Home Theater/Media PC and associated psycho-babble

by Grant

(posted only on blogspot)

    I have built a Media Center PC. I used the mythtv via mythdora as the software and then I purchased compatible hardware to go along with it. But I was thinking that this is so cool everyone should do it, or rather, you should be able to buy one cheaply. I'm using my setup to rip movies and provide content w/out getting the actual dvd out of the case. I've also thrown on all my wma and mp3 files and pictures for good measure. Once you have something like this, you just want to improve it and do more and more. But it's hard. Ripping movies is technically illegal, but the MPAA freely admits that they don't care about Joe User doing it. They're paranoid about rampant piracy. It seems so silly to me because they are limiting their audience with all their DRM measures. Music is the same. If I want to buy an album, I will buy a CD and rip it because 1) I have a hard backup 2) I have the absolute best quality 3) I can put it on any MP3 player out there. I can play it on  linux, MAC, Windows, Zune, iPod, etc. etc. etc. You can't do that with a song from iTunes. At least, not without violating other laws. The fact of the matter is that there will always be ways to circumvent laws and hackers will implement those. But most people aren't hackers and by restricting them you just irritate them. And by making it so if you buy a song, you can't move that song to another MP3 player later you just alienate your audience. If the RIAA had been quicker on the ball (by about 10 years) then we wouldn't have MP3 players today. The MPAA with the DMCA  has prevented Media Center PCs for the masses which I think is  a shame. And don't get me started with the stupidity of Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD. Those should just be different codecs distributed via purely digital means. I'm sure as H-E double hockey sticks not going to buy a $1000 player that'll turn into a stupid Betamax down the road. Bring on the commie dvd from China. Maybe a couple billion people can help move the market from accepting such inane stupidity.