| Q.
| What are play, burn, and sync rights? |
| A.
| Play, burn, and sync rights (known collectively as media usage rights) are permissions to use protected Windows Media Audio (WMA) or Windows Media Video (WMV) files in a particular way. Typically, one or more of these rights are granted to you by an online store when you download a song or video from it. Here's a brief description of each usage right: Play right. The right to play a file on your computer. The online store can control how many times you can play the file and for how long. For example, the online store might let you play the file an unlimited number of times, only five times, or as many times as you want for the next 24 hours. The store can also limit the number of computers you are allowed to play the file on. For example, the store might let you play the file an unlimited number of times, but only on three computers.
Burn right. The right to burn a file to an audio CD (as opposed to a data CD). The online store can control the number of times that you can burn the file to an audio CD. For example, the store might let you burn an unlimited number of audio CDs or it might only let you burn the file to five audio CDs.
Sync right. The right to sync a file to a device, such as a portable music or video player. The online store can control how many times you can sync the file, and how frequently you can sync the file. For example, the store might grant you permission to sync a file to two devices three times per month.
|
| Q.
| Why doesn't my file have play, burn, or sync rights? |
| A.
| There are several reasons why you might not have the right to play, burn, or sync a file that is in your library. Here are a few common scenarios: 
Subscription service with no burn rights
You have a subscription account with an online music store. As part of your monthly subscription fee, the store allows you to play or sync any song in its catalog. However, the store does not allow you to burn the songs to an audio CD. In other words, the store grants you play and sync rights, but not burn rights. Typically, you can resolve the problem by doing one of the following: | • | Purchase the song from the online store. When you purchase a song, most stores grant you the right to play, burn, and sync the file. | | • | Remove the song from the burn list. |
To purchase the song 1.
| Click the red icon next to the song in your library or burn list. | 2.
|
Click Buy or Get rights from <store name>.
The Player will attempt to purchase the song from the online store from which it came.
If the Player is not able to purchase the song for you (for example, the Player cannot identify the store or the store does not support automated purchase), you might need to click the arrow below the Online Stores tab, click the store you want to use, and then follow the instructions on that store's Web page to purchase the song.
|
To remove the song from the burn list 1.
| Click the red icon next to the song in your burn list. | 2.
|
Click Remove File from List or Remove All <Store Name> Files with Problems from List.
This will remove the song or songs from the burn list that you are viewing. However, it does not remove the song from your library or delete the song from your computer. |
Subscription service with no sync rights You have a subscription account with an online music store. As part of your monthly subscription fee, the store allows you to play any song in its catalog. However, the store does not allow you to sync songs to a device, such as a portable music player. In other words, the store grants you play rights, but not sync rights. Typically, you can resolve the problem by doing one of the following: | • | Upgrade to a subscription account that includes sync rights. These account types are sometimes referred to as "to go" accounts.
Note that not all devices support subscription content. For more information about devices that support subscription content, see the PlaysForSure Web site.
| | • | Purchase the song.
Note that not all devices support purchased content. For more information about devices that support purchased content (also known as download content), see the PlaysForSure Web site.
| | • | Remove the song from the sync list. |
To upgrade your account 1.
| Click the red icon next to the song in your library or sync list. | 2.
|
Click Upgrade.
The Player will attempt to connect to the online store and present information about how to upgrade your account. Note that not all stores offer this option. |
To purchase the song 1.
| Click the red icon next to the file in your library or sync list. | 2.
|
Click Buy or Get rights from <store name>.
The Player will attempt to purchase the file from the online store from which it came.
If the Player is not able to purchase the song for you (for example, the Player cannot identify the store or the store does not support automated purchase), you might need to click the arrow below the Online Stores tab, click the store you want to use, and then follow the instructions on that store's Web page to purchase the song.
|
To remove the song from the sync list 1.
| Click the red icon next to the song in your sync list. | 2.
|
Click Remove File from List or Remove All <Store Name> Files with Problems from List.
This will remove the song or songs from the sync list that you are viewing. However, it does not remove the song from your library or delete the song from your computer. |
Expired play or sync rights You have a subscription account with an online store. As part of your monthly subscription fee, the online store allows you to play and sync songs in its catalog. However, because you haven't been online in a month or haven't signed in to the online store in a month, your play and sync rights have not been automatically refreshed. Typically, you can resolve the problem by doing one of the following: | • | Connect to the Internet and sign in to the store. | | • | Purchase the song.
Note that not all devices support purchased content. For more information about devices that support purchased content (also known as download content), see the PlaysForSure Web site.
| | • | Delete the song from your library. |
To sign in to an online store 1.
|
If necessary, click the arrow below the Online Stores tab, and then click the online store that you want to sign in to.
| 2.
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Click the Sign In button next to the store name.
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To purchase the song 1.
| Click the red icon next to the file in your library. | 2.
|
Click Buy or Get rights from <store name>.
The Player will attempt to purchase the file from the online store from which it came.
If the Player is not able to purchase the song for you (for example, the Player cannot identify the store or the store does not support automated purchase), you might need to click the arrow below the Online Stores tab, click the store you want to use, and then follow the instructions on that store's Web page to purchase the song.
|
To delete the song from the library 1.
| Click the red icon next to the song in your library. | 2.
|
Click Delete File from Library.
This will delete the song from your library and from your computer. |
Expired subscription service You used to have a subscription account with an online store. As part of your monthly subscription fee, the online store allowed you to play any song in its catalog. However, because you are no longer a subscriber, the online store does not allow you to play any of the subscription files that you might have downloaded to your computer while your subscription was active. Typically, you can resolve the problem by doing one of the following: | • | Contact the store to learn how to reactivate your subscription account. | | • | Purchase the song. | | • | Delete the song from your library. |
To purchase the song 1.
| Click the red icon next to the file in your library. | 2.
|
Click Buy or Get rights from <store name>.
The Player will attempt to purchase the file from the online store from which it came.
If the Player is not able to purchase the song for you (for example, the Player cannot identify the store or the store does not support automated purchase), you might need to click the arrow below the Online Stores tab, click the store you want to use, and then follow the instructions on that store's Web page to purchase the song.
|
To delete the song from the library 1.
| Click the red icon next to the song in your library. | 2.
|
Click Delete File from Library.
This will delete the song from your library and from your computer. |
Store plug-in not installed You have protected files on your computer that came from an online store, but you don't have that store's software plug-in installed on your computer. Typically, you can resolve the problem by installing the store's plug-in.
To install a store plug-in To install a store plug-in, you might need to be logged on as an administrator or be a member of the Administrators group. 1.
|
Click the arrow below the Online Stores button, and then click Browse all Online Stores.
| 2.
| Click the store that you want to use, and then follow any instructions that appear. |
To determine which store a file came from If you don't know which online store provided a file, try the following: 1.
|
Click the Library tab, and then find the file in your library.
To find the file quickly, try typing the title of the song or video in the Search box.
| 2.
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Click the Layout Options button, and then click Choose Columns.
| 3.
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Select the Content Provider check box, and then click OK.
| 4.
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If necessary, use the scroll bar at the bottom of the library to show the Content Provider column.
If the file includes information about the store, the name of the store appears in the Content Provider column.
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Songs ripped with copy protection
When you ripped a CD, the Copy protect music option was turned on. For some reason, you don't have play, burn, or sync rights installed on your computer (for example, you copied the songs from another computer or you reformatted your hard disk).
Typically, you can resolve the problem by doing one of the following: | • | Connect to the Internet, and then try to play the song. In some cases, the play, burn, or sync rights will be downloaded to your computer automatically. | | • |
Delete the songs from your library, turn off the Copy protect music option, and then rip the CD again.
| | • | Delete the songs from your library. |
To turn off Copy protect music 1.
|
Click the arrow below the Rip tab, and then click More Options.
| 2.
|
Clear the Copy protect music check box.
This will prevent copy protection from being applied to any CDs that you rip in the future. It will not remove copy protection from any songs that you have previously ripped. |
To delete the songs from the library 1.
| Select all of the songs you want to delete. | 2.
|
Right-click the selection, and then click Delete.
This will delete the songs from your library and from your computer. |
|
| Q.
| How do I tell whether a file is protected? |
| A.
|
There are several ways to tell whether a file is protected:
| • |
If you are in the library and you want to see which items are protected, you can display the Protected column in the Details pane. "Yes" appears in the Protected column beside each file that is protected. To sort by the value in the Protected column, click the column name.
For information about changing the columns that are displayed in the library, see Windows Media Player Help. | | • |
If you are playing a file in the Player, right-click the item in the List pane, click Properties, and then click the Media Usage Rights tab. If the file is protected, the license terms appear in the Media usage rights box. If nothing appears in the Media usage rights box, either the file is not protected or the file is protected but the license is not present on your computer.
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|
| Q.
| How do I find out how I am allowed to use a protected file? |
| A.
|
The content provider specifies what usage rights it grants to you. Details appear in the Properties dialog box.
For additional information about how you are allowed to use the files you obtain from online stores, see each store's customer service or Help links.
To view the usage rights of a file 1.
|
In the Player, click the Library tab.
| 2.
|
In the Details pane, right-click a protected file, and then click Properties.
| 3.
|
Click the Media Usage Rights tab.
The usage rights are indicated in the Media usage rights box.
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|
| Q.
|
I want to burn protected files to a data CD. Will I be able to play that disc in my car CD player or on another computer?
|
| A.
| In general, you can't play protected files in car CD players, home CD players, or portable CD players. The primary reason is that these devices cannot connect to the Internet and cannot download play rights from online stores. You might be able to play the data CD in another computer if that computer is connected to the Internet and the online store grants you the necessary play rights for that computer. If you want to play protected files in your car or through your home stereo, you have several options: | • | If you have burn rights for your songs, you can burn the songs to an audio CD (as opposed to a data CD). If you don't have burn rights, you might be able to obtain them by purchasing the songs from the online store. For information about how to burn an audio CD, see Windows Media Player Help. | | • |
If you have a subscription account that includes sync rights, you can sync the files to a portable device, and then connect the device to your car or home stereo using an audio cable, a cassette tape adapter, or an FM transmitter. For more information about devices that support subscription content, see the PlaysForSure Web site.
| | • | If you have a home network, you can stream protected files from your Player library to a digital media receiver (DMR) connected to your TV or home stereo. The Xbox 360 and Roku SoundBridge are examples of DMRs that support this capability. For more information about library sharing, see Windows Media Player Help. |
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| Q.
| I have sync rights, but I still can't sync the file. Why? |
| A.
| Your device might not support the kind of content that you are trying to sync. There are three types of devices: | • | Devices that can play both purchased content and subscription content. Purchased content refers to audio or video files that you pay an online store a one-time fee to use. Subscription content refers to audio or video files that you pay an online store a recurring fee to use. | | • | Devices that can play purchased content, but not subscription content. | | • | Devices that cannot play any type of protected content (that is, devices that cannot play purchased content or subscription content). |
If you try to sync subscription content to a device that does not support subscription content, Windows Media Player will display an error message. You might be able to resolve the problem by doing one of the following: | • | If a firmware update is available for your device that will permit it to play subscription content, try installing it. For more information about firmware availability, see your device manufacturer's Web site. | | • | If your device supports purchased content but not subscription content, purchase the audio or video file from the online store, and then try to sync it to the device. To determine if your device supports purchased content (also known as download content), see the documentation that came with your device or see the device manufacturer's Web site. | | • | Try using a different device that does support subscription content. |
For information about devices that support protected files, see the PlaysForSure Web site.
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