Tonedeaf government dumbasses now make you watch 20 seconds of unskippable warnings in front of ever (1 Viewer)

[GMpasqua]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /t/320629/tonedeaf-government-dumbasses-now-make-you-watch-20-seconds-of-unskippable-warnings-in-front-of-every-dvd-and-bluray#post_3924338
This is not going to deter piracy.

Repeat: This is not going to deter piracy.

All this is going to result in is home viewers who shelled
out good money for a Blu-ray title to become infuriated as
they sit through these additional warnings.

I guess someone thought adding this jargon to Blu-ray releases
will somehow entice someone involved in piracy to say to themselves,
"Gee, now there's more warnings on these discs. I guess I better
stop downloading and copying product."

So, bottom line is, nothing will be gained in thwarting piracy
with these warnings but Blu-ray consumers will be the ones
who have to sit through them nonetheless.

It's a f**king waste of our time. Life is short

 

[cafink]

I have always been an outspoken opponent of piracy, but like everyone else, I think this is ridiculous. Homeland security, going after movie pirates--seriously?
Like Aaron, the studio's apparent disregard for my rights and desires as their customer makes me that much less inclined to respect their rights as copyright holders. By doing this, the studios are making their product LESS desirable, by making their paying customers put up with even more bullshit that they don't have to if they just download the movie illegally.

 

[rsmithjr]

1. Honest citizens will suffer through these messages.
2. Pirates will readily work their way around them.
In many ways, the best home video format was the laserdisc. It had the virtue that it was not particularly programmable. It could include special features, chapter search points, and commentaries, and was random access (unlike tapes). But it did not have programmable menus that would confound the user or things that you are forced to watch. The startup time was also much faster than either DVD or (heaven's sake!) Blu-ray, and there was nothing that the studios could do to cripple its usability.
Programmability is a fine thing as long as the programs are not against the users.

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by rsmithjr /t/320629/tonedeaf-government-dumbasses-now-make-you-watch-20-seconds-of-unskippable-warnings-in-front-of-every-dvd-and-bluray#post_3924533
In many ways, the best home video format was the laserdisc. It had the virtue that it was not particularly programmable. It could include special features, chapter search points, and commentaries, and was random access (unlike tapes). But it did not have programmable menus that would confound the user or things that you are forced to watch. The startup time was also much faster than either DVD or (heaven's sake!) Blu-ray, and there was nothing that the studios could do to cripple its usability.

If the studios could have, they would have. Personally, I think they never got over the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the studios in the Betamax case and this is their revenge.

 

[rayman1701]

Originally Posted by David Deeb /t/320629/tonedeaf-government-dumbasses-now-make-you-watch-20-seconds-of-unskippable-warnings-in-front-of-every-dvd-and-bluray#post_3924327
Be thankful the music industry has not embraced this or you would be forced to listen to an equally offensive thing each time you wanted to listen to "Abbey Road" or whatever in the car.

That's the thing, if cd's had had even the same copy protection as DVD's, then they would have done something like that. And you could be damn sure that they would have totally been pushing Blu-ray Audio now, not for sound quality, but for the ever changeable copy protection. So you might not be able to listen to a cd that wasn't hooked to an internet connection to verify that it is you wanting to play the copy that you bought. Forget about the real world, where those kinds of things get broken easily, the people that are pushing this kind of thing, like most politicians, don't live in the real world and don't care what real, law abiding people go thru because of their paranoia. To them we are all potential criminals, so they treat as us such. We get ridiculously difficult to open packaging (especially for those of us with certain disabilities), those stupid RFID tags and the other detector tags in every package, endless propaganda that if we want to use our legally purchased products in a more convenient way (with NO intentions of giving it to others) we are hurting them in some way and should feel like bad people.

I understand the need to protect copyright and I fully support that, to a point. Treating ALL potential customers as possible perpetrators is not a long term business model. And I agree with Aaron earlier, the more they make my experience less and less enjoyable, the less I care about their position. Now that doesn't mean I'm gonna go on a mad copyright infringement spree just to spite them, but I don't really feel their "pain" or am as sympathetic to their position as I was. There have been and probably always will be "pirates" and copyright infringers, go after them and leave your customers alone.

 

[rayman1701]

Originally Posted by MatthewA /t/320629/tonedeaf-government-dumbasses-now-make-you-watch-20-seconds-of-unskippable-warnings-in-front-of-every-dvd-and-bluray#post_3924537

If the studios could have, they would have. Personally, I think they never got over the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the studios in the Betamax case and this is their revenge.

+1

And they've spent that time trying to narrow what "personal use" means.

 

[Robert Harris]

There is a very real alternative.

Either do not purchase discs which contain the material, or return them as containing offensive material.


RAH

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I understand the need to protect copyright and I fully support that, to a point.  Treating ALL potential customers as possible perpetrators is not a long term business model.  And I agree with Aaron earlier, the more they make my experience less and less enjoyable, the less I care about their position.  Now that doesn't mean I'm gonna go on a mad copyright infringement spree just to spite them, but I don't really feel their "pain" or am as sympathetic to their position as I was.  There have been and probably always will be "pirates" and copyright infringers, go after them and leave your customers alone.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter. It is the legitimate consumer who is getting punished by this -- not the pirates. The studios need to stop treating their paying customers like criminals. While Blu-Ray is the high quality format we home theater lovers have dreamed of, it is also the most customer-unfriendly format ever invented. I get irritated almost every time I play a disc from Universal due to all the forced trailers, anti-pirating messages, and the Universal logo -- which will play three different times before I start watching the film. Even my wife, who pays no attention to these sorts of things, now says whenever a disc loads quickly "it mustn't be from Universal".

 

[cafink]

And I agree with Aaron earlier, the more they make my experience less and less enjoyable, the less I care about their position.  Now that doesn't mean I'm gonna go on a mad copyright infringement spree just to spite them, but I don't really feel their "pain" or am as sympathetic to their position as I was.  There have been and probably always will be "pirates" and copyright infringers, go after them and leave your customers alone.

Well said! This is *exactly* how I feel about the isssue.

 

[Cinescott]

This is just plain stupid.

 

[Robin9]

There is a very real alternative.
Either do not purchase discs which contain the material, or return them as containing offensive material.
RAH

There is another alternative. European BRDs will not be subject to these regulations so buy BRDs from overseas. Several members of this forum have bought Cleopatra and Lifeboat from Amazon U K. Continue with that policy.

 

[Bryan^H]

Ugh! We are honest, hard working consumers that love movies. Why are we punished by being forced to watch this?
Why don't they put warnings in new automobiles like every time you start the car a small message appears on the dash telling us that stealing cars is illegal. This would help combat car theft. Just kidding, that would never work.....neither will Blu-Ray/DVD warnings.

 

[rsmithjr]

If the studios could have, they would have. Personally, I think they never got over the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the studios in the Betamax case and this is their revenge.

This is true.
This is also a big motivator for the studios push into streaming. They would love to see a PPV streaming model rather than allowing either physical or digital purchases.
Should they manage to convert the world to a PPV streaming delivery model, however, the studios will discover that people were willing to pay much more for high-quality, collectable copies than they are for some wretched Netflix viewing experience. Profits will fall.

 

[Sam Posten]

The most salient point here is that pirates could not only care less about FBI warnings or messages, but will most likely, if ripping a Blu-ray replicate the warnings along with other content.
RAH

Sir, again I respectfully disagree. The most salient point here is that the studios are actively making the experience of watching a movie WORSE for those of us who are paying customers than the experience of those who steal it.
That simply is not right.
You don't punish the world for the sins of the few.
And while I understand your frustration, asking paying customers to take to the streets in a revolt (or as you really suggested, a lawsuit that has no way of actually being initiated in the real world) simply is nothing other than a delusional fantasy. As a paying customer it is not MY job to stop the pirates and a lawsuit against such a nebulous target doesn't remotely begin to make sense to me.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Sam Posten /t/320629/tonedeaf-government-dumbasses-now-make-you-watch-20-seconds-of-unskippable-warnings-in-front-of-every-dvd-and-bluray/30#post_3924631
Sir, again I respectfully disagree. The most salient point here is that the studios are actively making the experience of watching a movie WORSE for those of us who are paying customers than the experience of those who steal it.
That simply is not right.
You don't punish the world for the sins of the few.
And while I understand your frustration, asking paying customers to take to the streets in a revolt (or as you really suggested, a lawsuit that has no way of actually being initiated in the real world) simply is nothing other than a delusional fantasy. As a paying customer it is not MY job to stop the pirates and a lawsuit against such a nebulous target doesn't remotely begin to make sense to me.

Apparently, the studios are looking toward you and all other consumers as potential pirates.

Do I like it?

No.

 

[Robert Harris]

I just took a look at this for the first time.

I find it outrageous.

More than four organizations using our time. And incorrect information.

The FBI does NOT investigate copyright crime.

They MAY. They certainly have the RIGHT to.

But in the majority of cases, there is little to no interest. Beyond that error, they really do have more important things to do.

Homeland Security?

I've a feeling that the Federal government is overreaching here, if Homeland Security is now involved
in stopping the folks who sell the latest releases late at night at parking garages. Those would be the
DVDs with people's heads in the picture.

I'm 100% for protection of Intellectual Property, and the rights of the copyright holder, but slamming honest
consumers over the head on a continual basis is taking it too far.

I'd like to see someone create a thumb drive that I can plug into my Oppo that will break the Blu-ray code,
and enable me, not to get around copy protection, and certainly not to do anything improper with the IP
contained within the pits of those Blu-ray discs, but just to cut through forced promos and now "this."

I'll take two.

The alternative.

Everyone stops purchasing discs for 60 - 90 days.

Cold turkey on new releases.

I actually like that one.

RAH

 

[Mark Oates]

Either do not purchase discs which contain the material, or return them as containing offensive material.

Which of course is textbook cutting-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face. The problem for us, the consumers, is that we are a captive audience. Our only choice is to consume or not consume. As far as the entertainments industry is concerned, a boycott of their product would simply be an extension of the vapour-sales "damaging" the industry.
Having the moral high ground, the entertainments industry is unfortunately quite within its rights to use a sledgehammer to crack the piracy egg. The implication of the FBI/DHS warning is that (true or not), intellectual property theft may be treated in future as a criminal matter rather than a civil matter. I can imagine the attraction of this to the Studios and record labels, but it makes for an alarming precedent.
Does it do the reputations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Department of Homeland Security any good to be seen in the eyes of DVD and Blu-ray consumers as Revenue Protection agencies for the entertainments industry? If Hollywood can afford so many politicians, surely it can afford to employ a revenue protection agency of its own.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Bureaucratic Nonsense, and a bunch of public money down the tubes.

 

[Robert Harris]

An interesting link:

http://www.iprcenter.gov/reports/ipr-center-reports/IPR%20Center%20Threat%20Report%20and%20Survey.pdf/view

Once again, to be clear, I support all laws that aid us in cutting back on IP piracy.

I do not support the strategy of making Blu-ray discs virtually unusable for many purposes.

RAH

 

[SWFF]

Interesting topic, but how did I get subscribed to this thread? Never knew it existed until it showed up in my Inbox just now. That's weird.