90 percent of consumers think they should be allowed to back up DVDs
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Apr 9th 2009 3:54PM
posted Apr 9th 2009 3:54PM
We just can't get enough of surveys that state the obvious and then one ranks up there with the best of them. The crazy thing though is that the results weren't 100 percent -- we're going to chalk this up to the remainder not understanding the question. What should be music to the ears of the MPAA though is that 79 percent said they weren't interested in actually copying DVDs and that 40 percent said they'd be more likely to buy DVDs if they could copy 'em. All interesting stuff, but everything has a price and that price seems to be about $60, which is the amount most would be willing to pay for DVD ripping software. We'd like to say that statistics like these will help motivate the MPAA to give up on criminalizing fair uses of our media, but we realize this would just be wishful thinking.
Where's the survey? Who comissioned it? Who was polled? What was asked?
What do you think that "Read" link is for? ;)
1. The survey was completed on March 11th
2. National Consumers League
2a. Opinion Research conducted it
3 & 4. Just go here:
http://www.contentagenda.com/contents/pdf/ncl_dvdsurvey_report_04062009.pdf
Try using the read link, and you'll get all the info you need.
and 100% think Bluray as well ... i only asked myself
Count me as one of the 21% who don't care to copy DVDs. Because of time constraints, I rarely watch a movie more than once. I've never had a DVD go bad on me, so I have no use for "backups", as they're called.
Also, what could be simpler than popping a DVD into a player and watching it. Certainly not ripping it to a hard drive.
I hope you crack a disk or drop one and your dog gets a hold of it.
you do know to backup a dvd .. you basically hit 1 or 2 buttons and walk away ? and hard drives are extremely Cheap now .. just letting ya know
Sorry to dash your hopes, Fuzz, but it hasn't happened yet in my decade of DVD playing. Nice thought, however.
Jon, there is absolutely no way ripping DVDs (and playing them from a hard drive) won't consume much more of your time. Hard drives are cheap, but DVD players are cheaper and everyone has one already. Don't forget buying the software, and media player/networking equipment if you're going to play them from your computer. That has to be setup too. It's simply not a good trade off given the exceedingly unlikely event of a broken DVD.
I want to backup my DVD's, or at least convert them to .mp4 so I can stream them to my various devices (PS3, Xbox 360s, iPods). Then I take the original DVD and put them away so my 2 year old daughter doesn't destroy them. This way I never have to worry about handling the physical media. And if the HD crashes, well I still have the Original.
I agree with archiving my originals. I've made "main movie only" copies of all my daughter's Disney movies. No more previews - she plops the disc in (car or the portable player in her room) and straight to the movie.
Plus, those stream from my server to the TVIX devices (in .ISO format, so preserves chapters and alternate soundtracks).
My originals remain un-damaged :)
My bad, I was clicking the image instead of the read link.
18% of respondents have actually tried copying a DVD? Wow... that's very high. After further reading of the actual report: "1,000 online surveys were administered to adults 18-64".
This report is skewed for tech savvy.
I have never really felt the urge to back up a DVD. I have only ever had one single DVD go bad on me (because the kids wrecked it) and I just got a new one. And yes, I do have many hundreds of DVD's.
Sure, it would be a bummer if I couldn't get a replacement DVD (or BD) but the chances of that is slim enough that I can not be bothered to go through the hassle of making a copy.
I honestly do not think this survey is very representative and I think it's a wee bit arrogant to say that those that didn't think they really needed to back up a DVD didn't understand the question.
You shouldn't have to buy a new one. When you buy a DVD, you are not buying a plastic disc with a movie on it. You are buying a license to view that movie, and the disk just happens to be to delivery medium for that license. You shouldn't have to buy another disk and license just because your original disc broke.
@ The Fuzz 53
Where did you get your information? I'm pretty sure when you buy a DVD, you're paying for that particular copy of it, not a "license to watch that movie" as you say. If what you're saying is true, you could buy a DVD, then decide the next day you want another one, so you could just walk into Walmart and grab another one and walk out without paying because you already paid for the "license" the day before.
I'm never heard this whole "paying for the license" theory.
That's what my teacher told me in the one business law class I took in college. You can't just walk into a store and steal another copy, but you should be able to write the manufacturer show them proof of purchase and proof that your disc no longer works and they should provide you another copy.
@ Johnsson: Arrogant? I think you misspelled "accurate."
Even your little diatribe illustrated that you didn't understand the question, despite your claims to the contrary. The question was whether or not WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO back up our DVDs. Not "do you currently," "do you want to," "do you feel the need to," "do you want to know how to," or any other question that wasn't the one that was asked. It's a rights issue, and one you should support whether or not you feel compelled to exercise that right.
@EricC, that's a total load of bull. If there's someone not understanding anything here it's you. I perfectly understood the question and I think you understood what I ment by my answer as well but you're so full if this rights bull that you choose to construct a contrived answer claiming that I missunderstood.
@ Johnsson: I didn't claim anything; I stated a fact. You clearly didn't understand the question, and I'd be willing to bet that you still don't. Of course, I won't rule out the possibility that you're too embarrassed to admit your folly.
No you didn't. You wrote bull only to push your contrived opinion and you wrote it in a manner only meant to piss people off.
Anyone else see the irony in a picture od DVD Shrink (which is well, illegal and free) but the artile references $60 software? Oh, and DVD shrink with DVD Decrypter is the best ripping combo ever.
Actually Nero Recode (which DVD Shrink was before it was bought) is better since you can also use it to rip to other formats. But if you're going to go for a free solution then DVD Shrink is fine. And if you do want to rip to ASP or H264, then you can use Handbrake which is also free.
What are DVDs? Are those what they used to put movies on before MKV files existed?
100% of people polled also back up their Netflix queue to their hard drives. My guess would be that 95% of people that are making back ups "copies" do not own the retail copy.
Netflix is a pirates dream.
I for one don't think I should have to ask for permission in the first place.
And the other 10% are brain-dead.
Do they ask for permission before going to the bathroom, too?
Pay for ripping software? I've never paid for dvd ripping software. DVD shrink for years now.
I think the MPAA should just stay out of my house. I buy the disc. I take it home. What happens then is none of their business (unless I share it publicly. In which case, they have every right to say something.)
Why bother? Is there some rational reason to keep movies?
As a Canadian I have the RIGHT to back up ANYthing, games, cds, DVD and HD DVD's.
I so love DVD shrink =) It hath been good to me combined with anydvd for many years.
It's less cool now that I've gone blu and DVDs are so VHS to me.