So I’m reading the May 12th issue of CRN magazine (a trade magazine for technology integrators and VARs; I have no idea how I got subscribed, but if gives me something to read at work when I’m taking a… break) and I came across an article on page 34 titled “Neil Young Rocks Java One.” Now, it’s not uncommon to read about Java-related topics in this magazine so I didn’t think too much about the headline until today when I was taking another… break, and actually got around to reading the short article.
Neil Young is working on a comprehensive, interactive audio/video look at his 40 years in music and was at Sun’s Java One convention to tow the line for BD-J, the Java technology used on Blu-ray discs. As I read that, I thought to myself “You know, that’s a very good fit with Blu-ray as you’ve got enhanced capacity, a decent feature set, and you’re able to bring interactivity into it with BD-J” but what almost made me crap my pants (fortunately, since I was taking a… break, my pants were already around my ankles — sheesh, enough of that already, I was dropping a deuce at work, okay?) was the aspect Neil Young was most excited about.
When asked what the best part of the project was, Neil Young replied “It’s not static. Maybe there’s stuff we’ve missed, but we can add things because it’s Java-enabled.” Wowsers! Something tells me Neil Young thinks exactly what he said, but what I read was “Maybe we can ship videos now and patch them later just like software…” No thanks! I’m already sick and tired enough of the ship-n-patch mentality software developers have forced upon us, I don’t want to be watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull v1.3… waitaminute, maybe I would like to see that movie patched a few times. Oh, I’m so torn. Part of me thinks we’d no longer have to suffer with the perpetual perfectionist who never releases their movie until it’s absolutely perfect, another part of me says maybe we can finally see an end to 15 different versions of same frickin’ Star Wars or Lord of the Rings movies being released with minor tweaks, while yet a third part of me realizes that George Lucas is still alive… and if they somehow enforce mandatory patches (You cannot watch this movie until you install the 1.03 patch!) then he could effectively monkey with my movies and ruin my childhood memories after I’ve already purchased them!
I know, I know, I’m being a little facetious on my portrayal of the possibilities, but this is a slippery slope we’re approaching with the ability to effectively patch audio and video after it ships as well. If we soften deadlines with the “patch it later” mentality, deadlines for production on these types of products will soften and the customers may end up paying in the end. What do you guys thing? Patching Blu-ray movies, good idea or a sign of the impending Apocalypse?
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6 responses so far ↓
1 Shadowbird // Jun 18, 2008 at 9:22 am
The ability to patch things afterwards is a power. Just as any power, it can be used for both what could generally be considered evil (forced control over a purchased medium) and good (offering a choice fixes, DLC-extras and such like). Unfortunately, the way things are going lately (i.e. – constant attempts by creators/owners to reduce as much as possible our freedom to do as we please with our own purchases), I don’t see this turning out for the good of the “receiving end” (end-users).
2 mashed_penguin // Jun 18, 2008 at 9:25 am
I think it has both good possibilities and bad. I doubt it would be abused in the way that you describe. The vast majority of film productions are controled with extremely strict deadlines towards the end of post production.
Changes are often made to the DVD release usually to try and stimulate sales. These changes are usualy pretty minor.
It is only the extreme Auter direectors like George Lucas (as you mentioned) that could abuse the system.
It could offer the possibilities of alternate cuts of a movie all being available on a single disc. It would be pretty cool to buy a disc and later down the road to be able to download a patch to make the directorcs cut. As long as I’m not being forced into watching a version different to the one on the disc I don’t really have a problem with it.
3 lio // Jun 18, 2008 at 10:05 am
bad idea… horribly bad idea…
I don’t know, call me “old school” but when I watch movies I do so because I want a passive experience and witness a story… I don’t want interactive movies… let alone streamed product placement which apparently some people think is a great way of utilizing the BD java thingy.
Also the idea of “patching” movies sounds horrible to me - however I don’t see why any label would do it… you already spent your money on the movie why should they spend money on fixing it up?
However just the thought alone makes me shudder… imagine you are watching a movie with someone else who hasn’t seen it yet and you go: “now, pay attention, there’s something cool about to happen…” “…oh well… last time it was still there…”
4 Sean "Rothbart" Workman // Jun 18, 2008 at 10:15 am
@lio: LOL at the “last time it was still there…” comment.
5 Gadget2000 // Jun 18, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Apocalypse. Definitely apocalypse.
6 Peguinfury // Jun 19, 2008 at 12:40 am
PLEASE NO! Bad idea, bad idea! I like machines that you buy and don’t need the internet to get new stuff for it. Not patches that force you to have to hook it up to the internet. Besides, it is enevitable that some blu-ray players aren’t going to have internet, such as old people. What are they going to do when they can’t watch the movie they just bough because it need a patch? They won’t even know what a patch is!
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