Re: Is EME usable regardless of the software/hardware I use ?

On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 5:17 PM, Duncan Bayne <dhgbayne@fastmail.fm> wrote:

> > The W3C Mission is to "lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by
> > developing protocols and guidelines that ensure the long-term growth of
> > the Web" [1]. It is difficult to see how EME (or in fact any w3c spec)
> > can defeat that.
>
> But also:
>
> "One of W3C's primary goals is to make these benefits available to all
> people, whatever their hardware, software, network infrastructure,
> native language, culture, geographical location, or physical or mental
> ability."
>
> The *sole* purpose of EME is to interop with closed-source proprietary
> blobs called CDMs.  These will most assuredly not be available to all
> people regardless of hardware, software, network infrastructure, and
> geographical localtion.  They will probably not cater for those who
> speak non-mainstream languages, and who are physically disabled.
>

Clearly, there is an unstated qualification making the quoted goal subject
to some minimum requirements. For example, you need video decoder software
to decode video. A minimum requirement to access video that is licensed
with DRM requirements is that you have DRM software. This is true on and
off the web. Every aspect of the web has some minimum requirement. It's not
an argument against a capability to say that there exists hardware or
software than cannot support it. I can point to such hardware/software for
any given aspect of the web.

It is progress towards the goal if such software can be made more widely
available (more platforms).

As for languages, there is nothing in EME that restricts the number or kind
of languages supported and I can say that at least for our service DRM in
no way restricts the languages we offer with our content. You seem to have
accepted John F's arguments on accessibility.

Regarding geographic location, to my knowledge the DRM products that are
likely to be made into CDMs don't support that. The CDM would need
some privileged access to an accurate geo-location service, something which
I think would be technically difficult. That's not to say Internet video
services don't have geo-restrictions, just that they aren't enforced using
DRM, to my knowledge.

It's a fact that there is content which comes with restricted licensing
terms. If we can make that content available on the web to more people, on
more platforms, with better consideration of security, privacy and
accessibility, then this is progress towards the goal you quoted. Yes,
there will be people whose choice of hardware/software is incompatible with
the licensing terms. That's not something that can be fixed by W3C.

...Mark




>
> --
> Duncan Bayne
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