There’s a funny story about DRM on physical media.
When Sony/Philips/etc. were first designing the Audio CD format, they didn’t bother adding any DRM or copy protection schemes, as they figured that no one would have the capability to rip them to their devices. And then CD burners/rippers entered the market, which proved them terribly wrong. In later years, the record companies tried adding DRM to CDs, but that came back to bite them when someone sued them, because the CD wouldn’t work in their player.
My not-so-funny story is: about a decade or so ago I had an Xbox with a blu-ray drive. I wanted to watch one of my discs on it, but couldn’t because the Microsoft DRM servers were down.
The irony is that some folks probably skipped Blu-Ray on purpose because they didn’t like the DRM. Then they got streaming instead, partly because Blu-Ray sales flattened which allowed the industry to more quickly focus on streaming and subscriptions.
Had more people bought into Blu-Ray despite the DRM, it would be more difficult for the industry to get away from physical media.
But this is a common trick, also. Both streaming and DRM are bad. The optimal solution (physical media without DRM) is something the industry just won’t do.
The irony is that some folks probably skipped Blu-Ray on purpose because they didn’t like the DRM.
Yep! I sure did!
Then they got streaming instead, partly because Blu-Ray sales flattened which allowed the industry to more quickly focus on streaming and subscriptions.
Yeah. That too. Damn it.
Now I’m buying DVDs, again.
I would be amazing at piracy, but I have too much to lose.
It is probably worth mentioning that Blu-Ray DRM at this point isn’t the pain it used to be – in fact Blu-Ray can also be ripped like DVD, so it’s still an option if you want a hard copy of something in HD (specifically 1080p Blu-Ray – 4K Blu-Ray is a different beast).
There’s a funny story about DRM on physical media.
When Sony/Philips/etc. were first designing the Audio CD format, they didn’t bother adding any DRM or copy protection schemes, as they figured that no one would have the capability to rip them to their devices. And then CD burners/rippers entered the market, which proved them terribly wrong. In later years, the record companies tried adding DRM to CDs, but that came back to bite them when someone sued them, because the CD wouldn’t work in their player.
So, long story short, CDs are legally prohibited from having DRM of any kind.
That is a fun story
My not-so-funny story is: about a decade or so ago I had an Xbox with a blu-ray drive. I wanted to watch one of my discs on it, but couldn’t because the Microsoft DRM servers were down.
The end.
The irony is that some folks probably skipped Blu-Ray on purpose because they didn’t like the DRM. Then they got streaming instead, partly because Blu-Ray sales flattened which allowed the industry to more quickly focus on streaming and subscriptions.
Had more people bought into Blu-Ray despite the DRM, it would be more difficult for the industry to get away from physical media.
But this is a common trick, also. Both streaming and DRM are bad. The optimal solution (physical media without DRM) is something the industry just won’t do.
Yep! I sure did!
Yeah. That too. Damn it.
Now I’m buying DVDs, again.
I would be amazing at piracy, but I have too much to lose.
It is probably worth mentioning that Blu-Ray DRM at this point isn’t the pain it used to be – in fact Blu-Ray can also be ripped like DVD, so it’s still an option if you want a hard copy of something in HD (specifically 1080p Blu-Ray – 4K Blu-Ray is a different beast).
That’s good to know. Thanks.
That sucks, I’m sorry to hear.
The Blu-ray DRM isn’t as bad now, because everyone’s focused on digital and streaming.