Is AACS Killing the Blu-ray Disc Industry?

[Josh]

http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/R...rticleID=14057

A known issue with Blu-ray production, and something that needs to be resolved, especially since AACS is as strong as wet paper.

[4K2K]

Perhaps they should lower the fees or make AACS optional on a Blu-ray disc or both.

edit: I wrote that before I read the bit where they say that too

[Sonny]

AACS sure does sound like a problem.... Still though, this all sounds like a chicken with its head cut off to me. Only time will tell? I'd like to see "Magnolia Pictures" put there films on BD, this could be something thats in there way, even though there not 'THAT' small of a studio. You get the picture...

[Terjyn]

This just sounds like more yapping by people desperate for Blu-Ray to bomb.

They interview obscure people who eventually get around to claiming that downloads are going to take out optical media? Wow, what a fresh angle to get the same old garbage.

It's not a good sign for the pro-Download people that (some) Video game makers are starting to shun PC games because they've completely given up on the issue of piracy.

Note: I'm not claiming that the fees shouldn't be lowered, as I want to see the little guys release Blu-Rays too, I'm just referring to the hint that this will kill of Blu.

[Luis_A51]

AACS is practically useless anyways. They need to update the mandatory specs and either remove it entirely, or base the fee on production run and/or studio tier level.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Josh

http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/R...rticleID=14057

A known issue with Blu-ray production, and something that needs to be resolved, especially since AACS is as strong as wet paper.

The latter is an issue in its own right. Even if AACS was rock solid, the small fry would still have a problem.

It strikes me a damn simple for each vendor to be issued a reusable key. So, spec changes shouldn't be required (and people should be concerned about any such calls).

Gary

P.S. Should we be concerned that Microsoft is a co-founder of the AACS?

[dialog_gvf]

Larry Applegate looks at all the flash drives on the market and wonders if any disc media can long compete in the marketplace.

“Optical discs are becoming less favorable, because you can get a flash drive now that holds 8 gigabytes. It won’t be much longer until you can get one that holds as much as a Blu-ray disc.” He also sees movie downloading getting easier and more popular. “Blu-ray could fall flat on its face as consumers go after internet downloads instead. I don’t know how long BD is going to last; it may be destined for failure.”

Yet another prophet telling us the consumer is going to demand downloads.

Shouldn't we be seeing the consumer demanding DVD downloads by now?

Gary

[Sonny]

"P.S. Should we be concerned that Microsoft is a co-founder of the AACS?"



Thats not good at all, even though they pledged "Blu"......

[dadkins]

Originally Posted by Josh

http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/R...rticleID=14057

... since AACS is as strong as wet paper.

LOL!

[matthewrounds]

The following is a not joke:

Chris Brown is more optimistic about Blu-ray’s fate: “I see opportunity, because I think Blu-ray is going to be the first real interactive living room application. The interactivity and web connection will lead to some actual killer apps, George Jetson stuff. So I believe a fixed medium product will remain competitive with the whole online interactive stuff. Why go to an extra step to put something on disc? Well, because it will be appealing. And the studios are going to have to work to make them appealing.”

I love this argument for Blu-ray......................................not




Does this guy really believe the words that are printed supposedly coming from his mouth. We all say things from time to time, but cmon this is crazy. Killer Apps, like what the dice game in Pirates, or feeding my pet water horse. These are ok, cute, but killer apps a little bit of a stretch.

[owa]

Seems kind of like another whine-fest to me but I guess it's to be expected by those trying to protect their turf and livelihood.

[alphadec]

so, whats the problem. ?

for me the as a bd movie buyer there is nothing in this that should concern me.

So whats is the problem. ?

[Luis_A51]

Originally Posted by alphadec

so, whats the problem. ?

for me the as a bd movie buyer there is nothing in this that should concern me.

So whats is the problem. ?

The concern would be a lack of content from smaller studios. Art films, documentaries, etc. Id rather have as much content available to me as possible, then decide myself if I want to movie or not. What I dont want is some silly and useless artificial barrier making the choice fo me, basically.

[Anthony P]

Yawn, one more useless article and reason why BD is doomed.

Yes the AACS fees are high and should be lowered but lets get real if the "studio" does not have 3000$ to register with AACS and 1300$ per title then they have bigger issues to deal with then BD.

[4K2K]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

Yawn, one more useless article and reason why BD is doomed.

Yes the AACS fees are high and should be lowered but lets get real if the "studio" does not have 3000$ to register with AACS and 1300$ per title then they have bigger issues to deal with then BD.

"$3,000 as sort of a starting fee, and then pay $1,300 per key, plus a per-disc royalty on top of that"

Don't they also need to pay fees for each test-disc they make?
Might it not just limit which studios decide to release on Blu-ray, but which titles they decide to release and which regions they release them to? Or are the costs really insignificant, even for box office failures or titles they think might not sell well in all regions?

Why aren't all major studios releasing all their titles on Blu-ray as well as DVD, and why aren't they releasing them all worldwide?

[Beast]

Originally Posted by Luis_A51

The concern would be a lack of content from smaller studios. Art films, documentaries, etc. Id rather have as much content available to me as possible, then decide myself if I want to movie or not. What I dont want is some silly and useless artificial barrier making the choice fo me, basically.

Is it really a concern? Given clearly it's not a dealbreaker.

Just go to the store and look at those $10.00 Blu-Ray discs from Echo Bridge Entertainment

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?studioid=43

Seriously, for cripes sake they're releasing a huge cube of movies for $132.95 at Amazon.

[dialog_gvf]

The startup costs are amortized over the run. If it is big enough, those costs are insignificant.

$5000/250000 = 2 cents per disc
$5000/25000 = 20 cents per disc
$5000/2500 = $2 per disc

But ...

Wasn't Rivergate the company p!ssed off that whole load of development for an HD DVD version of their product went down the drain?

It couldn't be they are yet another company with an axe to grind and an alternative to promote/prohope?

Gary

[ADRiiAN`]

They should just make it optional.
AACS has already been cracked, hasn't it?

[Anthony P]

Don't they also need to pay fees for each test-disc they make?

not as far as I know, it is also not in the article. On the other hand the 1300 is per master, so if they create a master (1300$) and there are iussues and they make a new master for the film then they need a new key, so it can be more then 1300 if you don't know what you where doing

Might it not just limit which studios decide to release on Blu-ray, but which titles they decide to release and which regions they release them too? Or are the costs really insignificant, even for box office failures or titles they think might not sell well in all regions?

the issue is this
- at 10 copies the 1300$ becomes 130 per disk it is way too expensive), but then again I doubt you will find a replicator that will do 10 copies for you,
- at 100 copies it becomes 13 per title again it is high but now it is no more insane but again you wont find anyone to replicate it for you.
- at 1000 copies it is 1.30 per disk, if you are not making more then 1.30 then there is something wrong and 1000 copies is a real small run and most replicators won't accept it
- at 10,000 copies it is .13 per disk is it the end of the world?
....

then there is the 3000$, if you release only one movie it adds a lot, but what studio/distributor would release only one movie?

what I am saying is that if someone wants to release one title and thinks he can only sell 1000 copies maybe he should rethink his whole business plan. On the other hand no matter how "cool" you think this movie would be, do you think that BD is doomed because this unpopular movie from a studio with no content is was not released?


Like I said, I can understand a small independent studio seeing this as a high cost and taking to big of a chunk from their profits and being annoyed. But it is insane to think it would make a big difference to what is available and even more insane to think it will doom BD.

Anyways I am sure tomorrow we will have a new reason from someone PO at BD because they where dumb enough to invest into HD DVD for why BD is doomed.

[Clark Kent]

Some of the smaller niche producers hate mandatory AACS on Blu-ray, mainly because of the cost. It does make it harder to turn a profit on obscure independent material that frankly will never sell well. But I don't see the BDA dropping this anytime soon. Those same AACS costs are keeping a lot of the sleazier independent producers from releasing pure junk on Blu-ray.