Sony software updates breaks movie theater projectors

Post by az226 » Sun, Dec 31, 2023, 7:59 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #6

crazygringo wrote: post #2

Super 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 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…

Post by Levitz » Sun, Dec 31, 2023, 8:04 PM UTC

mikequinlan wrote: post #4

crazygringo wrote: post #2

Super 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…

>hold manufacturers accountable for updates that break otherwise perfectly-functioning hardware Wouldn't the license agreement that you agreed to when you installed the software specify any responsibilities of the vendor and define what recourse you might have? Why would government action be needed?

Post by m463 » Sun, Dec 31, 2023, 8:05 PM UTC

csdvrx wrote: post #3

crazygringo wrote: post #2

Super 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…

> updates that break otherwise perfectly-functioning hardware? "Every update is a downgrade": http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000606.h...

Post by csdvrx » Sun, Dec 31, 2023, 8:08 PM UTC

vlovich123 wrote: post #25

tantalor wrote: post #19

Earlier 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…

Post by hypeatei » Sun, Dec 31, 2023, 8:10 PM UTC

verve_rat wrote: post #18

hypeatei wrote: post #12

Earlier 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.

I think you are confused about how laws work. A law can cover sales and transactions without any criminal penalties. It can layout the ground for civil actions, to be taken by either government entities or the effected parties themselves. Just because a law is created doesn't mean a new crime with criminal penalties is created.