Blu-ray versus Streaming - DRM Done Right
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One of the most frustrating aspects of electronic media, such as music and movies, is protection. It's a trade-off between usability and protection. Users want something that they can play anywhere without the need to install more software or any other processes to slow them down. The producers of the media want you to be able to use the media, but not pirate it.
The battle between the two sides has left both with their hands up in their air and no one happy. In order for streaming and downloadable media to become mainstream, this has to work flawlessly. Things aren't perfect yet, but I think they are getting better.
Netflix recently switched over to using Silverlight to do their instant viewing streaming, and it seems to be working pretty well. It is also a heck of a lot easier to maintain and adapt for use. The whole need for DRM came quick, and left companies scrambling. They are finally catching up with the pirates, while making it more consumer-friendly.
The worst aspect of DRM was locking in a computer or device to work with DRM. This meant that when you bought some music or videos, it worked on only one device, and you were stuck with that device. If you got a new machine, or had to reformat, too bad; you lost the use of your legally-purchased media.
Most places still enforce the x number of devices policy, which probably will never change, but there has been some movement toward being able to self-activate and deactivate a device. Being able to activate and deactivate them means you can control what devices are active to view the DRMed media. Netflix lets you view its offerings on up to six different devices, and the user can see what six devices are active, and then deactivate any if they need to. iTunes has a similar feature. You can deactivate all your computers, and then you can reactivate the ones you want to use again.
First Music, Now Movies
It was only a few years ago that the iPod was released and iTunes compiled. A lot has changed since then. The iTunes Music Store was a huge change from what most people were use to. Before that it was all CDs; iTunes offered downloadable music. It's a new idea, and one that was ready for the public.
Video is a little harder, since it uses more memory and takes longer to download, but it will be as big of a hit. iTunes now is the leader in music sales. They recently toppled Best Buy and Wal-Mart to gain the crown. The two big areas that really made iTunes better than Best Buy or Wal-Mart were the ability to buy it now, and to buy single songs.
iTunes is more convenient than the other stores. I can either run out and try to find the CD at a store, which might or might not have it, or I can sit at my computer, where I am already, and download it for the same price in just a few minutes. iTunes also lets users buy certain songs off an album, whereas at Best Buy or Wal-Mart, you have to buy the whole CD, even if it's just for one song. Okay, so you can't download part of a movie, but you still get the convenience of having everything right there to let you sit at home and rent or buy a movie.
Next: HD Isn't Enough >>
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