Is there something where a projector needs to be connected to the internet? This seems as silly as bluetooth speakers like Sonos needing an internet connection. Perhaps someone can share what is needed here and why it's connected.
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Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
21–30 of 129 posts
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#22Is there something where a projector needs to be connected to the internet? This seems as silly as bluetooth speakers like Sonos needing an internet connection. Perhaps someone can share what is needed here and why it's connected.
IIUC, movies are delivered to local storage via the internet, and those files are heavily DRMd, the DRM is checked synchronously when films are played.
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#23Is there something where a projector needs to be connected to the internet? This seems as silly as bluetooth speakers like Sonos needing an internet connection. Perhaps someone can share what is needed here and why it's connected.
DRM and no unauthorised screenings outside of approved show times.
Although you can use them for non DRM showings.
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is an enormous power imbalance between Sony and the customer which will lead to abuse. They will filibuster and or beaurocrat-ize away any will to pursue lawsuits, or they will offer token trivial compensation (which doesn’t nearly reflect the actual lost income) Your “meh” apathy is what leads to the abuse of power by the larger parties
I’m sure Sony is sensitive to the PR hit from movie theaters telling their customers that the reason they can’t watch a movie is precisely due to a Sony software update. Next time the consumer is buying a Sony product they’ll think twice about its software reliability.
I argue Sony doesn’t care as this isn’t the first time they’ve shafted customers (see below), and it sure as heck won’t be the last.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_BMG_copy_protection_roo...
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
> In an age where updates are increasingly the norm, I wonder if there's legislation needed to hold manufacturers accountable for updates that break otherwise perfectly-functioning hardware? Maybe there should be a law that says: 1. Upgrades may be performed but never behind the user's back. 2. In particular, the user determines exactly when an upgrade is performed. 3. The user may roll back any update at any time. 4…
Not gonna happen in a million years
Some of those suggestions are things that sound good at first glance but are simply not great ideas.
For example, support for downgrades means you a security vulnerability can be reintroduced by a malicious user which may not be desirable. Writing software that’s backwards and forwards compatible across all releases can be extremely expensive to impossible (eg a feature in your application that requires a new OS or you need to use a now removed API when running on older releases).
There are difficult technical issues involved and trying to legislate specifics may not be the best idea vs other approaches that improve real freedom (eg you have to release sufficient details to your customers that they can write their own software for your hardware).
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#26Super curious if there's any kind of contractual recourse where theaters can recoup the lost income from Sony. It's one thing if a projector breaks mechanically or due to a pre-existing bug; it's another thing when an update breaks it. In an age where updates are increasingly the norm, I wonder if there's legislation needed to hold manufacturers accountable for updates that break otherwise perfectly-functioning hardw…
In my experience in this industry they often have multiple (2-3) projectors in the projection booth for exactly this kind of issue, a bulb goes out, etc. They also play the previews and ads before the movie on a different, cheaper projector. Having 2 Sony projectors wouldn't help here though...
It would if Sony staggered software releases to sibling projectors.
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#27Is there something where a projector needs to be connected to the internet? This seems as silly as bluetooth speakers like Sonos needing an internet connection. Perhaps someone can share what is needed here and why it's connected.
IIUC, movies are delivered to local storage via the internet, and those files are heavily DRMd, the DRM is checked synchronously when films are played.
So maybe this was a key rotation issue instead of what we think of as a software update (e.g. bugfixes)?
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because I have no negotiating power. Every license agreement says there's no recourse, so I can't pick one that does have it. There's a major free-market failure because there's no negotiation over the agreement. There's no representative for consumers pushing back. So that representative needs to be the government. This is the entire reason for consumer protection laws.
There is a negotiation over the agreement. If you don’t agree with an agreement, then buy a different product. Thats how all agreements work. It’s just not very fun to negotiate when there’s a large power imbalance.
Same logic as why you need worker/renter rights, just find another employer/apartment. Sorry that the toaster shocked your wife, but you could have just gotten a different one with better safety standards.
It is great that the government protects consumers. Otherwise, everyone would need to spend hours researching everything before making a rare purchase.
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
I just don't see the need for a law which turns a civil issue into a criminal one. There are already existing frameworks for this - contracts. If someone isn't comfortable with the terms, then they don't use Sony products. If your argument is that Sony is too big and has a monopoly on projectors - then antitrust laws exist.
As a society, we've already concluded that contracts are insufficient to cover a huge class of situations (minimum wages, banning non-competes, etc.). Why would you think they're sufficient to handle this one? We already have simple systems that handle "you broke my stuff" fairly well - why would we want to lean on something as slow and complex as antitrust laws to resolve this? The Epic vs Google lawsuit started in…
> Why would you think they're sufficient to handle this one?
It's a business transaction where contracts are the norm. Sony may not be very flexible on terms, but no one is forced to buy their projectors and agree to the terms.
> why would we want to lean on something as slow and complex as antitrust laws
We would if consumers had no other choice but to buy Sony projectors only - that doesn't seem to be the case, though.
Re: Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not gonna happen in a million years
Some of those suggestions are things that sound good at first glance but are simply not great ideas. For example, support for downgrades means you a security vulnerability can be reintroduced by a malicious user which may not be desirable. Writing software that’s backwards and forwards compatible across all releases can be extremely expensive to impossible (eg a feature in your application that requires a new OS or y…
>For example, support for downgrades means you a security vulnerability can be reintroduced by a malicious user which may not be desirable.
And there are regulated industries where a software update could be the fulfillment of a recall.