One More Nail In The Next Generation DVD Effort: Cumbersome Copy Protection

Predictions

from the are-they-serious? dept

The effort (and the ongoing standards battle) for next generation DVDs is going to end up being a case study in what not to do in trying to move a technology forward. We’ve already covered the pointless standards battle that is dragging adoption out well beyond what was needed for these new systems to become a success. We’ve also pointed out that, as people move away from disc-based storage, these offerings become inherently less compelling. However, adding yet another nail to the coffin of next generation DVDs is incredibly cumbersome copy protection, that suggests many people are going to have trouble actually playing these new DVDs. That’s just what the industry needs in trying to convince people to adopt yet another new format: beyond consumer confusion over the two competing formats, there’s a decent chance that the version they pick won’t work properly with certain equipment. The powers that be are acting as if next generation DVDs are a foregone conclusion that everyone will automatically adopt, rather than a new format with many alternatives that actually has to add significant value before people will buy into it. It’s not like this is difficult to figure out. The next generation DVD supporters just need to look at next generation CD attempts, like SACD to see where this is headed.