Does Legal Online Video Content Delivery Exist?

RingDev asks: "I'm working on a system integration project for my CIS capstone. One of the systems we are integrating is a Windows MCE PVR. One of the topics that came up implementing a movie on demand or rental system using an existing online content provider. But the question we have run into is, are there any? Is the only option for online video content (TV shows, movies) P2P and BT clients? Is there no company out there that handles licensing and provides DRM'd content?"

Comments

Re:Counterintuitive

[sl956]

I said: "DRM systems don't work."
You replied: "I disagree."

So let's see your argumnents to disagree :

There will always be people who break DRMs. Look at DeCCS, by your logic, every signle DVD released should have been immediately pirated and made as available as public domain. But they weren't. Why? because it's too much of a hassle. Why deal with multiple clients, crappy searchs, fake files, and days worth of waiting to get a movie that you could drive down to the video store and picked up for $2?

If I may rephrase: people who could get things for free illegaly on the net still go buy it in shops because it is easier. I would add "and because most people given a choice prefer the legal way". And why do you say it is easier? no "multiple clients, crappy searchs, fake files, and days worth of waiting" I agree 100% with those reasons but they have everything to do with a better distribution and nothing to do with copy protection (aka DRM). You proved nothing here about the need or effectiveness of DRM.

Look at iTunes. Personally, I think their specific DRM sucks donkey balls. BUT, all they did was provide a way for consumers to easily and legally aquire content online. And now it is a multi-million dollar revenue source for Apple. This should be a screaming fireball of a wake up call for veture capitalist to invest in DRMs and content delivery.

If I may rephrase: people offered a mean of buying content online legaly are happy to do it. I agree with that too. And I agree that "This should be a screaming fireball of a wake up call for veture capitalist to invest in [...] content delivery." But why do you write "DRMs and content delivery"? Apples DRM is so ineffective (just burn, it's gone) that they are in fact selling DRM free content. Once more you proved nothing about the need or effectiveness of DRM.

Imagine an international open standard DRM.

I can imagine it as easily as I can imagine a magic carpet.
What I wouldn't do is to build a business model on such a dream.

You could even advance the DRM technology and maintain the standard API. So if someone ever cracks the DRM, you can patch it with out having to re-write all of the readers and delivery system.

I see: single vendor control, centralized user database, single point of failure... Great!
And one last thing: never say "if someone ever cracks the DRM", say "when". And remember the answer to that question is probably "yesterday" (except if your product is still vaporware... as it seems)