Microsoft ends piracy forever with awesome, new one-play only DVD!
Or at least that’s what they what they’d like you to believe. It is true that the universally-loved conglomerate Microsoft is releasing a cheap, self-destructing, one-play only DVD (which you need a special DVD player to watch). Here’s the pitch:
A normal DVD cost $15, and you can watch it again and again. These special DVDs cost $3, about the price of a rental. You can only watch them once, but you choose when and where. Then you throw it out. Therefore it’s more convenient than going to your nearest Blockbuster (although I’m not sure how much longer that’s even going to be an option for), and even has a leg up on Netflix: the nearest trash receptacle is certainly closer than the nearest mailbox.
But, it’s from Microsoft, so there’s bound to be drawbacks. First, as Mike from Hackingnetflix.com says, the disposable DVDs are a not-so-welcome addition to the ever changing landscape of our dumps and landfills. Second, you must, indeed, purchase a special DVD player that can view and destroy the discs. Why you would want to do this when your existing DVD player can view and NOT destroy regular DVDs is beyond me. Third is how evil Microsoft is.
Gates pitched Hollywood with the proposition that only Microsoft could solve its piracy problem by making its DRM software a standard across every home entertainment playback and recording device. By installing its DRM software in every device used to play or store movies, Microsoft plans to dominate the home entertainment industry in the same way it does the desktop computer software market.
I highly recommend you click the above link for a crash course in Digital Rights Management software. And yes, you may remember about two years ago when Microsoft originally started talking about doing something like this with another universally beloved and not-at-all-evil company, Disney. What all this means is basically Microsoft wants to tell you where, when, how, and on what devices you can view protected content, and wants you to pay for the privilege. The worst part is, that none of this will really do anything to stop piracy. At the same time, the producers of the content, i.e. studios, insist that said content be protected somehow. So far, the majority of people haven’t yet been exposed to the uglier effects of DRM, such as buying a CD only to find it can’t be ported onto their MP3 player, or buying a DVD only to find that their PC can’t play it. But look for more and more cases of situations like this in the next 5 years or so. I’m willing to bet that honest consumers will not consent to being treated like criminals or being punished for actually buying the material instead of pirating a free version with the DRM software removed.