Mike Evangelist changes HD boycott to AACS DRM only
By Kevin C. Tofel 
posted Feb 27th 2006 7:49AM
posted Feb 27th 2006 7:49AM
We're still not so sure on the
approach, but Mike has changed his focus from last week's call to boycott high-definition.
Mike has started a site titled "Boycott HD Formats Using
AACS" and is trying to rally the troops and (interestingly enough) taking donations to help spread the word.
Funny, we do that every day and don't ask for a dime, now do we? Anyway, we respectfully understand Mike's stance on
AACS DRM, but boycotting products and content that use AACS isn't likely
to do much.One could argue that consumers effectively and indirectly boycotted DVD-Audio and SACD, but there's a key difference: there was and is a usable digital format that provides music in a relatively high quality format: the Compact Disc. There just isn't enough of a difference in the public's perception between CDs and the higher-quality formats. On the visual front however, HDTV is coming and the public-at-large has seen it. In fact, they see it in every store that carries electronics and they are simply blown away.
Additionally, Mike seems to forget that the DTV transition is looming in less than three years. Was there an audio transition from CDs to some other format? No there wasn't, so many folks don't even know that SACD or DVD-Audio even existed. They sure know that DTV and HDTV changes are coming and there's no way around it. Does anyone really think that people will turn off television programming in high-def to pop in a 480p DVD?
Finally, many folks don't yet understand the relatively simple concept of digital television when compared to analog; they simply want to watch their content. Most people don't really care about 720p vs. 1080i or HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray, they want a positive viewing experience. Trying to school them in the intricacies of AACS and all-things DRM is likely a lost cause.
For these reasons, among other Mike, your boycott is likely to have little to no impact, regardless of how good your intent is or how much we agree that DRM is generally a pain. In any case, we've done our part by spreading the word for you and we wish you the best in your endeavor. AACS has been in the works for some time, so a boycott now might be a bit too late.
Kevin, this wasn't meant to be a change of position, just a clarification. I wrote the original article quickly to get my feeling 'on paper', but later realized (based on reader comments) that it might have been confusing. Regarding the fund raising, I'm planning to use an y donation to buy Adwords to help publicize the information. Mike
Thanks for responding Mike and I'm glad to see the clarification. Many people thought you were calling to boycott any and all high-def, and we now see the intent is towards AACS DRM, not HD directly. I personally think it's a bit late for the action of a boycott based on the reasons I listed above, but I do commend you on raising public awareness for the issues; something we're trying to do here on a daily basis. Wish you all the best with it.
I can't believe you guys are laughing off a DRM boycott so easily. Nobody wants DRM. Even Yahoo Music told the RIAA that they'd be better off without it. Did your new bosses at AOL Time Warner tell you to dismiss the boycott or else get booted out of Weblogsinc?
"Does anyone really think that people will turn off television programming in high-def to pop in a 480p DVD?"
Yes, because that's what they own. Plenty of people get HD programming (free or otherwise) and nobody has HD movies to buy yet and I don't see there being a mad rush to go out and re-buy the Disney movies that are just getting released on DVD in yet another format (speaking from a parent's POV).
There's going to be a slow process with this transistion (slower than DVD) because I think the public doesn't get it or feel they need it. H*ll, some people are waiting for this next transition with hopes that DVD prices fall thru the floor like VHS prices did over the couple of years!
"Funny, we do that every day and don't ask for a dime, now do we?"
No, certainly not!
...except how you're part of Weblogs, Inc., a company that is owned by AOL.
So don't even. You can't fit that much irony in 1080p.