IBM Files Patent for Commercial Supported DVDs
If you’re like most folks, you hate commercials, and when they come on you either flip the channel or use the time to take a bathroom or snack break. One of the reasons TV show DVDs have become so popular is their lack of commercials. Many sets do come with a trailer advertising upcoming releases, but it’s easily skipped. Well, IBM is hoping to change that. They have filed a patent for a method of making DVDs that lets the manufacturer or studio-not the viewer-decide if the view will see ads or even if the presentation on the DVD (a television show, movie, concert, etc) would be seen free of commercial interruption. A certificate on the DVD would be checked automatically when the disk is inserted into a player.
That’s right folks. This little invention would periodically interrupt the DVD you’re watching to play commercials, just like on TV. I expect that if this type of DVD ever makes it to market, there will be quite a backlash. It’s not surprising that this type of technology is being developed though. DVRs, DVD players, and DVDs themselves have made a sharp dent in ad revenue Anyone who has a DVR will tell you they love the ability to skip past commercials, and any TV fan will tell you the best part of TV show DVDs, present and classic, is their lack of ads and lack of editing to insert them. It’s becoming a real problem for advertisers and now they are beginning to fight back.
Would I buy a show on one of these new commercial cluttered DVDs? I really don’t know. It it was a show I loved and couldn’t get in any other format, probably. Otherwise, probably not. We’re inundated with enough ads everyday as it is. Is it really too much to ask to watch a DVD in ad free piece? Maybe so.
dvds, tv on dvd, dvd players, dvd drives, dvrs, ibm
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