The movie industry is trying to revive a plan that would give studios greater control over how content flows from TVs and DVRs.
The practice is called "selectable output control," and would allow the Motion Picture Association to turn off certain outputs from an HDTV or DVR while the viewer is watching video on demand. By doing so, the MPAA says it can release on-demand movies earlier, without jeopardizing DVD sales to people who simply copy the movie as it plays.
In 2003, the Federal Communications Commission banned selectable output control, but now the industry is asking the FCC to allow the practice once again, Ars Technica reports. Meeting with seven FCC Media Bureau staffers, the MPAA called the practice a "pro-consumer purpose" that would "enable movie studios to offer millions of Americans in-home access to high-value, high definition video content."
The only problem is, it would also shut out Americans whose devices don't support selectable output control. The MPAA admitted as much in its conversation with the FCC, Ars reports, though the number of affected HDTVs and DVRs is the subject of debate.
The Consumer Electronics Association, which reportedly loathes the idea, says that 20 million HDTV sets would lose some functionality. Consumer group Public Knowledge, in an informative video, states that 11 million HDTVs would need to be replaced in order to watch any video on demand, and says DVRs using analog inputs would also be affected.
It's unclear how Barack Obama's FCC chairman Julius Genachowski feels about the proposal. Under George W. Bush, commissioner Kevin Martin made it clear that he was opposed to selectable output control.
In any case, the MPAA's concerns are misguided. The fear is that people will stop buying DVDs because they can just copy the movie over cable beforehand. But if Hollywood films are showing early on cable, why would people want to buy or rent a DVD to begin with? The answer is that it's easier than running a bootleg feed to your DVR, and it's nice to have the packaging on your library shelf. Those perks won't go away, regardless of how early a movie becomes available on demand.
