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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film-Yak   » Problems for Theaters & for Home TV Viewers (Page 1)

 
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Author Topic: Problems for Theaters & for Home TV Viewers
Wayne Keyser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 272
From: Arlington, Virginia, USA
Registered: May 2004


 - posted 09-15-2005 05:29 PM      Profile for Wayne Keyser   Author's Homepage   Email Wayne Keyser       Edit/Delete Post 
I beliueve this topic has been touched on in previous posts, but now it's closer to our doorstep, it seems.

From scriptwriter Mark Evanier's (Garfield, lots of Sat ayem cartoons) excellent NEWS FROM ME weblog:

(Writing about new TIVO restrictions, but that's just a start)

quote:
There are three categories of copy protection involved here. The TiVo website describes them thusly:

Copy Never - This content is not allowed to be recorded by a TiVo DVR.
7 Day Unlimited - These programs can be recorded and viewed as many times as you like within 7 days of their original recording date.
7 Day / 24 Hours - These programs can be stored for up to 7 days but once you begin watching the show, you must complete viewing within 24 hours.
These restrictions obviously suck. The middle one sucks a lot, the last one sucks even more and the first is the suckiest of all. For those of us who have a TiVo with a built-in DVD burner, there seems to be yet another quite-sucky category, which is that the show can be recorded normally on the TiVo and kept there indefinitely but it cannot be copied onto a DVD. TiVo indicates that a show has a specified restriction by putting a little red flag on its listing. We are told that these will appear only on pay-per-view events and video-on-demand material and that it is almost inconceivable that the broadcast networks will stop us from recording their shows or saving them as long as we want. And at the moment, I do think it's premature to be worried that you won't be able to record or archive The Simpsons or CSI: Boise or Conan O'Brien.

Who should be worried? Well, if I operated a movie theater that depended on current releases, I might start wondering how to convert the place into an Olive Garden. The studios are already making noises about getting rid of the exclusive window for theatrical exhibition and when that happens, a lot of theaters will probably suffer. Ten years ago, the average length of time between the release of a new movie and its availability on home video was around 200 days. Two years ago, it was 180 days and recently, it's been around 136 days, though Sony has put out DVDs of theatrical releases that opened in theaters some 95 days earlier. You don't have to be a statistician to see where this one's going. "Day and date" is the wave of the future, and TiVo is obviously gearing up to deal with that kind of marketing.


----------------

Dammit, I WANT TO KEEP MY VCR! I don't want a cable box, I don't want to watch the latest dreck with Jackie Chan on demand anytime of day or night, I don't want to have to ask those idiot's permission to tape a show and keep it on my shelf!

It's enough to make me go back to reading books by the fireside with just quiet music playing.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-15-2005 05:47 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
This and things like HDCP is why I root for the hackers. The studios literally want to control the entire world. They are making SHITLOADS of cash now. Shitloads. They are not starving, they are not losing tons of money, they are not having to eliminate lots of jobs due to piracy. They just want every cent they believe they are entitled to AND MORE. If they had their way I'm sure they'd have you murdered.

Go piracy. I fully support (and in many cases encourage) it. Don't let the corporations control us! I am glad this kind of insane control has not yet spread to the videogame industry. I will buy a good game if I like it at retail.

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Joseph L. Kleiman
Master Film Handler

Posts: 380
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Apr 2005


 - posted 09-15-2005 06:01 PM      Profile for Joseph L. Kleiman   Email Joseph L. Kleiman   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The studios aren't losing money? Sure they are, because they invest in stupid nonstudio things like ariplanes that they then rent out to airlines like Delta.

Just yesterday, Tom Staggs, Disney's CFO told an investment conference that they might have to write down their investment in leases to Delta, worth around $101 million. Then a few hours later, Delta filed for bankruptcy. I'm so glad I'm flying a discount airline to Boston next week!

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-15-2005 07:20 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Ha ha ha yeah. Controlling what and how we watch stuff with an iron fist will patch up those wounds.

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Joseph L. Kleiman
Master Film Handler

Posts: 380
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Apr 2005


 - posted 09-15-2005 07:57 PM      Profile for Joseph L. Kleiman   Email Joseph L. Kleiman   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I wonder if people who fly Delta are forced to watch Herbie: Fully Loaded.

By the way Joe, tell all your pals who steal movies and illegally download films that they've been served!

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001


 - posted 09-15-2005 09:07 PM      Profile for Bobby Henderson   Email Bobby Henderson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
TiVo indicates that a show has a specified restriction by putting a little red flag on its listing. We are told that these will appear only on pay-per-view events and video-on-demand material and that it is almost inconceivable that the broadcast networks will stop us from recording their shows or saving them as long as we want.
I don't buy that comment from the networks at all. They're commanding a large and growing share of the DVD Video market by selling season box sets of TV shows. At some point you can count on some greedy, short-sighted bean counter to demand the anti-record flag be put in place as a means of getting more improvement out of those DVD box set sales. I would not be surprised if there's already some kind of limitations being put into effect on DVD recorders with built-in hard discs and TiVo functions.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-15-2005 10:13 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Joseph, you cannot illegally or even legally download film. It is impossible. That's like trying to download a new car.

I don't download DVDs mainly because I don't want the quality compromised. DVDs are pretty much cheap enough, though, to the point where I don't complain. So I just buy them. However I still support and encourage the hacking effort just to show that the PEOPLE are in charge, not the CORPORATIONS. I can download TIVO files from the internet and play them on my Xbox if I miss a show or something. Who does this steal money from? Nobody.

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000


 - posted 09-15-2005 11:20 PM      Profile for Phil Hill   Email Phil Hill       Edit/Delete Post 
What are you talking about, Joe? I just downloaded another 400ft roll of Kodak 5217 camera neg for a project.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-15-2005 11:26 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
OK then I guess that you've been served.

That'll teach you!

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Matt Fields
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 545
From: Ohio, United States
Registered: Jun 2005


 - posted 09-16-2005 08:25 AM      Profile for Matt Fields   Email Matt Fields   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Joe-

I think you make too much money so I'm going to come over and steal your Doritos.

[ 09-16-2005, 11:23 AM: Message edited by: Matt Fields ]

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Joseph L. Kleiman
Master Film Handler

Posts: 380
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Apr 2005


 - posted 09-16-2005 10:14 AM      Profile for Joseph L. Kleiman   Email Joseph L. Kleiman   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Joe,

I said films (i.e. definition 6), not film (i.e. definition 5) nor film (i.e. definition 1, which is the algae coating my parents' pool).

From Dictionary.com:

quote:
film
n.
1. A thin skin or membrane.
2. A thin, opaque, abnormal coating on the cornea of the eye.
3. A thin covering or coating: a film of dust on the piano.
4. A thin, flexible, transparent sheet, as of plastic, used in wrapping or packaging.
5a. A thin sheet or strip of flexible material, such as a cellulose derivative or a thermoplastic resin, coated with a photosensitive emulsion and used to make photographic negatives or transparencies.
5b. A thin sheet or strip of developed photographic negatives or transparencies.
6a. A movie.
6b. Movies considered as a group.
7. A coating of magnetic alloys on glass used in manufacturing computer storage devices.


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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 09-16-2005 04:40 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Film-Tech is the one forum out of several which I visit which has the highest "bug up their ass" per capita amongst the members. Are theater people programmed to be boring and take everything so seriously? Joseph, you really need to get a life, big time.

Matt, your analogy is stupid. I never said I thought the studios make too much money. I just don't like the near-fascist HDCP crap they are pulling. I can only watch my movies on certain displays, even if I have a BD or HD-DVD drive in my computer? I can only keep a program I recorded for a few days? When VCRs were around, people could keep TV shows forever. VCRs are still around. Doesn't seem to be hurting anyone. I think y'all are just frightened because the theater industry will eventually tank or be reduced considerably in time. I'm glad I got out of it and got a real job.

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Joseph L. Kleiman
Master Film Handler

Posts: 380
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Apr 2005


 - posted 09-16-2005 04:45 PM      Profile for Joseph L. Kleiman   Email Joseph L. Kleiman   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Joe, Maybe if I threw away my Tivo I could get a life. I'm sorry you got my good natured sarcasm confused with anal retentiveness. Maybe if I had put a smiley face next to my post there wouldn't have been this confusion. I haven't been in theater management for almost five years now, and I'd like to think the bug crawled out of my ass about three years ago. [Smile]

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 09-16-2005 05:36 PM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
So how many of you people here on "Film-Tech" haven't got anything to do with film anymore? I think you should all be BANNED, or at least start all your posts with: "I don't work in the industry so I probably don't know what I'm talking about, but...".

(Note to the bug-up-ass types: That was a joke.)

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001


 - posted 09-16-2005 06:53 PM      Profile for Bobby Henderson   Email Bobby Henderson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have a bug up my ass...but I've got the little bastard by three of his legs and trying to pull him out. Damned pinchers hurt!

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