Archive for November 26th, 2007

Monday, November 26th, 2007

UOP-Ting Out of DVD Prohibitions

I love Entourage, the hit series about Vinny Chase, a star actor, and his three high-school buddies in Los Angeles. While I’m not fortunate enough to get HBO, I follow the series regularly on DVD.

Most recently, I finally received the two box sets that make up Season 3 as a birthday present and popped them in the DVD player yesterday to settle in for an Entourage marathon.

The next thing I know, I’m watching an HBO promo for its other television shows (and DVD boxed sets, of course). I try to get past it by hitting the menu button, fast forward button and virtually every other button on my remote control, but have no luck. The HBO promo concludes, but is immediately followed by another segment, a preview of a new show on HBO, Flight of the Conchords, again, which can’t be skipped.

It seems I’ve stumbled upon the misuse of a User Operation Prohibition (UOP), a sneaky little provision snuck into the DVD specification through which a DVD can expressly prohibit fast-forwarding. Originally intended for the ubiquitous FBI warning, manufacturers–led by Disney, among others–have decided that preventing their users from getting to the content they have paid to view is good business.

Unfortunately, they’re 100% wrong. Look, I know that HBO produces some great shows; I’m a Entourage devotee, my sisters are just finally getting over their Sex and the City obsessions and my parents are still pondering the mysterious end to The Sopranos. Between the five of us, we’ve purchased a large number of boxed sets over the years to both review and archive our favorite shows.

When I purchase a license to own a copy of a movie or television show (e.g. a DVD), however, I expect to be able to watch as much or as little of it as I want. If I can’t stand another Drama soliloquy, it’s my right to skip it. Similarly, if I don’t have time to sit through the 5 minutes of required promos and previews, to require me to do so only makes me less likely to buy another DVD from your company again.

Luckily, some organizations like the Electronic Freedom Foundation have been to arguing on behalf of consumers for some time. They’ve yet to make substantial progress yet, but deserve the support of movie fans nonetheless for fighting the good fight. I wish them luck; until then, I just have to hope HBO makes its way to iTunes sometime soon.

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