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By going to all-digital connections, we also allow content rights owners to force DRM on us. It will be a matter of time before streaming services will be force

By going to all-digital connections, we also allow content rights owners to force DRM on us. It will be a matter of time before streaming services will be forced to implement DRM, and only approved headphones or other devices will be able to receive audio. Yes, you can always cut an analog hole later in the chain, but for the average customer, it will only bring annoyance. I like the good old-fashioned analog connections because there's no way to add stupid DRM. You get the analog signal, without the issues associated with technologies such as HDCP/DPCP.

wilsonnb 9y ago
I agree that we should be concerned about DRM. I think that the ship has already sailed on that, though. Most people that I know use a streaming service for their music. Spotify, Apple Music, or Google Play Music mostly. They already don't own the music they're listening to, and even when they download it to their phone it's encrypted and can't be easily transferred anywhere else. The experience is convenient and cheap enough that they just don't care. They don't even need to get rid of the headphone jack to only allow specific headphones. Nothing was stopping Apple from only allowing people who own Beats with a lightning cable from listening to Apple music, even when the phones had a headphone jack. I imagine a similar scheme could be cooked up using the microphone input to the phone. Have the headphones transfer some kind of key through that to the phone, and only allow certain analog headphones to listen to music. Sure, it's probably easier to crack than USB C/lightning based DRM but still possible.
- KozmoNau7 9y ago
  The difference is that the DRM on Spotify and other streaming services isn't intrusive, it's not annoying and it's not something people notice at all. Steam does the same thing. Plenty of DRM, but you don't really notice it in normal use. But I bet that's not good enough for the RIAA/MPAA. They want everything DRMed out the wazoo. Including the output devices. If they can require digital-only connections with heavy DRM and all analog parts potted in epoxy, they will do it.

wilsonnb 9y ago

I agree that we should be concerned about DRM. I think that the ship has already sailed on that, though. Most people that I know use a streaming service for their music. Spotify, Apple Music, or Google Play Music mostly. They already don't own the music they're listening to, and even when they download it to their phone it's encrypted and can't be easily transferred anywhere else. The experience is convenient and cheap enough that they just don't care. They don't even need to get rid of the headphone jack to only allow specific headphones. Nothing was stopping Apple from only allowing people who own Beats with a lightning cable from listening to Apple music, even when the phones had a headphone jack. I imagine a similar scheme could be cooked up using the microphone input to the phone. Have the headphones transfer some kind of key through that to the phone, and only allow certain analog headphones to listen to music. Sure, it's probably easier to crack than USB C/lightning based DRM but still possible.

KozmoNau7 9y ago
The difference is that the DRM on Spotify and other streaming services isn't intrusive, it's not annoying and it's not something people notice at all. Steam does the same thing. Plenty of DRM, but you don't really notice it in normal use. But I bet that's not good enough for the RIAA/MPAA. They want everything DRMed out the wazoo. Including the output devices. If they can require digital-only connections with heavy DRM and all analog parts potted in epoxy, they will do it.