GVLN - Are Torrents Destroying Hollywood? Part 5 and Final

English: improved version of http://commons.wikimedia.org/Sandy/Image:Bluray.png (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the final part in our series of "Are Torrents Destroying Hollywood?".  This series has been very highly successful and so we are going to continue to explore various aspects of video downloads, burning, copyrights and so forth.  Each article in the future though will have it's own title and not be a part of an ongoing series.  In our final article here we have promised to discuss whether or not the disk is dead.  Arguments have been raging for several years now that the disk is dead.  That includes everything from music CD's, DVD movies, Blu Ray films, software and gaming disks.  The argument is that flash media, inexpensive mass storage hard drives, cloud storage, streaming media and instant downloads have changed the game.

  It has changed the game.  Sales on every type of media sold on disks is way down.  But does that mean that the disk is really dead?  We don't think so.  Here is why.  Let's look at the overall market force.  We are without question in some very tough financial times.  Sales on just about everything is down.  You can't site sales down in this area on a lack of interest.

  Another market pressure not usually considered in the sales numbers is the fact that the market is now flooded with all kinds of disks.  Retail marketing for disks of every sort is now available in more places and greater abundance.  Then there is the secondary market that is also very highly flooded.  Every thrift store, consignment shop, used or second hand store, pawn shop, flea market, yard sale and or garage sale has all kinds of disks for sale and now the prices are super cheap.  Local prices are between $2,00 to $4.00 per DVD title used.  CD's are now down to around $1.00 each.

  That's a lot of excess product out there.  There are a lot of people taking advantage of the lower prices on the secondary market that takes away from the primary retail market.  And the same with more retailers carrying more and more DVD titles.  Discounters have huge assortments to choose from these days and that includes movies, games, music and software.  Again, in the local market, if you don't want to pay the $10.00 price tag on a lower end jewel case game, wait until it is pulled off of Wal Mart's shelf and you can find it a week later at Ollie's Bargain store for only $3.99.

  Yet further considerations are the large amount of people without high speed Internet or even no Internet at all throughout rural and even suburban America.  All of these folks have no choice but to buy disks.

  Another area to consider is Blu Ray movies.  You do not want to play a hacked version of a Blu Ray movie on your Blu Ray player due to the fact that the next movie you buy may just shut the player down from playing that and all future Blu Ray movies again.  (Limited but becoming more common.  CLICK HERE for more information on this issue.

  We don't see the disk disappearing off the shelves for many years to come.  Also, compare the price of a 4 gig flash drive to a single layer DVD disk when transferring files and then giving the information to someone else.  A disk is still a much cheaper medium than a flash drive.

  One further issue.  When it comes to software, I would rather have the disk version than the download version any day of the week.  Re loading or setting up a new system and retiring an old system is much easier when you have the software disk.  Many downloaded software titles these days are not transferable to other computers even in the freeware arena.

  So no, the disk is not dead.  It's just fighting a highly saturated market force in a down economy.

We are ending this series with a nice freebie for everyone.  A Free downloadable video.  This is a legal video download and is in the MP4 format.  The title is Petticoat Junction - Herbie Get's Drafted.  This is an early 1960's sitcom.  It's in Black and White.  About 25 minutes in length and is around 111 mb's in size.
CLICK HERE for your free download.

  If you have problems with trying to figure out how to download the file. we have a link at the top of this site to one of our other sites that has full instructions there on how to get your copy.

Coming up next is a new series titled, "The Fight To Control Your Mind."

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GVLN - Are Torrents Destroying Hollywood? Part 4

Blu-ray disc front (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In our last article we left off with the promise that we would explain what is legal and what is not legal in the way of films.  Here is what is legal.  It is legal to make one backup copy of any disk that you own.  Whether that disk is a video, music software or what have you.  Now here is the catch.  Even though you have the right to make one backup copy of any disk you own, you do NOT have the right to break any copyright protection on any disk here in the USA.  That means that when you buy a DVD or a Blu Ray movie, most all of them contain some form of copyright protection.  So you do not have the right to make a copy of those disks by breaking the copyrighted protection on those disks.

  Now, if you can make a copy of those disks while keeping the copyright protection on them, then you are fine.  However, most all of the software out there that allows you to make backup copies of movies or software work by stripping off the copyright encryption that blocks you from making a copy of those disks.  When you backup a copy of say a Hollywood film, you have removed the encryption therefore violating the software owners rights.

  To date we have yet to find one software program that allows you to copy a disk and still maintain the original copyright protection.  We have heard of one, but have not been able to locate it.  So what does one do?  We have recently learned that through Wal Mart and their on line business, VUDU, you can now take a copy of any DVD you own and for a fee, have a digital copy made and stored on line.  The digital copy is good on any device.

  The draw back?  Wal Mart has to have agreements with the studio for that particular DVD title.  If Wal Mart does not have an agreement with that movie studio or for that title?  No copy.  CLICK HERE to see more about the service.
On the bright side?  Wal Mart is the first company to be doing this and your purchase remains in the cloud for many years to come.  The fees are very low starting at $2.00 per copy.

The bottom line is this.  If you purchase a DVD or Blu Ray disk, software or music that contains copy protection and you also buy software to crack that protection to make copies just for your own use and do not distribute any of the copies in any way including lending them to friends, then you will be breaking the law, but no one is going to come after you for it.

Maintaining backup copies is a good idea.  A new Blu Ray title is not cheap.  If you want to take a few disks with you on vacation it is a lot cheaper to have copies stolen than to have your originals stolen.  There isn't much of a market for copies of films already released.  If you are just making a digital version for your PSP, it's up to you to decide which is the best way to go.  If it's in the cloud through VUDU, you still have it in the cloud and can have it on your PSP as well.

Our final article will be on whether or not the disk is dead.

For all the latest news, please click on the Home button towards the top of this site.

Have a news story? Submit it above.

Some of Gloucester's most incredible history is found on this site in detail.

Gloucester, VA Links and News – A GVLN Website.

We cover what no one else will.