[mythtv-users] Death blow to DRm and the eventuality for the MPAA

Joe Borne joe.borne at gmail.com
Wed Jan 7 13:05:06 UTC 2009


> David Brodbeck <gull at gull.us> wrote:
>
> > This is incredibly important because it signals the beginning of the end
> > for DRM. Look for all the other online music stores to follow suit. I
> > bet they all drop DRM by July. 5C and CCI are next!
>
> The MPAA doesn't seem to have learned from the RIAA's problems, and is
> following pretty much the same path, but several years behind.  I'm not
> optimistic that 5C and its ilk will go away any time soon.  The trend
> seems to be in the other direction right now, when it comes to video.  I
> think part of it is that people are more willing to put up with DRM on
> something they subscribe to, as opposed to something they purchase
> outright.


I do see the trend as you spell it out, however the MPAA is just starting
the same curve as the RIAA was about 5 years ago. Think about it.. They are
still trying to extend the days of selling physical media as far as they
can. BlueRay is just a way to delay the inevitable, which is the digital
distribution of high quality compressable video.

The thing that killed DRM was when the mp3 player became ubiquitous and the
idea of having a CD collection became well, silly compared to using your
PC/iPod. Right now we are seeing the emergance of video into the same small
footprint with the same portability. When those small footprint devices with
video delivery capability become as common as the iPod is now, the DRM on
video media will suffer the same fate. People simply will not tolerate
restrictions on content they feel they have purchased and have the right to
view and use however they want.

I also think a key element needs to appear. High quality individual video
viwers like the Myvu (
http://www.myvu.com/?kwmid=4684995&kmcid=3058692177&match_type=&gclid=CO_38YHC_JcCFQETGgodQyDgCg)
need to move into a more consumer friendly space. Right now they are still
cost prohibitive for most people and they all make you look like a dork.
Apple could explode that market if they delivered something in partnership
with a company like Ray-Ban or Burberry in the sub $100 range.

5C and CCI are different animals, but will also be killed off by this viral
expansion of digital rights. Sooner or later someone is going to get the
bright idea of making a cable box that allows you to transfer your recorded
shows to your portable media device (location shifting). Now when that sort
of a feature becomes commonplace, 5C and CCI will contract a deadly case of
freedom.

Anyway, that's my hope. So far things are going as I thought they would with
some exceptions for the timeline.


Joe
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