4 ms·

> a horribly insecure Silverlight plugin This is about the HTML5 spec, so I don't even know where you get that idea from. They want to be able to lock down con

> a horribly insecure Silverlight plugin This is about the HTML5 spec, so I don't even know where you get that idea from. They want to be able to lock down content which is embedded with the video tag. Personally, I don't like the idea of it tying into the operating system. I'm willing to accept any solution that can be built into browser binaries, cross-platform. I don't like the idea of a solution that doesn't work as well on Linux or Macs, but if media companies think this sort of solution is necessary, we should meet them half-way.

betterunix 14y ago
"if media companies think this sort of solution is necessary, we should meet them half-way." Or we could not meet them half-way and remind them that they do not own the web and that their business model is as out of date as Kodak. Why should we accept any more attacks on the freedom and openness of the web or the greater Internet? This companies are the ones who need to change: they need to adapt their businesses to the realities of this century's technology.
- gph 14y ago
  > they need to adapt their businesses to the realities of this century's technology. You say this like it's immensely easy. So say you're head of HBO's original programming dept. It can cost over 100 million dollars to produce one season of a quality show. You can only release it on a medium that allows it to be continuously and freely distributed. How do you make money? Ads and Product placement is about it. You really think you'll make that 100 million back?? Especially considering that people could just edit out the ads and redistribute your work, it's really only product placement that could make money. Operating at a loss is not adapting. There's a reason that all of the content currently on netflix/hulu/etc. is already using DRM-enabled plugins. Because you're a f*ing lunatic if you think you can make money through any other method. Throwing out the same old "they must adapt" mantra isn't getting either side anywhere close to a healthy solution.
  - noahl 14y ago
    Actually, this is about how music works nowadays. You can download DRM-free files for a small fee. It would be technically easy to redistribute them, but people still buy lots of music. Why is that? I think it's because people are making a price-convenience tradeoff. Music companies can affect both sides of that: keeping the price low will make people want to buy, but they can also sue distribution sites to make it less convenient to get music illegally, thus raising the price that people are willing to pay before they seek out illegal music. To a certain extent, DRM aims for the same model - it doesn't make it impossible to redistribute videos, it just raises the difficulty, and thus raises the price that people are willing to pay before they go find illegal videos. But is it necessary to use DRM for that, or would going after distribution sites be enough?
  - betterunix 14y ago
    "you're a f*ing lunatic if you think you can make money through any other method" [citation needed]
    - gph 14y ago
      So there is another method of making money for Large Production Movie/T.V.? Please enlighten me. My citation is reality. Take a look around.
      - betterunix 14y ago
        We live in a world of government-granted monopolies given to companies like HBO. It is not terribly shocking that those monopolies lead to profits, and that companies that fail to take advantage of the copyright system would have trouble. You are claiming, with no justification, that in the absence of copyright there would be no profit available for people who make entertainment. I am not really sure where you get that idea from. It is not too hard to imagine ways to monetize a TV show in the absence of copyright -- as a simple example, a studio could refuse to broadcast the next installment until enough people have paid. There, you have a way to make money on TV without copyright. Now can we stop attacking the Internet and start embracing the reality of the 21st century?
nwh 14y ago
> This is about the HTML5 spec You're right, I got my wires crossed until I found the page with the spec on it (the first edit). The end result is even worse; every computer has an obfuscated binary that does unknown things with media served to it. Sounds like the recipe for wide-scale pwnage to me.

betterunix 14y ago

"if media companies think this sort of solution is necessary, we should meet them half-way." Or we could not meet them half-way and remind them that they do not own the web and that their business model is as out of date as Kodak. Why should we accept any more attacks on the freedom and openness of the web or the greater Internet? This companies are the ones who need to change: they need to adapt their businesses to the realities of this century's technology.

gph 14y ago
> they need to adapt their businesses to the realities of this century's technology. You say this like it's immensely easy. So say you're head of HBO's original programming dept. It can cost over 100 million dollars to produce one season of a quality show. You can only release it on a medium that allows it to be continuously and freely distributed. How do you make money? Ads and Product placement is about it. You really think you'll make that 100 million back?? Especially considering that people could just edit out the ads and redistribute your work, it's really only product placement that could make money. Operating at a loss is not adapting. There's a reason that all of the content currently on netflix/hulu/etc. is already using DRM-enabled plugins. Because you're a f*ing lunatic if you think you can make money through any other method. Throwing out the same old "they must adapt" mantra isn't getting either side anywhere close to a healthy solution.
- noahl 14y ago
  Actually, this is about how music works nowadays. You can download DRM-free files for a small fee. It would be technically easy to redistribute them, but people still buy lots of music. Why is that? I think it's because people are making a price-convenience tradeoff. Music companies can affect both sides of that: keeping the price low will make people want to buy, but they can also sue distribution sites to make it less convenient to get music illegally, thus raising the price that people are willing to pay before they seek out illegal music. To a certain extent, DRM aims for the same model - it doesn't make it impossible to redistribute videos, it just raises the difficulty, and thus raises the price that people are willing to pay before they go find illegal videos. But is it necessary to use DRM for that, or would going after distribution sites be enough?
- betterunix 14y ago
  "you're a f*ing lunatic if you think you can make money through any other method" [citation needed]
  - gph 14y ago
    So there is another method of making money for Large Production Movie/T.V.? Please enlighten me. My citation is reality. Take a look around.
    - betterunix 14y ago
      We live in a world of government-granted monopolies given to companies like HBO. It is not terribly shocking that those monopolies lead to profits, and that companies that fail to take advantage of the copyright system would have trouble. You are claiming, with no justification, that in the absence of copyright there would be no profit available for people who make entertainment. I am not really sure where you get that idea from. It is not too hard to imagine ways to monetize a TV show in the absence of copyright -- as a simple example, a studio could refuse to broadcast the next installment until enough people have paid. There, you have a way to make money on TV without copyright. Now can we stop attacking the Internet and start embracing the reality of the 21st century?

nwh 14y ago

> This is about the HTML5 spec You're right, I got my wires crossed until I found the page with the spec on it (the first edit). The end result is even worse; every computer has an obfuscated binary that does unknown things with media served to it. Sounds like the recipe for wide-scale pwnage to me.