[LINK] Content and competition in a changing media world

[David Boxall]

On 30/11/2011 3:31 AM, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> A worthwhile read. This is an edited text of a speech given by the
> managing director of the ABC, Mark Scott, today to the 2011 Walkley
> Conference in Brisbane ...
>
>
> 'Content and competition in a changing media world'
>
> 'There is now a need to create content that can hold its own against
> competition of remarkable scale.'
> ...
Had an interesting experience with a borrowed Disney DVD recently. While 
playing, it frequently paused and lost a bit of sound before continuing 
normally. This really bothered one of the littlies, for whom I'd 
borrowed the disk. I had a friend, who knows a bit about optical media, 
take a look at the DVD.

If I understood correctly, instead of files that just play from 
beginning to end, the DVD was set up so that the read head had to jump 
about a lot. Apparently that's not unusual, but on the disk in question 
many of the jumps involve changing layers. That's what was disrupting 
playback.

There were also nearly a hundred bogus titles, composed of the main 
title's video content shuffled out of sequence. That's apparently 
intended to confuse copying software.

In many parts of the world, backing up a DVD is allowed by law. Disney's 
tactics would infringe that right. On the disk in question, they'd gone 
to such lengths to "protect" their "property" that the quality of the 
product suffered.

I reckon all Australia needs to do is make its content available without 
such complications. Copyright terrorism is crippling our competition.

I, for one, will never buy a Disney product.

-- 
David Boxall                    |  I have seen the past
                                |  And it worked.
http://david.boxall.id.au       |               --TJ Hooker