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View Full Version : Wal Mart and MPAA: please pass some of what you are smoking


Ike
12/5/2006, 02:35 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/technology/29bitt.html


Though its video download store will officially open for business next year, Wal-Mart took a tentative first step yesterday. Customers who buy the physical DVD of Warner Brothers’ “Superman Returns” in a Wal-Mart store will have the option of downloading a digital copy of the film to their portable devices for $1.97, personal computer for $2.97, or both for $3.97.

So let me get this straight. I buy a DVD. If I want to watch that movie or tv show or whatever on my ipod or any other device I own that does not have a DVD player, I have to pay more?

I call shenanigans.

BTW, I found a pretty easy program that will rip my DVDs to my ipod if I want it too. I think I'll use that instead.
crawfish
12/5/2006, 02:37 PM
Wow, what a bargain. For them.
Frozen Sooner
12/5/2006, 02:37 PM
Better yet, considering that most PCs have DVD drives in them already, why would you pay extra to have a super-lossy and compressed version of the same film you already own taking up a bunch of space on your hard drive?
Sooner_Bob
12/5/2006, 02:37 PM
I found a pretty easy program that will rip my DVDs to my ipod if I want it too. I think I'll use that instead.

Exactly . . .
Ike
12/5/2006, 02:47 PM
Better yet, considering that most PCs have DVD drives in them already, why would you pay extra to have a super-lossy and compressed version of the same film you already own taking up a bunch of space on your hard drive?

well, I don't mind having a super lossy version for the purposes of something like a long airplane flight where I might just want to watch the entire season of firefly on my ipod. (course, I'd need a battery pack for that, but they exist).

But I see your point. why download the version for the PC? it doesn't make much sense.
Ike
12/5/2006, 02:48 PM
Exactly . . .
the downside is that technically, I think such programs violate the DMCA, since they bypass the CSS protection...but I'm a little unclear on that.
Frozen Sooner
12/5/2006, 02:50 PM
They do violate DCMA. However, it's going to be a tough court fight to prosecute on that one. Courts have traditionally sided with the consumer when it comes to fair-use duplication of material you have already paid for. Where they get touchy is when you start distributing the material to others.