittersweetness? Some will see this as another example of how proprietary formats are hopelessly broken, defy the law, and use the freely available but legally questionable codecs without a word. There are others who will be reminded (or discover for the first time) that the laws governing technology and intellectual property need revision, and rather than circumventing the law, will push for change.
ubuntu linux Canonical gstreamer codecs Fluendo CyberLink multimedia
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19 Comments
 
by Jon Smirl on Sep. 19, 2008All of the codecs offered are "freely" available. So this is equivalent to a $30 licensing fee for the right to use those codecs. $30 licensing fee in a world of $200 computers? The word patent and standard have no place in the same sentence. Every time that happens a new billionaire gets born (like Dolby).
2 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 19, 2008Mandriva have been working with Fluendo in this way for at least a year and you can choose 'legal' or alternate sources for the software. Reality may suck at times but it includes patents and legal necessities as a part of its' existence. I will also note that other DVD playback programs work better than the chosen pay version in Linux, in my experience.
2 Votes
by FreeDisk on Sep. 19, 2008Sometimes you should take a stand against laws and grown out of proportion IP rules. I think that this move hurts the spirit of Ubuntu. Make us revolt against stupid rules. Don't push us towards acceptance.
Although I would understand 'linking' to a place where codecs can be bought (no matter how much that makes my skin curl) is understandable, repositories should never turn into software stores.
2 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 19, 2008I have mixed feelings about this. While I think that masses of linux users breaking the law might get the law changed faster, it is more peaceful for all concerned to pony up and buy the codecs. I will probably buy a set, but no promises.
0 Votes
by cl0s on Sep. 19, 2008This is good because now manufactures like Dell can prepackage these legal codecs and add the price to the cost of the PC, so when Joe SixPack pops in that new DVD he just rented, it 'just works'. His mp3s will just work, you can't really explain to him that he can convert his mp3 to ogg and then play it, the want to play what they've been playing. Also I use Ubuntu at work, lets say all the machines in here got switched to Ubuntu -- we are a retail music store, we stream mp3 clips online (thats all flash accepts at the moment), for whatever reason if we wanted all the PCs to have mp3 playback (not through flash) and play some DVDs they would be a little hesitant to put on some gratis codec that MAY be illegal -- now atleast thats an EASIER option, it could always still be done before though.
I think autoconverting (or asking to convert an mp3) when its clicked to be played is a better option for a default free install though. Not as easy to do with DVDs but if there was a way to convert while playing what its being converted into, could be an option and would surpass any patent laws, etc.
2 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 19, 2008I don't like this one bit...
0 Votes
by zelrik on Sep. 19, 2008It's not a problem related to ubuntu or Linux or any OS in general actually. It's a problem of bad patents that need to be annihilated. A content/software can be charged until it becomes a standard. Laws should enforce that.
0 Votes
by pragmatist on Sep. 19, 2008This is a good move if it will finally bring proper support for hi-def media (i.e. Bluray and hopefully HD-DVD) to Linux. I would gladly pay $30 to be able to play Bluray media on Ubuntu. Currently, the HTPC in my home theater is running XP for this reason alone.
Of course, there are probably all sorts of weird modifications to Linux that would be required to support HDCP and it's bizarre encrypted paths, so companies like Cyberlink are probably prohibited from offering Bluray support. In a certain way, I actually hope Linux never lowers itself to the point of supporting HDCP.
HDCP is an idea first born on an undigested apple-dumpling.
2 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 19, 2008I don't have any problem with Canonical offering these products. But as a practical matter, they seem
ridiculously overpriced for player licenses for a single device. I wouldn't have expected more than a few cents.
I'd be curious to know if a Windows system can legally play DVDs out of the box. If so, what percentage of the cost of the Windows license is for the media player licenses? If not, how much does it cost to get a licensed player on Windows?
Likewise, for a hardware DVD player, how much of the cost is in the licenses?
2 Votes
by Brian West on Sep. 20, 2008As if the patent police are going to bust down your door for personally using any of the codecs. Please...
/b
0 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 20, 2008I've paid for CyberLink DVD player when Linspire 5 came out. It worked- although it certainly wasn't very pretty. I would like to know how this worked and what MS Windows version equivalent it is. Is this the OEM version or the retail version? Is this the same 10 year old OEM version like has been distributed by Linspire & TurboLinux?
0 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 21, 2008Don't DVD drives come with PowerDVD or some other software that has already resulted in a payment/license to the DVD consortium or whatever? Why do I have to pay twice? Why not a check box for PowerDVD came with my DVD drive, so I'm covered?
/djs
1 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 22, 2008The latest versions of Windows most certainly can play DVDs out of the box, you just have to update to the latest version of Windows Media Player if you are using an older CD or DVD. WMP 11 on XP and Vista's Media Player both play DVD natively.
Granted, I'm sure Microsoft gets a better deal for codec licenses than almost anyone else, but $30 is still insultingly high. If you actually want people to go legit, price it so that it makes sense. I'll pay $5 or $10. $30? You're high. I can buy a hardware DVD player for $30.
I just think it is messed up that the OS community doesn't dare criticize Ubuntu for doing this, yet they have called for the heads of anyone who does this on non-Linux/GNU platforms. Be consistent, or shut-up.
0 Votes
by Telic on Sep. 23, 2008Note that the retail packages are _not_ branded as Ubuntu. Canonical is just a _reseller_ of ISV brands which target Ubuntu.
CyberLink and Fluendo could likewise cater to other free Linux distributions, none of which will be corrupted simply as a result of ISV and reseller marketing strategies.
The "freetard" user can continue with whatever codecs they might be using now.
0 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 23, 2008Of course, Martin Luther King suggests that it is our moral obligation not to obey an unjust law.
At the same time, the laws he was dealing with were significantly unjust-er.
0 Votes
by FishFish Garden on Sep. 23, 2008The irony is the Cyberlink product is not fully "legal" - as they are not complying with their CSS license. PDVD Linux has no method of implementing (universally) ACP/HDCP output protection.
I would laugh my ass off if they get their CSS license revoked!
0 Votes
by an anonymous user on Sep. 26, 2008I don't like this, even that I would pay if we can see more games playable natively on Linux.
0 Votes
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0 Votes
by Jason on May. 05, 2011i have suggestion that It's not a problem related to ubuntu or Linux or any OS in general actually. It's a problem of bad patents that need to be annihilated. A content/software can be charged until it becomes a standard. Laws should enforce that.
Jason.
http://www.empowerbpo.com
0 Votes
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