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The article ends with the author suggesting the studios get together and create a single source for digitial delivery to make it easy for the consumers. Well, i

by jaaron 15y ago

The article ends with the author suggesting the studios get together and create a single source for digitial delivery to make it easy for the consumers. Well, it turns out the studios are doing that, it's called DECE and the first step is a suite of DRMs and a rights locker called Ultraviolet. Unfortunately, it's a huge consortium that will have tremendous trouble actually getting anything done. It's also primarily aimed at supporting digital purchases to supplement the ailing DVD market instead of just biting the bullet and recognizing that rental and subscription are what most consumers want. Still, it's a serious effort despite it's flaws, so it's not fair to say the industry isn't taking the changes of the market seriously. A much more difficult problem is undoing the years and years of distribution rights deals and complex availability windows that plague any improvement in the market. These deals lock up content, creating exclusive windows for entrenched players and hamper true innovation. Unfortunately, solving the rights windows issue, which includes not only time but also geographic limits, is a much more difficult problem to solve with fewer incentives on incumbents to change. If they don't, the whole industry will suffer, but I don't see this issue being solved any time soon.

archangel_one 15y ago
I've not heard of it before, but this DECE thing is not going to create a single source for digital delivery to make it easy for consumers if it also involves a suite of DRMs and a rights locker (whatever that is). The two concepts seem entirely antithetical given that DRM inevitably makes things difficult for consumers.
- avstraliitski 15y ago
  Don't worry about DECE. I had access to draft technical documentation on it about .. oh .. early 2009. I don't think it's breaking any NDA to discuss the overall aspects of the consortium's goals. Basically what they are trying to do is produce a global network of secure digital content distribution servers. Under their model, all digital content retailers actually sell access to this single global commercial content delivery infrastructure. However, it remains unclear to me under the proposed model: a) Who will pay for the servers b) Which devices will or will not be supported, and how media transcoding (to support differing device capabilities) will be handled c) Who the user complains to if they can't get access to the content they paid for d) What value retailers would add in such a scenario - indeed, how they would 'compete' with each other given very little control and thus capability for unique product offering Like many dreamy consortia, I see this one as dead in the water. The technical problems are significant, and there is a general lack of impetus to actually get out there are solve the problems. A DRM industry for plain media (consume only, non-interactive) that dreams of securing global distribution is, in my view, destined to self-flagellate until it is but a poor faded memory in the distant mists of time. On the other hand, DRM can enable good consumer experience: I really like Steam, for example. I recently bought my first Mac and many of the games I'd purchased on PC instantly became available in my library. After just logging in, I could download them for the new platform and play away instantly... even though I'd changed countries and gaming platforms. This is what DRM should be doing: empowering people to mobility and choice through connected media. Steam just does so many things right: content discovery, supporting smaller and independent content developers, social elements. I think the entire DRM industry should look up to Steam for a successful example of the future. Bottom line: THINK OF THE CUSTOMER.
  - danssig 15y ago
    Spot on post. I think the problem here is that big media sees its customers as a bunch of criminals who will only pay when forced to.
GaryOlson 15y ago
quote from the article: ...the music industry, when it began to feel the effects of the technological change coming, doubled down on stupid.... And the video industry is providing the sincerest form of flattery.

by jaaron 15y ago

archangel_one 15y ago

I've not heard of it before, but this DECE thing is not going to create a single source for digital delivery to make it easy for consumers if it also involves a suite of DRMs and a rights locker (whatever that is). The two concepts seem entirely antithetical given that DRM inevitably makes things difficult for consumers.

avstraliitski 15y ago
Don't worry about DECE. I had access to draft technical documentation on it about .. oh .. early 2009. I don't think it's breaking any NDA to discuss the overall aspects of the consortium's goals. Basically what they are trying to do is produce a global network of secure digital content distribution servers. Under their model, all digital content retailers actually sell access to this single global commercial content delivery infrastructure. However, it remains unclear to me under the proposed model: a) Who will pay for the servers b) Which devices will or will not be supported, and how media transcoding (to support differing device capabilities) will be handled c) Who the user complains to if they can't get access to the content they paid for d) What value retailers would add in such a scenario - indeed, how they would 'compete' with each other given very little control and thus capability for unique product offering Like many dreamy consortia, I see this one as dead in the water. The technical problems are significant, and there is a general lack of impetus to actually get out there are solve the problems. A DRM industry for plain media (consume only, non-interactive) that dreams of securing global distribution is, in my view, destined to self-flagellate until it is but a poor faded memory in the distant mists of time. On the other hand, DRM can enable good consumer experience: I really like Steam, for example. I recently bought my first Mac and many of the games I'd purchased on PC instantly became available in my library. After just logging in, I could download them for the new platform and play away instantly... even though I'd changed countries and gaming platforms. This is what DRM should be doing: empowering people to mobility and choice through connected media. Steam just does so many things right: content discovery, supporting smaller and independent content developers, social elements. I think the entire DRM industry should look up to Steam for a successful example of the future. Bottom line: THINK OF THE CUSTOMER.
- danssig 15y ago
  Spot on post. I think the problem here is that big media sees its customers as a bunch of criminals who will only pay when forced to.

GaryOlson 15y ago

quote from the article: ...the music industry, when it began to feel the effects of the technological change coming, doubled down on stupid.... And the video industry is providing the sincerest form of flattery.