There are times I just wonder who is actually driving the DVD market and which sector is worse, the companies who create parasitical software and systems to hobble DVD technologies.. or the studios that lap it up?
“New technology in the form of a chip smaller than the head of a pin will supposedly thwart DVD theft since the discs are unplayable until they’re activated at the cash register. A thin coating that blocks a DVD player from reading critical information on the disc must also be added along with the chip, which when activated, sends an electrical pulse through the coating, turning it clear and making the disc playable. ( #)”
.. see, the problem with this idea, is that you punish the legitimate user of a product, by forcing all manner of fallible technologies on them.
Sure, it might reduce theft, in the form of five finger discounting (shrinkage) but it adds yet another complexity for the genuine buyer. Here’s an idea.. stop fucking with the technology to try and stop people pirating content (and reducing compatibility in the process) and get a damnable working online model happening.
It would render much of this bullshit moot, over-night. Gone are the days where cheap knock-off DVDs were all the rage - the online market is where it’s at. And how long do we, the consumer, have to wait for studios to start understanding, let alone getting the hint?
We’re not just cable or satellite junkies now, either. The massive upsurge in demand for services like Joost and youtube only reinforce the underlying situation — the market has shifted. And it’s not going to shift back any time soon.
It’s time the industry actually listened to the consumer, the very people who put you where you are today. Who sink billions of dollars into your fat purses whilst you sit back and in return ram DRM and all manner of bullshit down our throats.
Give it a fucking rest. The doomsday DRM “experts” that bring forth all manner of arguments for securing media are wrong. We aren’t all evil thieves. We just want, what we want, at a fair price, with fair use.
Just fork over the pressed DVD at a reasonable price. Don’t restrict the content. Give us online options (both streaming and download). Give your consumer choice, without restrictions and you will make the legitimate far more tempting than the alternative.
≡ This is a journal entry relating to the topics of copyright, film, movies, video.
Brendan Borlase is a Systems and Network Administrator living in Adelaide, Australia, having lived, worked and breathed Information Technology for over 12 years. Learn more.
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