The Codec — Edition 3
Welcome to edition three of "The Codec".
Edition 3: Biting the Hand That Feeds
By: Tony Nilles
HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are terms we have been throwing around quite a bit the last few weeks here at Uncompressed. It seems as though the media companies aren’t satisfied enough with the current state of muddled media distribution; instead, they remain bound and determined to foul things up even further.
Years ago, records were indisputably the way that audio media was distributed; then came the cassette and the 8-track – soon after that, CDs. On the video front we went from film projectors, to VCRs, laserdisc, and now DVDs. From a quality standpoint, it is obvious that we have seen tremendous advances in the quality, and fidelity, of our audio/video media – but from a consumer perspective, things have only become more difficult. Media companies have been enforcing stricter, and stricter, copyright laws by including DRM (digital rights management) on all modern digital formats. What this translates to is a reduced function of the media you pay for, even as prices continue to rise; add that to the huge influx of advertising across the board (been to a movie lately? Did you enjoy the opening 20 minutes of commercials AFTER you paid your $9 to get through the door?) and we have a situation where media companies are walking all over consumers – who in turn, willingly pay them to do it!
There are organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation that are trying to protect consumer rights, yet are failing due to a huge lack of support from the very consumers they are tying to protect. It seems that the consumers themselves are willing to just lay down for the corporate giants to do as they please, when they please to do it, without so much as lifting a finger to stop them. That begs the question, what can be done to stop such huge corporations? Well, for starters, don’t support companies that blatantly abuse consumers. I’m not advocating media piracy, or anything else along those lines, but I will be damned if I ever buy another Sony/BMG published CD after their whole root-kit fiasco. There are plenty of great independent artists out there to listen to without having to support these media tyrants — which brings up another good point, do you think the artists are seeing any of the money the RIAA thugs shake down from grandmothers and little girls? Heck no. If you really want to support a band, go see them in concert. Most artists make more money on a single tour than they do releasing multiple albums through the organized crime racket that is the media publishing industry. Beyond not supporting companies that are a stones throw away from Beelzebub on the morality ladder, how about writing a letter to your congress-person? Most elected officials are woefully ignorant about what is happening to their constituents, and actually end up supporting the media companies because they are the ones making enough noise (no pun intended) to be heard. In this age of computers and e-mail, it’s easier than ever to reach those who support YOU in the federal government. Make them earn their paycheck!
“Ok Tony, I know the RIAA and MPAA are evil, and I should be doing more to stop them, but what does all this have to do with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray?” Well sir, or madam, reader I am so glad you asked. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are introducing unprecedented levels of copy protection into their formats. Obviously high-definition content is the future of video reproduction and to bring such a thing to consumers in a consumable, disc-based, form is a natural evolution of the product. But with copy and playback protection that will make Circuit City’s DIVX format seem like open-source, is it really a step in the right direction? Add in the fact that there will be two competing formats to confuse consumers even more, and we have a nightmare situation for consumers who just want to unwind after a long day at work by watching a quiet movie at home. Imagine the confusing state of affairs when not only do you have DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-DL, but also HD-DVD and Blu-Ray variants of all the above!
I don’t know about you, but having to own multiple DVD players just to watch the movie I want to see, then having my DVD player ask me to connect to the internet to authenticate my disc, followed by my disc “expiring” after a certain amount of viewings, doesn’t exactly seem like something I would like to spend several hundreds of dollars just to have the “privilege” of doing. My more tech savvy readers will be quick to point out that not all of the things I just mentioned are specific to HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, but I would argue that they are indeed all things proposed by the media companies for various video formats, and its just a matter of time before they start combining them. It’s that complacency, that buying into of the corporate propaganda, which keeps driving forward the media companies agendas and killing fair use rights in the process.
This also makes a strong argument for supporting independently created content such as podcasts and IPTV. Both are media content that can be enjoyed pretty much anywhere you want to enjoy it – without threat of lawsuits, copyright infringement, or excessive fees. There are a lot of great shows out there, providing hours of content, all delivered on demand, to your home or office, at the click of a button. Isn’t that how commercial media should be?
The other day I was forced to watch 10 minutes of commercials on a DVD that I bought, and paid for, before I was allowed to access the main menu to play the movie. Are you ok with that? I’m not…
November 9th, 2006 at 4:06 am
I always find something new and interesting every time I come around here - thanks.