Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
The reason I'd pay a nominal fee is that I DO value my time--I'd have to first teach myself how to strip the DVDs--I don't know how to do that. So I see the system as a way to save some time, if it's priced low enough.
Seems like it's the same as paying for a paper book to e-book conversion--I'd weigh the price of the service against the time it would take to do it myself.
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The only reason you have to spend time learning to do it is that companies are not allowed to provide an integrated product that's as seamless as ripping a cd to mp3/aac like iTunes.
If it wasn't for the added DRM, we'd likely have numerous products out to allow you to create a digital home library of all your DVDs and BluRays much like an iTunes library. The annoying part of that is that the DRM isn't doing its job, it's not stopping people pirating movies (and technically can never do so).
If those products existed and a service was still offered, then I doubt anyone would be against it. I can see a reason behind the paper book to ebook services too, it does take time to OCR a book on your own and if someone else is willing to do it cheap enough then it worth weighing up the time/cost involved. However for movies, it's pretty much an automated process with the correct software and annoying that DRM/DMCA is the reason behind useful products been taken off the market.
I'd have no issues with companies selling multiple versions of the exact same movie if it wasn't illegal to convert your existing copy to a new format. Got the dvd and want an ipod version, rip/convert it. Can't be bothered, buy it from iTunes. Want a higher quality version, buy/rip the BluRay and down convert to ipod versions. There's ample opportunity to charge customers again to buy new versions of a film where the new version actually offers a change in quality eg DVD -> BluRay -> 3D. However trying to sell you a lower resolution version just because it's illegal to rip and convert your DVD or BluRay is nothing more than a scam imho (even if it's a legally enforced scam).