Rooting Android Devices Will Result In Google Blocking Movie Rentals
Unfortunately, android users do not enjoy the luxury of updates like iOS devices such as the iPhone 4 and iPad 2. Since Android devices have a wide range of manufacturers, updates do not roll out in unison. Aside from updates rolling out at different times from manufacturers, network operators would also have to test the updates before they get to be officially rolled out. Although this is not a problem with vanilla versions of Android just like that on the Google Nexus S, every other Android device experiences this problem. This is why there are a number of Android users who choose to root their phones or tablets. Unfortunately, this comes at a price. 
The result of rooting your Android device such as the Motorola Xoom and HTC Sensation is having Google block you from their movie rental service. Other premium services like Blockbuster have done the same. On rooted Motorola Xooms, users have reported seeing “Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49)”. This happens when users attempt to download movies. On Blockbuster, “TamperDetected: Device detected as rooted” will appear, which will prevent video playback. For now, these are the only two services that prevent rooted devices from streaming. However, there is no way of telling if other apps will follow suit?
It is apparent that Google is taking the necessary steps in protecting movie and video rights. In the past, the Android OS was plagued by video content security issues. This is one of the reasons there was a ten-month delay between the release of the Netflix app on the iOS and Android. Since Android OS Honeycomb 3.1 has now added an all new Movies Tab that allows users to rent HD movies, it is understandable why Google is preventing rooted devices from accessing the service. However, they have to somehow unify the roll out of updates, if they want to put a stop to device rooting.
Source: Electricpig
