format wars could  confuse users  technology firms sony  philips  matsushita and samsung are developing a common way to stop people pirating digital music and video.  the firms want to make a system that ensures files play on the hardware they make but also thwarts illegal copying. the move could mean more confusion for consumers already faced by many different  and conflicting  content control systems  experts warned. they say there are no guarantees the system will even prevent piracy.  currently many online stores wrap up downloadable files in an own-brand control system that means they can only be played on a small number of media players. systems that limit what people can do with the files they download are known as digital rights management systems. by setting up the alliance to work on a common control system  the firms said they hope to end this current fragmentation of file formats. in a joint statement the firms said they wanted to let consumers enjoy  appropriately licensed video and music on any device  independent of how they originally obtained that content . the firms hope that it will also make it harder for consumers to make illegal copies of the music  movies and other digital content they have bought. called the marlin joint development association  the alliance will define basic specifications that every device made by the electronics firms will conform to. marlin will be built on technology from rights management firm intertrust as well as an earlier drm system developed by a group known as the coral consortium.  the move is widely seen as a way for the four firms to decide their own destiny on content control systems instead of having to sign up for those being pushed by apple and microsoft. confusingly for consumers  the technology that comes out of the alliance will sit alongside the content control systems of rival firms such as microsoft and apple.  in many ways the different drm systems are akin to the different physical formats  such as betamax and vhs  that consumers have seen in the past   said ian fogg  personal technology and broadband analyst at jupiter research.  the difference is that it is very fragmented   he said.  it s not a two-horse race  it s a five  six  seven or even eight-horse race  mr fogg said consumers had to be very careful when buying digital content to ensure that it would play on the devices they own. he said currently there were even incompatibilities within drm families. although initiatives such as microsoft s  plays for sure  program could help remove some of the uncertainty  he said  life was likely to be confusing for consumers for some time to come.  shelley taylor  analyst and author of a report about online music services  said the locks and limits on digital files were done to maximise the cash that firms can make from consumers. apple s itunes service was a perfect example of this  she said.  although itunes has been hugely successful  apple could not justify its existence if it did not help sell all those ipods   she said.  she said rampant competition between online music services  of which there are now 230 according to recent figures  could drive more openness and freer file formats.  it always works out that consumer needs win out in the long run   she said   and the services that win in the long run are the ones that listen to consumers earliest.  ms taylor said the limits legal download services place on files could help explain the continuing popularity of file-sharing systems that let people get hold of pirated pop.  people want portability   she said   and with peer-to-peer they have 100% portability.  cory doctorow  european co-ordinator for the electronic frontier foundation which campaigns for consumers on many cyber-rights issues  expressed doubts that the marlin system would achieve its aims.  not one of these systems has ever prevented piracy or illegal copying   he said. he said many firms readily admit that their drm systems are little protection against skilled attackers such as the organised crime gangs that are responsible for most piracy. instead  said mr doctorow  drm systems were intended to control the group that electronics firms have most hold over - consumers.  the studios and labels perceive an opportunity to sell you your media again and again - the ipod version  the auto version  the american and uk version  the ringtone version  and so on.
Ogun ogun formati le fa ajeji oluranlowo, ile-ise teknologi Sony, Philips, Matsushita ati Samsung n sise awọn ọna ti o tobi lati dọgba awọn eniyan lati gbejade orin ati fiimu digital. Awọn ile-ise naa fe lati se sistemu ti o ṣe afihan pe faili wọn n ṣe lori hardware wọn ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe ṣe