Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward
Steve, who will buy it? Do you think that the American populace will tolerate Big Brother (we still have votes, remember). What about lawsuits about the safe creation of new copyright material? (I can't save my own digital photo's? That'll go over like a lead ballon.
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I think it would be easier to take all the guns away from Americans. But, I could be wrong....
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I wish I had as much faith as you, but our track record isn't so encouraging. I think it would go much like it does today. The companies offer a big, appealing benefit, then understate a new restriction or penalty.
When marketing Blu-Ray movies, the companies mention the higher definition, the Blu-Ray exclusive bonuses and more. The companies seem to neglect to mention the following things:
1. You have to buy a new player if you don't have one already.
2. Not all players are equal, meaning you could wind up getting one that crawls trying to run those special "bonus features" or one that needs converters for your TV or doesn't upscale to 1080p cleanly.
3. We're nearly certain that the player five generations from now won't be able to play this.
So, the message is weighted with the benefits and that's enough for most people to at least consider the shiny new features. But let's say you abstain. "I won't buy into this DRM-restricted crap."
Good for you, but you're just spitting into the wind.
You'll see people buying into it as you do your normal shopping. They want to see the liquid dripping from Spiderman's suit. You'll hear colleagues weave magical weekend tales of buying a new Blu-Ray player. One of your friends will buy one. Then another. A family member will get one. Then another. At least one will have bought it because they couldn't get the latest blockbuster in standard def. Eventually everyone around you will have traded in -- or "up," in their view -- unaware or in denial of the restrictions.
How long can you hold out? I think forever, but your choice will restrict your available motion picture entertainment.
I think that people would reject these things if the drawbacks outweighed the benefits. (The initial DivX may have failed for this reason.) But product designers and marketers are not in the business to offer reasons to NOT buy the latest.
No. They offer a new product that, in many ways, is better that the current generation. Buried within are new restrictions. Then comes the message: This is better. Buy it or miss out. Given the choice -- especially in light of how the marketing is crafted -- most people, eventually, choose to buy
Cheers,
m