help me respond to this

[sainswor99]

I've got an odd request for y'all; I have a Creative Zen Vision:M MP3 player that I use on long trips for playback of some of my TV recordings from Sage. I recently took a trip to Montreal, and wanted to watch some of the TV shows and movies I recorded using Sage, and I encountered a playback issue with some files that were longer than 2 hours. I sent a bug report to Creative Zen, and they responded with the following (edited to avoid picking on the support rep):

Dear Stuart

Thank you for contacting Creative E-mail Support.

I understand you are experiencing problems with the size of large .avi
files being reduced when transferring them to your player. I regret to
inform you I am unable to support this issue in this instance The Test
file which you have transferred is the name of a copyright protected
movie and as such can not be legally converted into a .avi file The
problem likely is likely stemming from the way the movies are recorded
this is not something we can assist you with.

If you still require assistance, please reply to this email with any
previous correspondence to ensure the quickest and most accurate
service.

Best Regards,

Technical Support
Creative Labs Americas

Original Message Follows:
------------------------
Hi:

My Zen has the latest firmware installed; I deleted the files and tried
again. I also tried it with a couple of other video clips of various
lengths (and encoding types); results are as follows:

Andromeda.avi 1 hour show on my PC = 1 hour show on my ZEN
Mash.wmv 1/2 hour show on my PC = 1/2 hour show on my ZEN
XXX.avi 2.5 hour show on my PC = 1.25 hour show on my ZEN

I haven't yet tried to encode a 2 hour clip on my ZEN using the Creative
transfer software (it takes a while, obviously), but there does seem to
be an issue with a longer AVI file being clipped by the ZEN player. I
don't have the transfer cable here at work to tell me if the video is
actually being clipped, or if it's just a playback issue.

To reproduce the problem, start playing an AVI file that is longer than
2 hours in length on the Zen 60 Gb player. After a few seconds, hit the
back arrow to go to Videos menu. Restart the file; note that the time
of the video is cut in half.

Thanks,
Stuart

Obviously the assumption that I am somehow violating copyright law is interesting, especially considering that it derailed support for my issue. How would you respond to this letter (without becoming a total ass)? Specifically, I'm interested in how I explain that recording shows off television is acceptable use (at least I think it is)

Thanks for your suggestions.

Stu

[MeInMaui]

Do you have any 2+ hr home movies that you could use to reproduce the problem? The best solution here might be to sidestep the copyright concerns altogether so that you can get the real problem addressed. Any other approach is just going to increase the time it takes to get the actual problem solved.

Just my .02

Aloha,
Mike

[bcjenkins]

Did you offer to transfer the show? If so, that would be in violation. Otherwise, I think I have a card from the Creative booth at CES. If I find it, I will PM it to you.

B

[sainswor99]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

Did you offer to transfer the show? If so, that would be in violation. Otherwise, I think I have a card from the Creative booth at CES. If I find it, I will PM it to you.

B

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

Do you have any 2+ hr home movies that you could use to reproduce the problem? The best solution here might be to sidestep the copyright concerns altogether so that you can get the real problem addressed. Any other approach is just going to increase the time it takes to get the actual problem solved.

Just my .02

Aloha,
Mike

Unfortunately, I don't have any other video files that I can use as a test. I also did not offer to send the file; I was simply using the names to help me illustrate the problem. If you come across the contact info, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for the suggestions though; any other ideas?

Stu

[rickgillyon]

I think I would reply to the effect that okay, xxx.avi is not allowed but I've tried it with another file, yyy.avi and still had problems. After that I tried it with zzz.avi and that caused problems too. Please advise on solutions...

These guys are idiots. They sell you a device specifically designed to allow you to watch rips of your stuff and then deny support because you rip stuff. Idiots.

[elaw]

I'd suggest dealing directly with the issue they raised (ridiculous though it may be): "The Test file which you have transferred is the name of a copyright protected movie".

If they don't like the name, rename the file!

I'd suggest something like "ThisIsNotACopyrightedMovie.avi"

[Polypro]

Set up a DV camera aimed at the wall for 2 hours...then email him the file.

P

[elaw]

...but not a wallpapered wall. The wallpaper pattern might be copyrighted.

[sainswor99]

Too funny.

I responded to the request with a simple explanation that the test files were broadcast movies and a quick definition of personal use, and I got a response from a different tech asking me to try something else. Still no luck on the issue, but like most support calls, your answer depends on the technician you get and the mood they are in at the time.

BTW, I learned more about "personal fair use" than I ever intended. Basically, as long as I am not distributing the media that I recorded from television to a larger audience, then it's more likely that I fall under fair use protections. However, if I were to edit all of the commercials out, or attempt to give or sell the files, the likelihood of violating copyright increases.

Thanks for all of the replies; I did think about recording static for two hours, but decided to just avoid sending a file if I can help it.

Stu