Would you buy or rent ad-supported movies?

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26 Nov 07 16:09 by geno888 in category Uncategorized To news archive

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According to a news published at Ars Technica, IBM is patenting an application to insert unskippable commercials in rented or bought DVDs. After loading the disc, the player will check the support to determine if you rented/purchased the ad-supported (I say better "bloated") or the ad-free version of the movie.

Guess what: when the advertisement is playing, the remote fast-forward button will be disabled (like it already happens with the FBI warning or other bloating stuff in currently available DVDs).

Even if presumably these ad-bloated movies will be available at a lower price, would you really rent/buy these DVDs? Don’t you hate to not be able to control what you are watching? Why in the hell should you passively accept blocked operations like the fast forward or the skip track buttons in the remote? How many new ways of freedom limitations must people tolerate?

P.S. Even if some people will accept this scenario, are you really sure that currently available players will be able to read these discs? Is it this only a new way to sell more DRM bloated hardwares?

15 Comments

guest: Posts: 15288; Posted on: 26 Nov 07 16:31

Ads don't pay for content. Buying the advertised product pays for content. Here's how: When you buy something part of the price goes to paying advertisers. The advertisers take a cut and send money to content creators who make "ad supported" content and give it away. I have a better idea. Let's eradicate all ads, and cut the cost of advertising out of the price of products and just pay for everything. It means no "free" "ad supported" content but we're paying anyway (see above). If I want to know about something I'll investigate it here or elsewhere on the Internet. I don't need them telling me what to buy. DRM, product placement, logos all over the screen, television banner ads, watermarks, I often wonder how much more garbage people will take.

ivid: Posts: 386; Posted on: 26 Nov 07 18:35

NEVER NEVER NEVER

HerculesBeast: Posts: 40; Posted on: 26 Nov 07 18:47

Yes I would but only if they are dirt cheap like 99cents.

guest: Posts: 15288; Posted on: 26 Nov 07 19:47

Most software that allows you to "back up" your DVDs can be used to disable "Prohibited User Operations", such as skipping FBI warnings, etc. I suspect that this may encourage more people to copy their rented movies and watch the copy, rather than the original rental.

shaolin007: Posts: 883; Posted on: 26 Nov 07 20:25

What? Haven't you seen the AD laden movies at all and now you want to add more Ads? Give me a break! I got a $700 DVD HDD recorder and I can't even skip through the freaking previews on my own machine now! Why can't a person just go straight to the menu on a machine that he or she just bought! This is what really pisses me off!

Liggy: Posts: 6442; Posted on: 27 Nov 07 08:44

I'm sure you could easily remove the ads with DVD Remake (Pro). This would be another example for the copy being better than the original movie. But then the industry will complain about illegal copies again. Another example of the industry not understanding customers. :r

Bekali: Posts: 10; Posted on: 27 Nov 07 08:50

The movies aired by TV are free but with ads. The money obtained from ads go to movie producer & maintaining the TV channel. Is just a minor difference: maintaining the TV channel will be replaced with manufacturing the disk. So, these disks should be free. :S

guest: Posts: 15288; Posted on: 27 Nov 07 16:54

People already pay for DVDs polluted with ads. :r Well, some do, not me. :d Why pay for ads when you can read spam for free?

guest: Posts: 15288; Posted on: 27 Nov 07 16:57

Just because IBM patents it, doesn't mean anyone will use it, even IBM. They file many, many patents a year. Hell, the last IBM patent I read was for a program that automates outsourcing. Sure, that will likely be used but this? This is akin to Panasonics (think it was them) patent a year or so ago on forcing DVR users to watch commercials.

guest: Posts: 15288; Posted on: 27 Nov 07 21:31

"This is akin to Panasonics (think it was them) patent a year or so ago on forcing DVR users to watch commercials." I know why we're boycotting Sony, but why aren't we boycotting Panasonic for this? Why should Panasonic get away with this?

DBE: Posts: 27; Posted on: 27 Nov 07 23:37

It was Philips. My gripe with new movies is all the blatant product placements.

Rich86: Posts: 448; Posted on: 28 Nov 07 00:40

Buy or rent a dvd that comes with commercial interruptions? Don't be silly. I don't even watch broadcasted shows or movies unless they are being played back from a device that lets me skip commercials.

neo1918: Posts: 259; Posted on: 28 Nov 07 07:34

Why boycott Panasonic if they don't implement the tech? Having the patent keeps the tech out of the hands of other companies.

chsbiking: Posts: 543; Posted on: 28 Nov 07 14:36

I was under the impression that the whole point of the DVD was so that I could skip crap I didn't want to see. That's the only reason I ever bought a DVD player. But that was before my media boycott so it's just dusty now. Oh well, back to my book.

012: Posts: 138; Posted on: 02 Dec 07 03:30

No I will never buy ad based. at least in my lifetime.

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