All Your Programs Are Belong to Us!

The MPAA has managed to get its DRM law before Congress. The Digital Flag will make TiVo-ing, or digitally recording, TV shows and movies impossible. It will also make backing up DVDs you already own impossible.

The MPAA has suggested that movie piracy has stopped you and I from going to the pictures. Let's see: It costs $8-12 to get into a theater. It costs about the same for a drink, and about the same for a snack, and about the same for a Snickers bar. Let's face it, the theater owner has such a slim margin on the film that we have to take out a loan for snacks. Or as Fark put it: "The two biggest movie theater chains are merging. Plan to offer low-interest loans so patrons can buy tickets and popcorn."

Worse, some studios are selling DVDs in Asia for $3, and here for $20.

So now, the entertainment industry is trying to get us to stop recording things that come into our home, that we pay for. They would be happy if they could figure out a way to stop us from ripping the CDs we bought.

Just to give you an example, I just purchased the Reno 911 second Season DVD collection. I love that show. Anyway, I spent $30 for 8 hours of tv. Thats about $3.75 per hour. Comedy Central is owned by Paramount. Paramount owns Star Trek. The first 26 episode season of Star Trek Enterprise lists for $130. That's $5 per hour. No fucking wonder the studios want to stop you from recording shows!

Just for giggles, here are some price per hour (based on list price) of recent DVD releases:

Frasier - $3.33
24 - $2.50
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - $3.33
Farscape - $3.57
The OC - $2.92
M*A*S*H - $2.76
The Dukes of Hazzard - $1.82
Star Trek - $5.19
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2- $6.36
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - $4.83
Star Trek: Voyager - $5.00

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is looking out for us. But they need our help. Let's stop the corporations from defining how we live.