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Cloud DRM Media Your Rights Online

Warner Bros: New Program To Digitize Your DVDs 371

shoutingloudly writes "Warner Brothers has just announced a new 'Disc-to-Digital' program to convert your DVDs into digital files that you can play on your internet-connected computers. As the helpful Public Knowledge graphics demonstrate, all you have to do is find a participating store, drive there, pay again for your movie, wait while it's ripped for you, drive home, and hope it works. This will surely have tech-savvy movie fans saying, 'Brilliant! I've been looking for an excuse to uninstall this free, 1-step DVD ripper that I can use in the comfort of my own home. This is much better than DMCA reform.'" In exchange for paying a bit more you might get a higher resolution copy (DRM encumbered and stored in "the cloud"). The launch process is absurdly cumbersome, but: "Later on, Internet retailers like Amazon.com will email customers to offer digital copies of DVDs they previously bought. Eventually, consumers will be able to put DVDs into PCs or certain Blu-ray players that will upload a copy, similar to the way people turn music CDs into MP3 files." Will the video distributors ever offer DRM-free files that you own? The music industry doesn't seem to be any worse off than they were when they insisted upon DRM.
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Warner Bros: New Program To Digitize Your DVDs

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  • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:12PM (#39265765)

    Wow, what a deal.

    Seriously, who the hell is in charge at Warner Home Video these days? When DVD first came out in 1997, Warner was one of the leaders in DVD's. They offered the best extras, were the first to make anamorphic DVD's their standard (meaning my first Warner DVD's still look pretty good even on a HDTV), and were real cheerleaders for the format back when a lot of people were saying things like "Why would Joe Sixpack want to give up his VHS tapes?" and "Laserdisc looks so much better" (I kid you not, those were prominent arguments against DVD in those days).

    But in the last few years, their home video department has went to shit. Their support for early HD-DVD and blu-ray was weak. Their blu-ray discs these days are almost as annoying with the upfront/unskippable trailers as Sony. Even their extras seem weak these days.

    You used to be cool, Warner.

    • Don't be silly; obviously this is the most exciting revolution the film industry has ever seen! Can't you see how cutting-edge and novel this technology is? Why, I'm sure absolutely everyone will line up to use this revolutionary and convenient service before you can blink! The future is today!

      ...now wait for them to kill it, and whine about how it's obviously impossible to capitalize on digital distribution.

      • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:38PM (#39266135)

        ...now wait for them to kill it, and whine about how it's obviously impossible to capitalize on digital distribution.

        No, like that one incompetent ninja who only got in because his dad was a ninja, they'll find a way to blame pirates for all their screw-ups.

        • Well, pirates are better than Ninja, so... :)

          But that's exactly what I figured would happen. They'll abandon all attempts at serious digital distribution after it becomes obvious that the service they're offering can't even begin to compete with other DVD ripping and digital distribution solutions, both legitimate and not so. The blame will land on piracy, because they can't admit that things like the Mythbox (mentioned by an AC in another response to my post) and other DVRs totally wreck their scheme. Any

        • by billstewart ( 78916 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @06:23PM (#39268089) Journal

          If they want to charge a buck or so for the labor of digitizing the DVD, burning it onto a new memory stick, handling all the plastic, etc., that's fine. I probably won't use the service, but it's reasonable. On the other hand, if they want to charge me a higher price for a license to view the intellectual property that I've already paid for, no, that's Piracy and I want no part of it :-)

          Meanwhile, I've bought DVDs that have some stupid Macrovision copy protection on them, and I can't play them on my Tivo's DVD drive because my TV has a built-in VCR, and something about it triggers the copy protection so the picture keeps dimming in and out. Is there any easy way to get rid of it by ripping it onto my PC and then burning a DVD myself, or does the copy protection slip through that?

    • by interkin3tic ( 1469267 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:49PM (#39266303)

      Wow, what a deal.

      MPAA: I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further.

      Us: Uh, you're not Darth Vader, and we don't need to take the deal. We're going to continue ripping our movies for backup if we want.

      MPAA: I FORCE CHOKE YOU! [extends hand]

      Us: This is almost as painful to watch as episode one.

      • Do you know why that Darth Vader meme doesn't work exactly? It's because you've got the roles reversed. It's the pirates who are Darth Vader, not the MPAA. Think about it: the pirates have almost all the power, and it's gone straight to their heads. They are in the position to make veiled threats about altering deals, the deal in this case being copyright law in general. Well, not the law as in what's written on paper, rather what they choose to obey and when. If the publishers fight back, the pirates just

    • by Dogtanian ( 588974 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @04:01PM (#39266439) Homepage

      "Laserdisc looks so much better" (I kid you not, those were prominent arguments against DVD in those days).

      I didn't have one at the time, but weren't some of the early laserdiscs apparently quite poor? I might be wrong, but I vaguely remember hearing some of them were single layer (*), the transfers weren't apparently too great (the first Blade Runner DVD issue was apparently rubbish) and/or the compression wasn't that well done. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that a well-done Laserdisc would beat a poor DVD, or at least its limitations wouldn't be as obnoxious as visibly blocky compression.

      (*) Actually, I have a DVD with a *2005* issue date on it that is a single layer (I'd checked when I noticed some distracting compression artifacts and suspected the reason). Granted, it was only a 109 minute film with no extras, but the compression was still clearly visible. (Probably didn't help that it apparently hadn't been remastered that much, as perversely lower-quality and noisier material tends to require more compression to compensate for that wasted reproducing the noise(!))

    • by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @05:01PM (#39267197)

      >Wow, what a deal.

      Really! I am so excited! And then I would *NOT* be able to play it on any of my Linux machines, on my TiVo, on my phone, on my Xoom tablet, on any device NOT connected to the Internet, or behind any type of restrictive connection.

      And for those who DO have a device that is "approved" and "connected", they will have to deal with ISP data overages, server loads, logins, DRM, and virtual media that could just "disappear" at any time for any number of reasons.

      Great job, Warner! Just what we have been waiting for.

    • by JaredOfEuropa ( 526365 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @05:03PM (#39267217) Journal

      Seriously, who the hell is in charge at Warner Home Video these days?

      I suspect that their "washington" men may have had something to do with it. A fair few politicians support the idea of allowing private copies or format shifting of movies that one already owns on DVD/Bluray, and for good reason: it is an eminently reasonable notion that you can watch a movie any way you like if you've paid for it. The fact that these politicians don't openly support or vote for this has less to do with their actual convictions than with political expedience, and that might change.

      This way, the movie studios can kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Not only format shifting is gaining political momentum, but some politicians (quite a few actually here in the Netherlands, for instance) even feel that they should not prosecute content pirates too harshly, if at all, as long as there is no viable legal alternative to obtain downloadable or streamed content. With this insane scheme, movie studios can claim that there now is a viable legal alternative to piracy, as well as a good legal way to format shift. Even if no actual consumer ever makes use of this service, they only have to convince the legislators that a legal alternative is now finally here, and they ought to outlaw all other options.

    • by flyneye ( 84093 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @08:13PM (#39269185) Homepage

      But wait, there's more.
      If you act now, we'll throw in a coupon for a free waterboarding.

  • Already have some (Score:5, Insightful)

    by GameboyRMH ( 1153867 ) <gameboyrmh.gmail@com> on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:15PM (#39265797) Journal

    DVDShrink, VLC media player, MakeMKV...take your pick.

  • by Hatta ( 162192 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:15PM (#39265799) Journal

    There are analog DVDs?

    • Sort of, but they're much bigger and the data is serial-access only. The player costs a shit-ton too.

    • I don't understand the part where the "DVD owner's" takes the disks into a store for "digital conversion". Beyond the oxymoron of converting DVDs to digital, I don't understand the reason for this. Is Warner using customers(users) to build a digital library, or is this the best way they could handle the exchange to prove that you have the original to get the digital copy?
      • Re:Wait a minute. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by suutar ( 1860506 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:30PM (#39266009)
        It's the best way they could extract money from you. Proving you have the original is useless; you could have borrowed it. Building a library using user disks is moronic; I flatly refuse to believe they don't have the data in their archives (disc masters, for example). Going to the store is the way to make sure you're using their approved machine and paying for the privilege.
        • Re:Wait a minute. (Score:5, Insightful)

          by xclr8r ( 658786 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:47PM (#39266255)
          The following is not my stance.

          It does a couple things:
          1. It shows there are alternatives to piracy so that "I have no alternative" isn't valid anymore.
          2. #1 allows legislatures to lay down laws that are harsh since there are alternatives.
          3. It's a labor intensive process that will make someone say why bother my time is worth more. Then the option of buying through some internet portal is made available at slightly higher price than conversion. win - win.. right?!?
          4. profit off the docile and persecute the unbelievers.
      • Re:Wait a minute. (Score:5, Informative)

        by Dahamma ( 304068 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @04:11PM (#39266555)

        The summary is misleading (as usual). There is no ripping and copying of each DVD, that would be stupid.

        From what I have read about it they just verify that you own the DVD, mark the inner ring with some stamp so that you can't just give it to your friend to take back to the store, and then charge you a couple of dollars for each to add the movies to a digital rights locker (Ultraviolet, or whatever). After that you can stream it on any computer/device/tablet/whatever that supports it.

        Better deal than buying a whole new streaming version, I guess, but given how they always make the distinction of "ownership" vs. "right to watch" you'd think you already paid for the right to watch it and should get this service for *free*. I guess *if* the streaming service actually stays around it will cover their lifetime streaming costs, etc, for the movie (though I think = $0.50 would cover that, given most people don't end up watching most movies they buy more than once).

        • by BluBrick ( 1924 )
          Wait a minute indeed! This service is going to pay for their bandwidth? What about the user's bandwidth? Shouldn't Warner compensate the rightful owner of the "license to view" for the bandwidth used to download content to which (s)he already has access? This is double dipping at its finest!
    • by Skapare ( 16644 )

      Sure ... in the minds of motion picture executives, where lots of false facts abound.

    • Re:Wait a minute. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:29PM (#39265997)

      There are two possibilities. Either they're dumb, or they think we are.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Megane ( 129182 )

      Sort of. [wikipedia.org]

      I mean, they're shiny and plastic like DVDs, but instead of a digital encoding, they use a series of pits which represent a fully over-modulated multi-band RF signal. The distance between the pit edges is the analog signal.

    • Not completely analog. They have an "analog hole" in the center of disc, surrounded by digital data.
  • Handbrake Plug (Score:5, Informative)

    by eldavojohn ( 898314 ) * <eldavojohn@gma[ ]com ['il.' in gap]> on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:16PM (#39265805) Journal
    I didn't see Handbrake [handbrake.fr] on that page of search results from Freecode so I thought I'd offer this up as well. Fairly simple interface, runs flawlessly on Windows 7 and Ubuntu for me. Open source and easy way to get DVDs into m4v format. Plus there are preset resolutions for things like iPhones, iPods and I found the resolution for a PSP. So basically I spend my flights with circumaural Sennheisers and Futurama or MST3K playing on my PSP -- the worse part about that setup being that Sony's memory card [wikipedia.org] cost me a ton. So far it's ripped the blu-rays I've put in just fine as well.

    Rip them to m4v and host them with PS3 Media Server [google.com] and then they're good to play over your network to your PS3 or XBox 360 (and probably any other UPnP compliant device).

    Do I feel guilty that I have shelled out $35+ for each of the 22 sets of MST3K and each season of Futurama and then violated copyright to move said shows onto any device capable of playing video? Not one fucking bit. Go ahead and do your little song and dance, I've got my shit figured out (thank you open source!).
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Deathnerd ( 1734374 )
      I would take a look at Tversity [tversity.com]. I've used it for going on 5 years and haven't had any problems streaming to any device (except for iOS devices when they decided to make that a Pro feature only :\ )
      • ... when they decided to make that a Pro feature only

        ... and you're trying to convince us to look at it? You just did the opposite.

    • Re:Handbrake Plug (Score:5, Informative)

      by DurendalMac ( 736637 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:34PM (#39266069)
      Not to mention that Handbrake is multithreaded to hell and back. Ripping a DVD can keep my i7 2600k @ 4.5ghz pegged above 80% the whole time. A high-quality DVD rip will finish in less than 20 minutes per pass. Haven't tried BluRay yet, but I will soon.
      • A high-quality DVD rip will finish in less than 20 minutes per pass. Haven't tried BluRay yet, but I will soon.

        If you keep the full resolution and want a decent compression ratio without sacrificing quality, expect to get about 8fps on the encode with that processor. There is no need to do multipass, as CRF [project357.com] results in better overall quality for the time spent, but this means the exact file size will be unknown until you finish (not a big deal for storing movies on a hard disk). You can probably get about 20fps if you are willing to live with file sizes around 150-200% of those from a slower encode with the same qu

    • I've always been bothered by the needless complexity of a lot of disc ripping software. Sure options are nice, but seriously: storage space is dirt cheap these days (minus a certain flood induced shortage) just give me a damned rip button that rips a file of similar quality to the original. Thus I recommend MakeMKV. Extremely awesome software. I have no idea where they get off trying to charge $50 for it, but you can use it for free forever as long as you don't mind reinstalling it every 30 days.

  • by betterunixthanunix ( 980855 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:16PM (#39265809)
    Let me guess -- deCSS is for criminals, because it allows people to rip DVDs on their own, without paying for the privilege, and without requiring an Internet connection to watch?
  • DVDs are already digital.

  • by eternaldoctorwho ( 2563923 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:17PM (#39265825)
    then why am I allowed to watch it as many times as I want? It seems like being able to have unlimited free viewings of the movie would infringe on some sort of DRM protections. I'm surprised they are not arguing that I need to pay per viewing as if I kept going back to the theater. After all, those who own a DVD of a movie will not go back and buy more copies, thus taking business away from movie producers the MPAA studios honest hard-working people.
    • Re:If I buy a DVD (Score:4, Insightful)

      by suutar ( 1860506 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:32PM (#39266033)
      Because they hadn't figured out a way to make the alternative salable (they tried, but divx (the disk format, not the codec) died an ignominious and well-deserved death), because folks had gotten used to VHS, where you can watch as many times as the tape will survive.
    • by Animats ( 122034 )

      then why am I allowed to watch it as many times as I want? It seems like being able to have unlimited free viewings of the movie would infringe on some sort of DRM protections.

      Because the use-counter ratchet mechanism which someone once tried to put in VHS cassettes isn't compatible with DVDs.

  • Um, Duh? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Jane Q. Public ( 1010737 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:17PM (#39265827)

    "The music industry doesn't seem to be any worse off than they were when they insisted upon DRM."

    Yeah... because don't use it anymore. At least, most of them have wised up and have dropped their DRM schemes. Where they did have DRM, they lost money.

    Now if only some of the game makers would similarly wise up. Like you, Ubisoft.

  • And all this time, I thought the first D in DVD stood for "Digital". Apparently, I was wrong - it probably stands for DRM.

  • by techstar25 ( 556988 ) <.moc.liamg. .ta. .52ratshcet.> on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:19PM (#39265863) Journal
    This idea ranks right up there with the "Jump to Conclusions" mat. Nice job Warner Bros.
  • "Digitize" DVDs? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Baloroth ( 2370816 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:20PM (#39265879)

    DVD's are already digital. No "digitization" is required.

    ...people who own standard DVDs will have the option of getting a high-definition digital copy for an extra fee.

    Oh right. "HD." Is that upscaled-DVD "HD" or barely 720p "HD"?

    Eventually, consumers will be able to put DVDs into PCs or certain Blu-ray players that will upload a copy, similar to the way people turn music CDs into MP3 files.

    Yes. That already exists. Except they want to put it in the cloud, so the movie you bought, then paid extra for to have in non-physical form, can still be completely controlled by them. Sure, that'll work. /sarcasm

    • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *

      Oh right. "HD." Is that upscaled-DVD "HD" or barely 720p "HD"?

      No, it's the same DVD original converted into a much bigger file and resold to a gullible idiot who thinks it looks so much better now.

  • by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve ( 949321 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:21PM (#39265887)

    Will the video distributors ever offer DRM-free files that you own?

    It is the position of the movie industry that you are renting viewing rights with any movie purchase and nothing more. So no, they will never, ever offer files that consumers "own". Some people will actually take them up on this "offer" but it won't be very many.

    • "It is the position of the movie industry that you are renting viewing rights with any movie purchase and nothing more."

      Their "position" is irrelevant. The law says otherwise.

      • by gstoddart ( 321705 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:47PM (#39266261) Homepage

        Their "position" is irrelevant. The law says otherwise.

        For now.

        Don't forget, due to lobbying pressures by the *AAs, some countries are moving to make it a criminal act to circumvent any form of copyright encryption.

        And, game manufacturers are trying to establish that a video game is a "service" not a "good" so they can yank it out from underneath you anytime they like.

        They are trying very hard (and succeeding to a certain extent) in convincing lawmakers that the current laws are inadequate to maintain their desired level of revenue.

        They don't care about what's legal now, they want to make it all illegal ... and then make sure everything you do can be monetized so you have to pay for every time you watch (and for every person watching). Hell, Sony would be the first company to argue against what they argued for with the early Beta VCRs ... that you don't have the right to record for personal use to watch later.

        Think of the whole HDMI spec being required to implement HDCP -- I know people who bought HDTVs 10+ years ago that can't actually get an HD image anymore because the TV isn't "allowed" to receive it.

        Give it time, it will be made illegal, and they'll probably try to make it retroactive, so that possessing stuff that was ripped before the law is still illegal.

        And, for the record, I hope to hell I'm wrong.

        • "For now."

          Well, yes, of course. I am aware of efforts to change that.

          "Don't forget, due to lobbying pressures by the *AAs, some countries are moving to make it a criminal act to circumvent any form of copyright encryption."

          You mean like the United States? They already have. The DMCA made it illegal to even attempt to circumvent DRM, back around the year 2000 (thus the name "millenium"). It wasn't until later that courts established that there were exemptions to the law for a few specific purposes. It is still illegal in most cases.

          "And, game manufacturers are trying to establish that a video game is a "service" not a "good" so they can yank it out from underneath you anytime they like."

          Good luck with that. {sarcasm}

          Restriction on how people can use goods after purchase has been tried in the United States for almost ever

      • by afidel ( 530433 )
        Not in this case. Thanks to the DMCA you own a piece of shiny plastic, you have no right to defeat the copy protection mechanism (CSS) in order to access the VOB files and place shift the content from the shiny plastic to your player of choice. Personally I don't care what the law says and will not pay again to access the exact same content but the law is the law. Btw courts have so far upheld this interpretation multiple times whenever a home theater company has brought a product to market that allows the
  • by wbr1 ( 2538558 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:21PM (#39265893)
    ...but they just can't kill the beast (that is the extant movie industry).

    Anyone remember when you could get self-destructing DVD's that had an oxidizing layer that only made them good for a few days? That flopped, then IIRC Disney bought and tried to resurrect the tech.

    Anytime these somebody at one of these companies gets an idea on how to put a fence around their users, they try it. The general idea seems to be if you throw enough shit at the wall, some of it is bound to stick.

    Every time I hear of one of these crackpot schemes I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but I do get an image in my mind of Daffy Duck going "mine, mine, mine, mine" as he shrinks away.

    The music and television references in the above are there because I want them to be. Issues a takedown if you must!
    • by 91degrees ( 207121 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:32PM (#39266031) Journal
      The self destructing DVDs weren't a terrible idea. It allowed a rental model without having to return them. This would have made it a consumer convenience.

      The problem is public acceptance. I think people have a natural belief that the cost of buying something is related to the cost to make it. If they can buy exactly the same thing for less, but they're paying extra to have it not be deliberately sabotaged. Even if they do understand the business model it's hard to shake this feeling of being fleeced.
      • by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:47PM (#39266263)

        The self destructing DVDs weren't a terrible idea. It allowed a rental model without having to return them. This would have made it a consumer convenience.

        No, in actual practice Divx discs [wikipedia.org] (the format the GP was talking about, not to be confused with the divx codec), were piece-of-shit lame versions of the far superior DVD's. If that bastard of a format had won out (and it wasn't intended to supplement DVD, mind you, it was trying to kill DVD), we would have a world today of DVD's that each require activation at each viewing, had no extras, wasn't available in widescreen or anamrophic and which could be shut off at anytime by the studio (forcing you to rebuy it).

        It should tell you something that Divx was co-created by a bunch of lawyers at a Hollywood law firm.

  • Two Words.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Nonillion ( 266505 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:21PM (#39265899)

    No Thanks...

  • Just how much bandwidth do they think we have? Almost all home internet packages are capped, and don't get me started on how long it would take to upload a Blu-Ray. So in addition to paying their extra fees, I might have to pay for the extra bandwidth needed to upload my own movies as well... It's a nice idea, but not thought through very well.
  • by ISurfTooMuch ( 1010305 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:35PM (#39266089)

    Yeah, I know this post really adds nothing new to this discussion, but I just have to say it. Fuck you, Warner Bros.! I'll rip my DVD's--you know, the ones I paid for--on my own computer, in the comfort of my own home, on my schedule, and I'll watch them anywhere I please. And you know what, if I take a notion, I'll even set up a media server and stream them all over my house. And you won't see one extra penny from any of this.

    Oh, and I'll show others how to do the same thing.

    You guys had a golden opportunity here. You could have offered digital copies of the movies people already bought for a reasonable price, maybe as a streaming option, but no, you not only decided to charge them, but you went out of your way to make it more inconvenient than it would be if they simply do it themselves. You really are a bunch of geniuses. Please tell us where you got your MBA's so we can all go there and develop the acute business acumen that you obviously possess.

  • by Picass0 ( 147474 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:44PM (#39266221) Homepage Journal

    The MPAA and RIAA have been playing the shell game of leasing and owning content with consumers for years. They might have finally stuck their foot in it.

    The RIAA is currently going after digital music re-sellers with the argument that consumers licensed the music use and do not own the asset for re-sale. Recently musicians have taken notice of the case because they get a one time payment for each sale. Treating the sale as a license means they are being grossly underpaid.

    Now Warner is going to legally re-define your DVD from a sale to a digital license. I have a feeling many of the hundreds of people involved in creating each film will have an opinion about this.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @03:46PM (#39266245)

    If I own a copy 5GB of data, I'm NOT going to re-download it every time I want to play it. What if my internet access is capped?

      I pay when:
    I buy the DVD
    When they rip it for me
    When I download it
    When I download it again
    When I download it again again
    When they want fees for hosting it for me (betcha they will)
    Can someone remind me whats in it for me?

  • by AnalogDiehard ( 199128 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @04:14PM (#39266587)
    Judging from Sony's Rootkit fiasco and the content industry's push toward pay-per-view, tethered content, and self-destructing media I no longer trust any application or service from content providers.
  • Wonderous (Score:4, Interesting)

    by lightknight ( 213164 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @04:23PM (#39266675) Homepage

    Let's see here. Rather than takes Valve's approach to things (they are actually successfully competing against 'free,' which is the technological equivalent of making a river flow upstream), they instead take the most ass-way possible to providing 'backups' to customers.

    It's like they have some form of a powerful character disorder, where they can see others profiting (legally) through content distribution systems, but can't quite grasp the concept that they need to deliver the content, with minimal fuss, at acceptable pricing, to their customers in order to get some green. Their attempts to create 'new' systems compares favorably with the "Supervisor" sketch from AQHF [youtube.com] -> they aren't really new, but for some reason the people creating them think they are. "That's it boys, the problem with the previous system isn't that the customers hated being treated like dogs, it's that the interface wasn't shiny / restrictive enough!"

    Allow me to help you with the right DRM system design, since you seem to be suffering from an inability to figure it out yourselves. 1.) The customer should be able to access said content in an off-line mode, without having to provide a fingerprint / urine analysis, 2.) the content should be downloaded to the customer's machine (f*ck streaming), 3.) (and this is key) ensure that you actually keep said content updated (studio releases a change to a scene, because they left a mic visible somewhere? automatically send that out), 4.) ensure pricing (monthly, seasonal) deals (actual deals, not the pathetic jokes that you wish were deals); why? because it undercuts the people who might be setting up factories to stamp out that stuff on DVDs (because you know from finance & accounting, that you can erect a barrier to entry to a market by ensuring that any new players will never be able to recoup their investments; and you can even do that without having to pay off DC), 5.) do not piss off the customer, do not piss off the customer, do not piss on the customer, 6.) while I am sure that you have many other wonderful products you think that customer might be interested in, do not make them mandatory to watch before the customer can watch said purchased content (if you haven't heard the amount of b*tching that goes on whenever you sit through 30 minutes of previews at the theater, or 15 minutes on a DVD, you need only open your window...).

  • by cowtamer ( 311087 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @04:23PM (#39266679) Journal

    I don't think they intend for anyone to use this. It seems to be there to legally counter the argument that "there is no legal way to format shift our content" that proponents of DMCA and copyright exemptions might make.

  • iTunes Match (Score:4, Insightful)

    by rogueippacket ( 1977626 ) on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @05:18PM (#39267365)
    At first, I thought this sounded like iTunes Match, but for movies - load disc copy of movie into PC, receive rights to the original high-definition video file stored on Warner's servers. An easy and painless way to "launder" your collection of DVDs, no questions asked, with the kicker that each digital file is going to be DRM'ed and watermarked to prevent you from seeding it to The Pirate Bay. I'm sure most users would consider this a fair trade, even with an associated yearly fee, as they are getting something of value for very little effort - but it turns out I was wrong, and this is the most retarded idea they've come up with yet.

/earth: file system full.

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