Studio executives would like you to believe that HD-DVD and Blu-ray represent the future of the DVD, but according to Ad-Jab it also represents the future of advertising. In a move sure to infuriate fans everywhere, HD-DVD is going to start including enhanced advertising content on the extra space that HD-DVD discs allow for.
The only thing more controversial then the ads that the studios make you watch when you buy a DVD are the ads that movie theaters force on you when you go see a film. The advertisements that you can opt out of, or skip past don’t bother me quite as much, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rented a movie and have then been forced to sit through some lousy spot that I have no interest in.
It would be one thing if the DVD was free, but when I’m paying hard earned cash for premium content, it’s just not right double dip into advertising as well.
The HD-DVD and Blu-ray has been celebrated for their higher disc capacity, but if the studios plan on filling up that capacity with a bunch of spammy ads, it’s going to give consumers one more reason to take a pass on the technology. The strategy for HDTV DVDs has been a failure from the start and if the HD-DVD and Blu-ray camps can’t figure a way out of their stalemate, they risk being made largely irrelevant by video on demand. With the Xbox 360 now offering HDTV downloads, it is only a matter of time before we see VOD technology more broadly adopted.
It’s already a tough sell to get someone to pay up the big bucks for access to HDTV DVD technology, but if they are now going to including ads, after early adopters have shelled out $1,000 for what could possibly be obsolete technology, you can bet that there will be a backlash. Hopefully, the studios will realize that they need to do something fast because everyday that delays the implementation of HDTV DVD technology is one less day that the studios will be able to justify charging $15 – $20 for a movie.
Davis Freeberg is a technology enthusiast living in the Bay Area. He enjoys writing about movies, music & and the impact that digital technology is having on traditional media. You can read more of his technology coverage at www.davisfreeberg.com.
It’s a wonder that companies are up in arms about ad-skipping on DVRs. Ultimately ads are going to run like they do on Internet video clips or DVD intros. That is, you won’t be able to skip through them.
Oh yeah, and remember when it used to be fun to get to the movies early to watch the previews? Getting there early isn’t so appealing now that it means sitting in front of 20 mins of commercials.