DVDs: Add-Ons or Bygones?

DVDs: Add-Ons or Bygones?

Peter Dean, University of Bedfordshire, UK <peter.deanSPAMFILTER@beds.ac.uk>

There are no related objects.

Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, Vol. 13, No. 2

SAGE Publications

This debate article explores some of the possibilities for the future of the DVD form as a distribution medium for mainstream movies within a UK/USA context. Whilst analogies are being made between the VHS/Betamax format war of the 1980s and the emergence of two rival next-generation DVD formats (Blu-ray and HD-DVD), it is clear that the future of the DVD is now much more complex than the identification of a dominant new and higher-capacity format. The emergence of domestic broadband and authorized movie downloading may challenge the role of the DVD as a distribution medium. At the same time, unauthorized downloading, Web 2.0 and renewed debates around intellectual property rights and legislative jurisdiction are challenging the foundations of film making and distribution. These trends in DVD and online movie consumption suggest, in particular, that DVD add-ons may be a short-lived transitory phenomenon rather than a continuing and integral part of movie consumption in the home.

BitTorrent, DVD rental, DVD ripping, fair use, file sharing, iTunes, peer to peer, YouTube