NYPL’s new MyLibraryDV and Macs
Reading the NYPL monthly newsletter this morning, I saw what looked like a great new service: MyLibraryDV. From the newsletter:
Download classic films, Hollywood hits, lifestyle programs, and more — for free! All you need is your NYPL library card, high-speed Internet access, and MyLibraryDV to access more than 1,000 movies and TV series, including favorites like Antiques Roadshow and America’s Test Kitchen.
Well, that, and a Windows machine, or an Intel-equipped Mac with BootCamp, Parallels, or VMWare Fusion:
Can I use a Mac with the service?
The Download Manager for MyLibraryDV is a Windows .exe file that can only be installed on computers running Windows 2000 with SP4 or Windows XP with SP2, which enables you to run Windows Media Player. You can use a Mac to operate the Download Manager and view videos if you have an Intel processor and Windows 2000 with SP4 or Windows XP with SP2 operating system installed and running. Macs without this capability will not be able to install and use the Download Manager.
So the answer here is “not really,” though of course you can make the case that a Mac running Windows does it better and more stably than a PC. (Ask me sometime about the epic struggle it was to burn 3 Word docs to a CD on a Windows laptop yesterday. Why people put up with this stuff is beyond my comprehension. Well, besides “they have to.”) But anybody with a G* is out of luck. NYPL, you’re better than this. Really.
Hi there John! I picked up your post on accessing MyLibraryDV via a virtual machine with VMware Fusion, and was wondering if you were using Fusion. I’d love to hear more, as the product marketer for Fusion.
Best,
Pete
John, I’m right there with you on the dismay front; as a Mac user myself, I’m *incredibly* frustrated with the broader vendor landscape when it comes to services like this. We’re doing the best we can, and continually trying to expand these services…*#^$* DRM.
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