DRM, among other things, affects battery life
DRM, among other things, affects battery life
(...) Although the article discusses a number of factors that can contribute to shorter battery life, the thing that has bloggers talking is the fact that files containing digital rights management (DRM) drain the battery faster than files with no DRM.
DRM’s effect on battery life is not something that immediately comes to mind as one of its many negative consequences, but it makes perfect sense, as all processing requires power. Users often tend to think of power drain primarily in terms of the backlight on the display, playback levels, and repeated use of the device’s controls. Often forgotten are factors such as equalization, file size, file format, and yes, DRM—all of which can decrease battery life. If a circuit is active, it’s using power. If the processing is more complex, as it would be in the case of DRM, the circuit uses more power. So how much power is lost to DRM? As might be expected, it varies depending on the file format and the type of DRM.
The Archos Gmini 402 Camcorder maxed out at 11 hours, but with DRM tracks, it played for less than 9 hours. The iRiver U10, with an astounding life of about 32 hours, came in at about 27 hours playing subscription tracks. Even the iPod, playing back only FairPlay AAC tracks, underperformed MP3s by about 8 percent.(More…)