Sony heeft z'n eigen alternatief gebouwd voor MP3. Het heet 'MagicGate' en legt een zware nadruk op de beveiliging:
Sony's entry into the SDMI race is codenamed MagicGate. It's designed for consumer electronics kit, including Internet-enabled hi-fi separates and systems, and portable players like the Rio. Sony is also working on a version of MagicGate, called OpenMG, to protect tracks downloaded into a PC.At the heart of both systems is an authentication system hard-wired into silicon. The device checks that downloaded files are correctly encrypted and were received from a MagicGate-compliant source. The MagicGate chip could easily be added to music players, said Sony. For PCs, it would be built onto an add-in card which would automatically encoded MagicGate files stored on the computer's hard disk or other storage media.
Inmiddels zitten de leden van het Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) in LA gezellig te bakkeleien over welke technologie de standaard moet gaan worden. Meer info bij The Register.
