WD 1TB HDD crippled by DRM

[Dr Mordrid]

So why bother buying the stinking POS?

Link....

Western Digital drive is DRM-crippled for your safety

Because you are a dirty criminal scumbag

By Austin Modine

Published Friday 7th December 2007 18:58 GMT

Western Digital's 1TB My Book World Edition external hard drive has been crippled by DRM for your safety.

A kindly Reg reader tipped us off that the remote-access HDD won't share media files over network connections. Which is, as you can see here, the entire stinking point of it.

It's a scary world full of potentially unlicensed media. We're fortunate there's a hard drive vendor willing to step forward and do some indiscriminate policing for us.

From the WD site:

"Due to unverifiable media license authentication, the most common audio and video file types cannot be shared with different users using WD Anywhere Access."

WD's list of banned file types encompasses over 35 extensions. This includes AAC, MP3, AVI, DivX, WMV, and Quicktime files. And why not — Windows TMP files too.

The storage device is billed as a "surprisingly simple and secure way to access and share data and photos" using your home or office network. And technically that's true — namely, the "way" in question is not letting you do it. Abstinence is simple and secure. You've got to hand it to Western Digital.

If you must have the drive, you could work around the crippled WD Anywhere Access client app. Or be satisfied sharing your impressive collection of .doc files. But this is — supposedly — a remote access hard drive.

So what's the point if WD is going to use a shotgun feature killing technique and assume there isn't a legitimate and legal reason to share an AVI file? (Hello, digital camera).

That's a very good question.

[Chucky Cheese]

...sounds as though it should have been billed as an "overly secure external storage device with limited network *sharing ability"

* - most files that you would want to share are excluded...sorry!

C

[az]

...and stupid as well. You could probably batch-rename the files to something like .empeethree, so this is completely useless as a protection scheme but makes the life of the ordinary user quite hard - or the device even unusable for its intended purpose, say, as the unified media storage system of your HTPCs.

[Helevitia]

You'd think we all the stink(hey! a rhyme! ) going around about DRM that people would have a clue. Personally, I think the music industry goes around and offers people hordes of cash to do stupid things like this. I can't imagine anyone that will want this drive once they figure out its limitations.

[LvR]

.............. and adding that extra firmware layer to inspect the operators actions will take a hit on its performance too.

Hope they never sell another friggin one of this garbage infested POS

[Evildead666]

OK, so now the vendors are helping us choose what we can and can't do....very pleasant.
When no-one buys it, maybe they'll rethink.
Or even better, when people buy it, then find out its limitations, and send the thing back for violating its primary purpose : a central data repository.
If it can only store, and distribute, only select file formats, its dead.
even a hacked firmware or software won't save it, since people don't like losing warranty on something brand new...

A very stupid idea.

[LvR]

So - as so often is the case, its not true because the reviewer has not done his homework properly ...................

[Evildead666]

Good grief...and I bought it (the info)...for one.

I did notice the MioNet software on thier site, but it didn't flash 'over the internet sharing software' at me...so I didn't notice...D'oH.

Thanks LvR for the backup story, much needed.