CDs came out, and they were good. CDs were good for the music industry because they aren’t analog. They simply aren’t subject to the myriad of issues caused by time. The industry was also OK with them because people would copy them to tape which was of lesser quality.
Ever since the idea of MP3, however, the companies went off their nut. ‘OMG,’ they said, ‘this digital format is now perfectly copyable! People will make thousands of copies whilst only paying for one CD! We have to stop this!’
So, by the time DVDs came out, the media industries started down the long, tortured path of content protection. Of course, we can now crack a DVD’s encryption, and newer discs come with physical defects in order to trip up computers. Yes, physical defects. They are intentionally selling defective products. Instead of selling something with a high copying barrier, they make a defective product. Wonderful.
Along come the ‘next-generation’ audio formats SACD and DVD-Audio — both are abomniations. You buy them in the store, you take them home, and then … well you can play them in one type of player. No computers allowed here. They’re encumbered in every sense of the word. You can’t even play them in your car.
Here comes the next generation DVD formats! These formats are behind because they are too busy encumbering them, and not making them into the best format possible. After what I read about SACD, I’m most definitely not touching Blu-ray, especially with Sony’s hand on it. I don’t like the way HD-DVD is going either.
They wonder why sales are falling. They are falling almost as a direct result of the industry’s paranoia. If they made a quality product on CD instead of jacking up the levels to make the discs ‘loud’. Not even CDs are sacred
Likewise, DVDs are become more and more obnoxious. I don’t want 10 previews (looking at you Disney and Universal) and I don’t want FBI warnings. I don’t want to be insulted when I pop in a disc I bought. Then there was the recent Series 1 set of House, M.D. I bought, only to get it home and find the widescreen is non-animorphic (this was rushed to get it done before the next season. Thanks, Universal.)
The final straw has been drawn. I’m abstaining from new (post 2002) music from the big labels from here on out, and I’m staying away from DVD as well. You idiots have had your chance, and you blew it. Nice knowing you.