Wes Phillips

That's a Very Good Question

Wes Phillips  |  Mar 1, 2006

MPAA spokesflack Brad Hunt tried to sell a roomful of Hollywood tech types on "plugging the analog hole." Ought to be a slam dunk, right? Apparently not. The group groaned out loud when he said that retailers would have to educate consumers on its implications and after more probing questions, he got this one: "This is a room full of people whose living depends on this working. You're getting pushback to the point of hostility. If you can't sell this to us, how are you going to sell it to the target 16–45 demographic?"

COMMENTS
John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson (not verified) on March 1, 2006 - 12:41pm

I find this industry discussion of the analog hole"" derisory. The only way to ""plug"" the hole with video is never to display the image files; with audio", is never to playback the audio files. But if you need to do those things -- and that's the purpose -- then the media will be copyable.

Buddha's picture
Submitted by Buddha (not verified) on March 1, 2006 - 1:30pm

Now I know who Dick Cheney will be pimping for in 2009. Next up, non-disclosure agreements in order to be allowed to see a movie.

Jeff Wong's picture
Submitted by Jeff Wong (not verified) on March 1, 2006 - 4:41pm

The MPAA needs to devote all of its resources into developing a Quantum DVD player; this way, the player never needs to turn on, but, we'll know it's playing movies.

Monty's picture
Submitted by Monty (not verified) on March 1, 2006 - 4:51pm

This is why I have likened the whole RIAA bruhaha over copying to the war on drugs. When something is in high demand and you go on a crusade to do something about it, you end up creating as many problems as you are attempting to solve. Prohibition didn't work very well either. I do believe in intellectual property rights and attempts to profit from the sale of someone else's property should come with stiff penalties. But, trying to criminalize something that is next to impossible to enforce comes with its own set of unintended consequences. I wonder if anyone has ever done a competent study on the benefits vs the harm in file sharing? I know I've bought more music having been exposed to music I would not have otherwise been aware of. In that sense, I suppose someone could make the arguement that the file sharing was used for educational purposes:P

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