Warner Bros. Embarrasses Self, Everyone, With New “Disc-to-Digital” Program

[xg4bx]

"Tsujihara described this process as allowing consumers to convert their libraries “easily, safely and at reasonable prices.”

You did read that last paragraph correctly. The head of Warner Home Entertainment Group thinks that an easy, safe way to convert movies you already own on DVD to other digital formats is to take your DVDs, find a store that will perform this service, drive to that store, find the clerk who knows how to perform the service, hope that the “DVD conversion machine” is not broken, stand there like a chump while the clerk “safely” converts your movie to a digital file that may only play on studio-approved devices, drive home, and hope everything worked out. Oh, and the good news is that you would only need to pay a reasonable (per-DVD?) price for this pleasure."

"Although they may pay some lip service to wanting to prevent piracy – a claim that is undermined by the fact that they argue in any forum available that piracy of motion pictures is already rampant – it really is about charging customers again. Why let customers make legitimate personal copies of movies they own at home when you could charge them to do it at a store?"

http://www.publicknowledge.org/blog/...ew-%E2%80%9Cdi



the article nails it: its not about piracy, its about getting you to pay for your movies/books/games/cds again. no wonder they will defend drm until their dying breath. the ebook market is no different. they want you to buy, rebuy and keep rebuying the same books over and over and over. they don't make any money if you can just convert your ebooks.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

the article nails it: its not about piracy, its about getting you to pay for your movies/books/games/cds again.

So what would you suggest as an alternative? That film studios hand out free tools to copy DRM-protected DVDs and BDs?

Seems to me that film studios are "damned if they do, and damned if they don't". Isn't it a good thing that they are offering a digital transfer service? You don't really expect that service to be free, do you?

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by HarryT

So what would you suggest as an alternative? That film studios hand out free tools to copy DRM-protected DVDs and BDs?

Seems to me that film studios are "damned if they do, and damned if they don't". Isn't it a good thing that they are offering a digital transfer service? You don't really expect that service to be free, do you?

The problem is that they want to make sure that the user actually has bought a DVD. They could make an in-store check, registration, and then offer a download link.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

The problem is that they want to make sure that the user actually has bought a DVD. They could make an in-store check, registration, and then offer a download link.

Or how about offering a link in the original DVD packaging? Someone buys a copy of the DVD and an insert in the packaging gives the link with a unique key that you register to yourself (so it can't be used by someone else later) and which you can then use to access the digital copy that is included in the sale price of the physical DVD.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by crich70

Or how about offering a link in the original DVD packaging? Someone buys a copy of the DVD and an insert in the packaging gives the link with a unique key that you register to yourself (so it can't be used by someone else later) and which you can then use to access the digital copy that is included in the sale price of the physical DVD.

That's exactly the way it works with many modern films which do offer digital downloads. I believe, though, that what's being discussed here is a service to offer digital content to owners of existing DVDs and BDs, rather than to new purchasers. I see that as a positive move; I'm not sure why the original poster is so entirely negative about it.

[Lirillo]

They already do that for some Blueray discs (provide a link for a digital download). I got the Jurassic Park trilology, and they provided 3 extra DVDs inside the pack, with a link to the Universal webpage. Once there you register, and you can download a digital version of the film.

While I am happy that they've made an effort to provide a digital download version, they are only of the films themselves, and the extra content is not available. The quality is also pretty sad, not even on par with DVD.... But it's better than nothing, I suppose.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by HarryT

So what would you suggest as an alternative? That film studios hand out free tools to copy DRM-protected DVDs and BDs?

Seems to me that film studios are "damned if they do, and damned if they don't". Isn't it a good thing that they are offering a digital transfer service? You don't really expect that service to be free, do you?

How would you feel about an equivalent service to convert CDs to MPs?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

How would you feel about an equivalent service to convert CDs to MPs?

Exactly. It's not a value added service, it's a rip-off.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

How would you feel about an equivalent service to convert CDs to MPs?

It's like buying downloads or information on Ebay, it's aimed at people who don't know how to do it themself or can't be bothered doing it. It's not as if it will affect anyone else, so it's really no different to paying someone to clean your windows or do your dusting.

[howyoudoin]

It's a perfectly valid idea as long as they don't use the existence of this sort of service as justification to make personal backups at home illegal.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

It's a perfectly valid idea as long as they don't use the existence of this sort of service as justification to make personal backups at home illegal.

Making personal backups at home of DVDs and Blu-Ray may already be illegal in the US and the UK, and probably many other places. (DMCA and equivalents that make it an offence to circumvent DRM)

Even ripping CDs is illegal in the UK! (Although the record companies have said they have no intention of trying to enforce this.)

[teh603]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

the article nails it: its not about piracy, its about getting you to pay for your movies/books/games/cds again. no wonder they will defend drm until their dying breath. the ebook market is no different. they want you to buy, rebuy and keep rebuying the same books over and over and over. they don't make any money if you can just convert your ebooks.

You could make a flimsy case that its for the netbook and tablet people who somehow might not know how to hook up an external DVD drive- especially tablets which can't use their USB ports for connecting external storage devices. But the article's right, it'd be easier to just rip the movie and be done with it, DMCA be damned.

Its not like anyone's ever been prosecuted for it, especially not the part about filing malicious takedowns.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by HarryT

So what would you suggest as an alternative? That film studios hand out free tools to copy DRM-protected DVDs and BDs?

Seems to me that film studios are "damned if they do, and damned if they don't". Isn't it a good thing that they are offering a digital transfer service? You don't really expect that service to be free, do you?

I expect to get something worthwhile for the service, if I'm paying for it.

As an alternative, how about a user registery? I have a disk, I log on to their web site, register, and they download a tool. The tool decrypts and watermarks my disk to a clear DVD file set. (It might even offer some of the lower quality video formats.)

They are required to maintain the registry for the length of the copyright. If they stop maintianing the registry, their works go P.D.

I now have legal proof that I am a legitimate registered user of the DVD/BD, I can copy it to any device I want, make as many back-ups as I want, and they have a way (the watermark) to show where a copy came from, if it is stolen or pirated. I keep my disk as hard copy back-up. Border search under ACTA? No problem. Dial in and check.

Privacy invasion? No bigger than owning real property, you have to register that, in most jurisdictions. Plus it solves the problem of inheretance. Johnny get the Bogarts, Jenny get the Katherine Hepburns...

But this requires respecting the customer. We're talking Hollywood.....

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Exactly. It's not a value added service, it's a rip-off.

With respect, I disagree. CDs are not copy protected; DVDs and BDs are.

[Ninjalawyer]

The studios know this is a moronic process, and know that anyone with any level of computer skill would save themselves the inconvenience and money by torrenting a copy of something they already own on disk.

They're not actually trying to compete with piracy, they want to be able to point to systems like this and say, "See? There are systems in place for people to get legitimate digital copies of what they own, but people aren't using them. We need even tougher laws on piracy!" They did this during the SOPA debate by pointing to the Ultraviolet system (which is equally awful).

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's exactly the way it works with many modern films which do offer digital downloads. I believe, though, that what's being discussed here is a service to offer digital content to owners of existing DVDs and BDs, rather than to new purchasers. I see that as a positive move; I'm not sure why the original poster is so entirely negative about it.

Maybe because the system they're suggesting: (i) is needlessly clunky; (ii) requires you to pay again for content you own; and (iii) results is a DRM'd file. These are exactly the same issues as their current system that bundles a digital version with some movies, so I guess at least the studios are being consistent.

I would have thought they would have managed to come up with something a little more elegant; this is the equivalent of Samsung trying to compete with the iPad by releasing a Lite Brite.