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Non-Tech : The New Iomega '2000' Discussion Group

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To: Rocky Reid who wrote (1476)7/6/1999 10:56:00 PM
From: Bill Fischofer  Read Replies (1) of 5023
 
Re: DVD Audio

1. Even if we assume that DVD audio will be a success we're looking at a ten-year migration period (similar to how long it took CDs to displace LPs) during which time music will continue to be released in both CD and DVD formats it it wants to have any market. During this period MP3s will continue to be created from the CD versions no matter what mechanisms are in place to "protect" the DVD versions.

2. Given the growth in computing power during that time, it is reasonably to assume that software codecs for any 1990s-vintage encoding scheme hardwired into the DVD-audio spec will be easily within the scope of entry-level PCs long before the migration period is over.

3. CD-audio is storage and music is just another form of software. That's the real revolution that MP3 has wrought. The solution isn't a fancier storage medium (DVD vs. CD) but rather facing the reality of the situation. SDMI is the music industry's equivalent of the software industry's ill-fated attempts with draconian copy-protection schemes of a decade ago. Those efforts failed in the market with programs and they will face a similar fate with music.

It is the consumer who ultimately decides the market success or failure of any technology and the consumer has already voted for MP3. To change this vote requires providing a compelling consumer benefit in any proposed alternative. By that measure a less-flexible, higher-priced alternative to CDs will face daunting challenges. Presumably DVD Audio will feature a slightly higher bitrate than CD Audio which will yield marginally better sound, but I doubt if that will be sufficient to convince many people to trash their CD collections in favor of DVD. I'm sure DVD players will continue to play CDs, but unless there is a compelling reason to buy DVDs there will be little incentive to buy the players when ordinary CD players suffice.

I do not condone piracy. I simply observe the reality of the situation. The reality is that the music industry has been gouging the public with excessive pricing on CDs since their inception and MP3 is the mechanism that the market has chosen to correct that situation. It's long overdue.
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