Be sure to check out the Dynaverse.Net Repository, the most comprehensive SFC library around !! ftp.dynaverse.net
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Avatar' Blu-ray Consumers Can't Watch DVDby Mike Ryan · April 30, 2010An unusual glitch has angered some "Avatar" Blu-ray owners. For these unlucky people, since the disc won't play on their Blu-ray players, their new "Avatar" DVD serves no real purpose other than to sit idly on the coffee table."When 3 out of 3 players in my house (Denon, Samsung and PC) won't play it, then 20th Century Fox should be slapped with losses on this one," said one irritated customer.In reality, the disc works fine; the problem stems from the Blu-ray players themselves. In order to run optimally, the firmware for these fancy DVD machines needs to be updated regularly via a download from the Web. ("Firmware" is the program that controls the performance of an electronic device, which would be, in this case, the playback of a Blu-ray disc.) If a Blu-ray player owner doesn't have a home Internet connection, the chances are good the player's firmware will be out of date. Thus making "Avatar" -- a movie that prides itself on being presented with only the most cutting edge of technology -- unplayable with the older firmware.Unfortunately, people without an Internet connection probably aren't reading this particular story -- or the hundreds of other pieces instructing new Blu-ray player owners on how to upgrade. So they're not aware of the root of a problem. But while they may not have home access to the Internet, they likely do have a telephone. And they've been using their phone to flood retailers with angry calls.Still, that only seems to be part of the problem for "Avatar" owners.It appears the main culprit concerning playback issues with "Avatar" is, ironically, the disc's DRM (digital rights management). DRM, which is the very technology meant to prevent bootleggers from illegally copying the film, is the very technology preventing people who actually paid for the disc from watching the film. Even with updated firmware, a lot of Blu-ray players weren't prepared for these security measures.Despite the security problems, bootleggers are having a field day. Pirated copies of "Avatar," according to Los Angeles Times, were available as early as January.
This week is again “Avatar” week, with the movie setting yet another impressive record, this time for sales on Blu-ray Disc, as Nielsen numbers can confirm. While Fox is boasting about the achievement on all available channels, fans are gutted to note that many players don’t actually play the disc because of DRM-related issues. Ironically, the same issues have boosted downloads of pirated versions of the film, Contact Music informs.Good news first: “Avatar,” James Cameron’s latest film and, so far, the biggest selling production of all times, has officially become the highest performer in Blu-ray sales as well. Until it came into the picture (pun intended), “Dark Knight” was in the lead, but “Avatar” managed to pass it by a huge margin. As far as release on all formats is concerned, “Avatar” is sitting comfortably at number 7, with “Finding Nemo,” “The Dark Knight” and “The Incredibles” occupying the first three positions of best selling movies in all formats of all times.“Teen vampires, caped crusaders and giant, shape-shifting robots all stepped aside last week as James Cameron’s box office smash ‘Avatar’ continued to set new records – this time on the home entertainment front. According to Nielsen’s VideoScan First Alert data for the Week Ending 04/25/2010, ‘Avatar’ sold more Blu-ray disc units in its first week of release than any other movie in history. 49% of total unit sales for ‘Avatar’ were generated by the Blu-ray/DVD combo disc with the remaining sales coming from the DVD – a significantly higher Blu-ray ratio than any other major release to date,” Nielsen informs.With such amazing sales, perhaps it comes as little surprise that Fox is trying to squash negative buzz rising because of a complaints page set up by Amazon specifically for “Avatar.” According to many angry fans who have bought the Blu-ray Disc, their player will not run the film because of issues with the DRM. Fox initially responded to this by telling them they needed to download new firmware that would fix a glitch in the DRM software of the player. Even that changed nothing in terms of some players’ refusal to run the film.Ironically enough, it’s precisely these issues that have made illegal downloads of “Avatar” flourish, says Contact Music citing TorrentFreak. “TorrentFreak.com observed on Tuesday that Avatar ‘is on its way to becoming the most pirated Blu-ray film to date.’ It counted more than 200,000 downloads in the first four days following the film’s release on Blu-ray and noted that ‘DRM issues... could also have boosted download numbers a little’,” Contact Music states.
Topic: DRM screws everyone out of their money again! but the Pirates benefit from it.. (Read 1809 times)