Internet piracy could force direct download services past Blu-Ray, HD-DVD war
As more and more consumers start buying HD sets, they will undoubtedly find themselves researching the raging battle between current HD formats Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. In truth, the battle has been raging for a while now, and appears to be at a stalemate. What will it take for one HD format to win out over the other so consumers aren’t forced to jump between formats, spending hundreds on both formats to watch what they want?
It’ll take a different form of HD to make it big. The director of recent hit film “Transformers” hypothesized that Microsoft is actually backing HD-DVD, knowing that it isn’t up to par with Blu-Ray, simply to force a stalemate between the two formats; by doing so, Microsoft intends to force a move to online direct download services at some point later in time, according to my colleague Dave Parrack.
The problem with that theory is that such a backing strategy on Microsoft’s part will drag out the format war much longer than it needs to be sustained. Direct download services are a viable means now, but the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is holding the industry’s focus on what will inevitably be a flop like the laser disc.
However, there is one user group that is actively implementing direct download services right now for HD content: pirates. That’s right; internet pirates are probably the largest advocates of direct downloading methods for obtaining and viewing HD content.
As laughable as this may sound, the online piracy community is at least looking in the right direction for the future of HD content distribution, however illegal its methodology is.
Online piracy, as we know it, is illegally sharing content as quickly and efficiently as possible within the community, correct? Consider this: if disc formats were the most efficient way of obtaining and utilizing content, wouldn’t pirates be shipping each other boxes of discs of ripped HD movies?
The reason they don’t is because it is neither fast nor cost effective. The easiest way to get the content you need is to download it, simple as that.
Today, storage drives are becoming larger for less money, and obtaining a terabyte of storage isn’t the outrageously outlandish feat that it once was. Download speeds with services like Verizon FiOS are zippy and perform more than adequately for downloading large files.
I would like to suggest that the industry should redirect its focus to producing media centers like Apple’s TV unit, which allows for wireless streaming via a home router and onboard storage to an HD television set. Companies could offer discounts to affiliated online D2D (direct to drive) services when buyers choose their technology; in turn, users could save money in the long run by purchasing a media center and avoiding long term costs and logistics of purchasing tons of space-consuming discs. If videos weren’t distributed on discs in HD-DVD and Blu-Ray formats, users might not be so hesitant about going HD, because purchasing HD movies could (and should) be much less expensive.
Sure, perfect implementation is still a little ways off; cheaper, larger drives would be nice, and greater bandwidth speeds, but the basic framework is down for immediate implementation.
Many users backup their movies to hard drives anyway. Why? Discs get lost, stolen, scratched, chewed up, walked on, and destroyed by faulty Xbox 360′s. That isn’t to say someone couldn’t break or steal your hard drive or media center; however, it seems less plausible than someone “forgetting to return” your copy of “Transformers”.
I’d like to point out that distributing legal content on the internet won’t stop piracy; however, who’s to say that direct download services won’t turn a few pirates towards a life without plundering, and turn on millions of new HD fans to a format that is less expensive and space-efficient?
For once, let’s take a page from the pirate handbook and stop buying into the expensive and wasteful filth the industry feeds us. Save your pennies and stop feeding the beasts; soon enough they’ll be forced to deliver HD content in rapid fashion for a reasonable price by direct download services and HD media centers.
Related Posts:
December 7th, 2007
Your thesis is interesting. However as an early HD adopter. I looked at then nixed the Apple TV, Cable, and Satellite. Apple TV is NOT HD not even close. I hope they add it. Cable and satellite besides not being fully on demand are too expensive. Example Comcast: Digital Cable $50 + Fast Inet $50 + HD Plus pack $30 + DVR Rental $20 or nearly $200 per month and when you get tired of paying.. You bought nothing. And where are you going to put all those downloads if you do ‘Own Them’ A hard drive? OK Lets say you did this just 3 years ago. Go buy a Dell today and try to get that IDE drive to work in your new SATA system. You will not be getting your old PCI-E video card to play either Besides the new DRM in Vista which will shut off your HD video on that old ‘analog hole’ card. There are no PCI E slots to put it in.
As a person who does not pirate I love my 300+ CD’s I will not buy from ITunes because the quality is not even close to DVD much less the new HD Audio. For those who can and have a good Sound system watch U2 Rattle and Hum on Blu-Ray! Its awesome, better than being at the concert… If like me you have a 400 watt 7.1 audio system and a 12 foot screen.
No this is nothing like laser disks… I hope.
And I would love to see Download, DRM free, commercial free, HD Content purchases that I could burn to ANY format disk I choose. I would start tomorrow. But that is not the future of download content.
December 7th, 2007
Sorry one more Item…
Bill and the rest of the Redmond crew may well be manipulating the market. Netflix has had a slow start with on demand they blame the content owners. The founder is always fond of saying something like ‘there is a reason we called it NET flix and not MAIL flix!’
Netflix says they cannot make an Apple or Linux client for the watch it now but the have Partnered with MS to use their ??? SilverScreen??? when it is available. Not long after this the netflix founder joined the MS board. . .
December 7th, 2007
Why are people making such a big deal about what Michael Bay had to say about HD format? This robot guy already embarassed himself a month ago. I hope MS would sue him for defecation, so this guy would eventually stop pooping. BTW, my wife and I fell asleep half way through the Transformer.
Now back to downloading, what percentage of out internet service can meet the bandwidth requirement for HD streaming or downloading? Assume the average download speed is around 500kb/s, it would take about 10 hours to download a full length HD movie (20gb). The HD downloading business requires major infrastructure upgrades that are not in sight in another 5-10 years. HD DVD/Blu will survive and eventually become obsolete, just like DVD and VHS.
This article was just as thoughtless as Bay’s comments. What internet piracy would kill first are DVD and CD, not HD.
December 9th, 2007
We just don’t have connections to make retail high def downloading possible right now.
Between slow speeds and capped download limits this is just a pipe-dream many years off for far too many (across all the so-called developed world) .
Blu-ray promote these ideas to bash HD DVD, that’s all.
They are driving ever further up a deadend as they become just another (almost entirely) game console format.
HD DVD meanwhile moves further and further into the mainstream with very low cost players (and more even lower cost brands due very soon, a regular $100 price, not limited season special, is months away)
December 9th, 2007
BTW whilst HD DVD now offers 51 gb triple layer discs (and Blu-ray can’t get over 47gb with their supposedly 50gb DL disc – otherwise the fail rates go through the roof) you’re never going to see retail 100gb or 200gb discs.
Stop kidding yourself and quit the day-dreaming.
Neuther the movie or the TV industry want them, and if they don’t bulk buy the retail business will never see feasible pricing on them = ain’t going to happen.
May 3rd, 2011
Greetings! I’ve been following your website for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Tx!