It always amazes me how many complaints I hear about peoples digital purchases not working on new devices they buy. They’re probably thinking when they buy the newest ‘gadget/tv/conosle etc’ that everything wil be all fun and are thinking “I want to be the cool guy/girl and be all digital and live the digital life with no CD/DVD/Blu Rays and live the luxury life.” Sorry =(. Its not that easy. Although its a cool new device you just bought, you must keep in mind that the items you purchase digitally may not work with that gadget. There are a lot of crazy rules to follow when buying digital goods. It is important to take caution on some of the movies/games/music etc that you purchase digitally. They will only work on certain devices and not on others and having the wrong gadgets or electronics can make your purchase worthless!! What is worse than that? How about knowing that you will not get a refund. There are three companies that offer complete entertainment experiences (at the time of this writing). Choose your provider and make sure to stick with them. Once you choose one, it will be extremely difficult to switch over to another. Each company locks you into their ecosystem. So next time you think about upgrading your electronics, make sure to think who your entertainment provider is. Each company has their own platform full of great content. Read below and see FAQ at the end
1. Apple, Inc:
Platform: iTunes
Services Offered: Music, Movies, TV Shows, games, ebooks
Works On
- Macbook
- iTouch
- iPhone
- iPad
- Windows PCs
- All cell phones and MP3 Players. (Music Services Only)
2. Sony Corp:
Platform: Sony Entertainment Network
Services Offered: Music, games, Movies, TV Shows, ebooks
Works On:
- Bravia Televisions
- Sony Tablets
- Sony Streaming Media Players
- Playstation 3 AND later Playstation consoles
- Playstation Vita and PSP
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Branded Phones
- Windows Based computers
- Sony Blu Ray Players
- Android Phones – (Music Services Only)
3. Mirosoft Corp:
Platform: Zune
Services Offered: Music, Games, Movies, TV Shows
Works On:
- Windows PC’s
- Microsoft Xbox 360
- Zune Media Players
- Windows Phone 7 and later devices
4. Amazon Inc
Platform: Amazon
Services Offered: Music, Movies and TV Shows, ebooks
Works On:
- Variety of televisions
- Kindle and android phones (Books only)
- All MP3 devices / Cell phones (Music Services Only)
Here is a FAQ with answers.
Question: I have a variety of different brand gadgets. (Example:Windows Phone 7, Playstation 3, and an iPad,) how do I make a determination on which entertainment provider to choose?
Answer: Determine what product you upgrade the most.Whichever product you upgrade less, then use that gadgets platform. You are more likely to upgrade your Windows Phone 7 device wthin a year or two. You may decide that you dont like Windows Phone 7 and want an iPhone or an Android enabled phone. A tablet is mostly used at Home. In this case, The best answer would be Sonys entertainment Network because you have a Playstation 3. You are less likely to buy a Playstaton 3 every year. Keep in mind that movies/games/music/tv shows will only work on Sonys gadgets. So next time you decide to buy a portable gadget, choose an xperia, or a sony tablet etc and go from there.
Question: I’ve decided I want to switch entertainment providers, how do I move my purchases from one platform to another (Example: From Zune to iTunes)
Answer: There is no way. You will have to repurchase any content purchased from Zune on iTunes. If you are an advanced user, you may be able to find some decryption software to remove DRM from your purchase. That is a highly advanced way of doing it but its not recommended. It is illegal and can be very time consuming and is beyond the scope of this FAQ.
