Complicated file transfer in music servers

[Fitz Music]

Is there a justification I don’t understand for the complicated file transfer procedure into servers like the new Sony HAP devices or the several Aurender machines? Are the manufacturers acquiescing to record companies’ nervousness about easy music file distribution, or are there other reasons I don't grasp? Reading about these servers has only encouraged me to stick with my Mac mini arrangement.

 

fm

[magister]

I suspect it's more an issue of ease of use and minimizing the need for support to customers. All-in-one servers tend to be purchased by people who want the system to automate things for them, and they may not be comfortable with what many of us would consider basic computer skills like making folders and transferring files. (I work with educated people and find this is still often the case, even sometimes with young folks.) By having the software do the transfer, the companies avoid having to teach people over the phone how to do this, or (even worse) deal with files that the user got into the server but in some way that the software can't work with.

 

Personally, though, I would never want a server where I could not inspect, add, delete, or backup files as I chose.