Down With Piracy

Avast, me hearties!

I have this really ominous feeling about the dawning of the Blu-ray age.

Blu-ray disc is the name of a next-generation optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. – www.blu-ray.com

What is not said in the site is whether this is yet another attempt to curb movie piracy. I guess the big businessmen involved have given up on government policies being the key driver to stopping illegal sale and distribution of movies via the very popular DVD format, so now they’re fighting off these digital pirates with technology.

But Will It Succeed?

I don’t think so. One of the things that have been deplored by the movie and music industry over the years is the seeming inability of the DVD format to prevent unauthorized copying of its contents. I remember reading something a few years back about some controls that were put inside the DVDs where movies were printed on, but these DVDs were still ripped, copied, and distributed illegally.

Although the site mentioned does not expressly say it, I could hazard a guess that some preventive controls are bound to be included in the BD format. I don’t think it’s necessary to do that though; with its specs, BDs are bound to be expensive. Also, BDs can only be played using BD players and even if you have this, you need to have a high definition TV to make it worth your while. These things do not come cheap. The cheapest BD gadget I’ve seen sells for around Php30K.

In short, it is not for everyone.

I do not see the BD as a threat to DVD for now, which means that piracy will continue to fester for years to come.

Final Flurry

There is only one way that piracy can be eradicated. Sell those DVD movies at reasonable rates. Right now, in the battle between Original and Pirated, there’s a glaring mismatch as to which one third world consumers would prefer.