6 ms·
I really can't see how DRM is ever, ever in the consumer's interest.
by jbrennan 16y ago
I really can't see how DRM is ever, ever in the consumer's interest.
- Terretta 16y agoDRM lets them legitimately see content in digital form that they wouldn't otherwise be allowed to legitimately see.
- orangecat 16y agoMaybe. Remember how CBS was going to refuse to transmit in HD unless the broadcast flag was mandated?
- tomjen3 16y agoBut they already do that - sure it may not be legal, but since practically nobody is getting court, why does it matter?
- rmc 16y agoSo customers watch it illegitimately. Piracy has made the content network capitalistic and is pro-consumer. It gives consumers choice and options.
- bigmac 16y agoSubscription media services are impossible without DRM. Many, many consumers enjoy these services, myself included.
- drinian 16y agoI used to know several people who subscribed to HBO/Showtime/Cinemax/etc. and had built up enormous VHS tape libraries off those networks. Naturally, the DRM necessary to stop this hadn't been invented yet. And yet all of those companies have survived... Not to mention the many, many years http://www.emusic.com/ http://www.emusic.com/ operated on a subscription model.
- lukeschlather 16y agoThat reasoning is completely false. Yes, the content industry insists that DRM must be in place to make a streaming solution work. On the other hand, Hulu works just fine. Clearly subscription media services work fine without DRM. The requirements for DRM are just a symptom of an industry that doesn't understand digital media, and believes that DRM is effective at stopping piracy.
- modeless 16y agoHulu has DRM.
- jbrennan 16y agoThere's nothing impossible about a DRM-free media subscription. Just that the content creators likely will never go for it. But if you compare a DRM-free to DRM-enabled services, DRM is of no benefit to the consumer. It's only a 'benefit' to the content creator/owner.