Rooted devices blocked from Android Market's movie rentals

[Terminator02]

We can't make this up people. According to Google, who gets to make the rules since it's their service, rooted devices are not supported by the Android Markets new movie rental service "due to requirements related to copyright protection". You'll even see a specific error message when you attempt to try -- "Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49)".

So now people who root their phones, whether to get rid of the crap "open" that's forced down their throats, or to have a current version of Android, are punished and lumped in with folks who steal movies. Nice move, Google. That makes me want to buy more of your products and use more of your services, so I can be treated like a criminal just because I'm smart enough to get rid of CityID, or want a safe version of Android on my phone. And of course, I'd much rather steal movies streamed with a poor bitrate at a low resolution to my phone than use Google to search out any of the thousands of places where I could steal them using my computer. Facepalm.

Of course, the Android community will find a way around this. I already have some ideas, and I'm sure others will, too. But we shouldn't have to. And once we do, I'll download one (and only one) movie from the Market for the satisfaction of defeating this stupid move by Google, then be sure to never use the service again. Redbox doesn't care if I want to run a custom ROM on my phone, so they'll get my $4.00.[/p]

Source (Android Central)

 

[prowler]

oh wow, the guy who wrote that seems like a total prick.

 

[Rydian]

This article's being sensationalist about it.

DRM requires platforms to be closed in order to properly function, otherwise it's often simple to work around (see: analog hole). This is most likely a requirement of whoever they do business with. Entertainment companies are notorious for requiring DRM before they'll even make a deal (like how itunes music originally had DRM), and it takes a lot to convince them to not use it (such as itunes finally being able to drop the DRM by proving how it didn't need it).

 

[Jamstruth]

You hack your device, Google can revoke services.
It makes sense really, they can't properly check all the copyright DRM shit on your phone if its been rooted.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

oh wow, the guy who wrote that seems like a total prick.

Pretty much this. He's so full of himself, he's shitting out his own balls.

If you don't agree with Google's rules, don't use Google's services. Plain and simple. at least they allow you to use Android Market. That's more than I would allow if I were them.

 

[SifJar]

Well surely they must try to identify as SU to detect whether you have root or not. In which case simply block that app from identifying as SU? Sure its probably not as simple as that...

I wonder if you're permanently blocked if you try to connect with a rooted device once, or will it work again if you unroot?

EDIT: Found this in the Android Market Support section on this:

Rooted devices are currently unsupported due to requirements related to copyright protection.

Note the use of the word "currently".

 

[Quietlyawesome94]

Whats wrong with Google trying to protect the intellectual property of its partners?

 

[MelodieOctavia]

If the title said "rooted devices now blocked from Marketplace" or "Rooted devices brick after latest update" there would be a problem.

The author is a mental midget and thinks about no one but himself. Also, Redbox doesn't stream movies you goddamn re-re.

 

[RupeeClock]

Senseless in every sense of the word.
Just because people modify some aspects of their mobile device doesn't mean they are forsaking other intended functions, imagine the magnitude of people who jailbreak their iPhones to enable all kinds of unofficial software, but continue to buy things from the app store anyway.

All this accomplishes on google's side is the loss of sales entirely.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Senseless in every sense of the word.
Just because people modify some aspects of their mobile device doesn't mean they are forsaking other intended functions, imagine the magnitude of people who jailbreak their iPhones to enable all kinds of unofficial software, but continue to buy things from the app store anyway.

All this accomplishes on google's side is the loss of sales entirely.

They are protecting theirs and their partners intellectual property. It would be senseless to allow this on rooted devices.

 

[cwstjdenobs]

They are protecting theirs and their partners intellectual property. It would be senseless to allow this on rooted devices.

It would be better, and quite possible, to make it secure even on rooted devices, even if it has some rudimentary but not strongly enforced blocks against.

If that's not the case this seems a stupid move, sorta throwing down the gauntlet tbh.

 

[Terminator02]

I think engadget laid it out in a nicer tune

So far rooting and jailbreaking hasn't put a stop to other movie rental services for mobiles (iTunes, Netflix) so even if Google blames the movie studios for the policy, it seems like an odd restriction for the company behind the "open" platform to have.

 

[notmeanymore]

My phone is rooted, just on a slightly modified stock ROM(main change being reenabling sideloading. Fucking AT&T), not Cyanogen or anything like that. I wonder if I'll be counted out too. Probably so.

Oh well. I pirate my movies anyway.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Netflix streams straight from their servers. There usually is no "rental period". iTunes, you BUY the movies or episodes and own them forever.

I'm assuming Google's services is an entirely different animal, as they specifically advertise "Movie Rentals" As in watch once, or watch until the pre-specified time and the file is automatically deleted, or at least disabled.

Depending on how secure their code is, you could theoretically inject code telling Google servers that the rental copy of "Pirates of Silicon Valley" is "Free Forever" instead of a 24 hour rental period. You wouldn't be able to do this on an unrooted phone.

 

[notmeanymore]

Netflix streams straight from their servers. There usually is no "rental period". iTunes, you BUY the movies or episodes and own them forever.

I'm assuming Google's services is an entirely different animal, as they specifically advertise "Movie Rentals" As in watch once, or watch until the pre-specified time and the file is automatically deleted, or at least disabled.

Depending on how secure their code is, you could theoretically inject code telling Google servers that the rental copy of "Pirates of Silicon Valley" is "Free Forever" instead of a 24 hour rental period. You wouldn't be able to do this on an unrooted phone.

No iTunes has rentals too.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Netflix streams straight from their servers. There usually is no "rental period". iTunes, you BUY the movies or episodes and own them forever.

I'm assuming Google's services is an entirely different animal, as they specifically advertise "Movie Rentals" As in watch once, or watch until the pre-specified time and the file is automatically deleted, or at least disabled.

Depending on how secure their code is, you could theoretically inject code telling Google servers that the rental copy of "Pirates of Silicon Valley" is "Free Forever" instead of a 24 hour rental period. You wouldn't be able to do this on an unrooted phone.

No iTunes has rentals too.

Fair enough, but at the same time, iTunes is a fairly different animal than Google's service. It's a fair bit larger, and Apple has been in the game far longer, so countermeasures against fooling the iTunes servers have most likely long been in place.

Google, while like 100 years old in Internet time is fairly new to the paid digital content delivery game. They may be taking precautions that, while you at the moment would say is unfair...if they didn't and shit got cracked...everyone would be saying shit like "LOL HOW CAN CMPANEE LIEK GOOGLE DO SUMTHN SO DUMM"

Although, it's their company, essentially their content, and their rules, so if you don't like how they run things, vote with your wallet. There are alternatives for a reason. Competition is healthy.

It's basically the same thing as going into a movie theater and complaining to the manager that you can't bring in your 10lb bag of popcorn that you bought at Sams Club for the same price as a jumbo tub of the same shit there. You vote with your wallet and go to the dollar theater that couldn't care less if you bring a 12 pack of Budweiser to Pocahontas.

The point is, I would rather have a service that delivers QUALITY, even at a small inconvenience of having an unrooted phone, rather than having all your shit chopped up, cracked and exploited to the point where paying for the service becomes the ass end of a major joke (Sony Syndrome)

 

[damedus]

there's already a bypass for this in the underground working just fine, in fact they are so pissed at the move they are now working on a method to simply get the movies free on rooted devices. I prefer Iphones anyways and I already have free netflix on it unlocked

 

[MelodieOctavia]

there's already a bypass for this in the underground working just fine, in fact they are so pissed at the move they are now working on a method to simply get the movies free on rooted devices. I prefer Iphones anyways and I already have free netflix on it unlocked

That's a riot. Piracy veiled as an attempt to "stick it to the man".

 

[damedus]

there's already a bypass for this in the underground working just fine, in fact they are so pissed at the move they are now working on a method to simply get the movies free on rooted devices. I prefer Iphones anyways and I already have free netflix on it unlocked

That's a riot. Piracy veiled as an attempt to "stick it to the man".

and it will probably lead to more ppl rooting the device lol, just like iphones all apps can be downloaded for free off the itunes "alternative" I mean the website even looks like the itunes store has the prices and all lol but the d/ls are free, now they added the movies/tv/music sections so basicly its a 100% copy of itunes with a week perhaps of lapse to make it from the pay Itunes to the free hack one. Android market has this too tho but its not as elaborated as to clone the entire system lol. If u know the page adress look at it(not linking cause of rules) lol its the same itunes u get in the Itunes player page.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

I have no doubt it will get people to root their phones...I'm just saying...let's cut the shit and call it like it is. They are NOT cracking the store just because they are pissed off, they are doing it because they want shit that they don't have to pay for.