Making copies of protected DVD media is complicated process conducted over dark fiber and only by the hacker elite, or is it? A new survey conducted by Futuresource Consulting shows that in reality, more than one in three US & UK residents have owned up to making copies of content they didn’t own. These numbers are up sharply from the one in four self proclaimed pirates surveyed during the previous year. The results tell the true story of what keeps Hollywood executives up at night. Is the movie industry doomed to suffer the same collapse facing music labels?
Readers of Maximum PC know all the tricks of the trade when it comes to getting the most out of their media libraries. But the reality is even the average home user is now capable of easily copying protected media and is doing so at alarming rates. Inexpensive or often free utilities make this once painfully difficult task little more then a few simple clicks. Hollywood blockbusters are the most popular target in the US, with rent and rip being the most common form of piracy. The UK on the other hand has shown a preferred taste for TV show duplication with around 61% anonymously owning up to the deed. The most shocking statistic however is that of lost sales. On average seven of ten consumers surveyed admitted they would have considered buying some, if not all of the content illegally copied had they not been able to easily copy.
The survey makes one fact painfully clear, video piracy is definitely on the rise. Another trend to take note of here is the stunning similarity between the survey results and what was observed during the early days of the music industry’s decline. Piracy of music reached critical mass with the birth of the mp3. As the container format gained steam and consumers found it an efficient way to store and distribute digital copies of their music, sales began their downward march. Are movies far behind? With DVD duplication already on the rise, and container formats such as MPEG-4 making video storage more efficient, the film and TV industry is showing very similar warning signals. Once again consumers are showing that they have no problem defusing DRM, and they will ultimately decide how to consume media.
Links:
[1] http://www.maximumpc.com/user/justinkerr_0
[2] http://www.futuresource-consulting.com/
[3] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/how_to_stream_any_video_your_xbox_360_playstation_3_and_nintendo_wii
[4] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/dvd_copy_5_platinum
[5] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/consumer_electronics
[6] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/dvd
[7] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/movies
[8] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/mpaa
[9] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/piracy
[10] http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/news
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