MESSAGE
| DATE | 2005-08-18 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] DRM in the news
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DRM issues sway another Blu-ray recruit 11:02AM
Lions Gate Home Entertainment is the latest media company to back
Blu-ray. The independent movies and TV producer will begin releasing
material from its back catalogue just as soon as Blu-ray hardware
becomes available in the US, probably early next year.
For a while it looked like HD-DVD was the favourite to emerge as the
dominant high-definition DVD technology, but Lions Gate's backing,
closely following commitments from Twentieth Century Fox and Universal
Music, has seemingly seen the momentum pass to Blu-ray.
And the catalyst for this? The unveiling, last week, of Blu-ray's three
pronged anti-copying technology, crucially the BD+ component that gives
content providers an additional
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means to respond to organised attacks on the security system by
allowing dynamic updates of compromised code.
If there's one thing that unites content providers, whether it is music
or video, it is so-called piracy, the unauthorised copying of disks and
p2p file sharing. It seems that DRM may determine which high-definition
format prevails.
Indeed, Lions Gate's decision was attributed by the Blu-ray Disc
Association to the copy protection measures. It also cited advances in
DVD replication technologies that will ensure that discs can be produced
for an 'acceptable' cost and the fact the PlayStation 3, to be launched
next year, will put Blu-ray drives in millions of homes.
'Lions Gate has always maintained the goal of offering the consumer the
best quality product,' said Steve Beeks, President, Lions Gate
Entertainment. 'Additionally, Blu-ray's storage capacity along with the
level of copyright protection the format offers, the demonstrated
manufacturability and acceptable cost proposition, made it the perfect
choice for Lions Gate at this time.'
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