There have been discussions going on for months about how download content is the wave of the future and that the BR disc is dead. This is exactly why I have been against this. The film industry has had a long and contentious battle with the consumer over rights. The industry would like the consumer to pay for every second of every movie watched by every eyeball. The history goes way back with a number of attempts to limit viewership. There was DivX DVDs. Before that was the video-cassette that self destructed after a single viewing. Then there was the lawsuit against video rental stores selling used stock. Before that was the entire Betamax case challenging the legality of home taping in the first place. And back in the stone ages, there was the resistance to showing movies on television at all, fought by doing widescreen and getting away from academy ratio.
The funny thing is that every single one of these scemes has failed and acted as an inhibitor for home viewership. At the same time, home video sales have often been the only thing that gave studios profitability. DVD sales are the golden egg, and they are trying to kill the sell through goose yet again.
Then again, I am getting old. I already have a lot in my collection, and I really don't need to see another bad Adam Sandler remake of a classic, when I can see the original. I'll just be happy with what i have and stop paying attention to the new stuff.
You would think the movie industry would want to regulate the DVD rental industry more than the PPV one.
