Finding a DVD to use for the assignment for Module $ was as easy as going to the entertainment center and pulling “Total Recall” from the shelf. I had purchased the DVD some time back when it was on sale at one of the local video rental stores. I’ve thought of watching some videos using VOD, but my internet service provider has yet to provide enough speed and bandwidth to make the experience of watching a video at home enjoyable. This is not the case at the university where I watch. (I guess I must confess that I’ve spend a few lunch breaks in my office watching some a couple “Flash Forward” episodes I’ve missed on ABC.)
I think the DVD and VOD competition is an example of Red Queens trying to keep ahead in the game. According to Thornburg, a Red Queen situation involves huge competition between two technologies. Both the DVD and VOD technologies are competing to provide higher and higher quality video and audio to the consumers, the same way there was competition between the HDDVD and Blue Ray technology. It seems that Blue Ray won the battle. I suspect that eventually VOD will win the competition with DVD. Video on demand will allow the consumer to have greater flexibility in choosing what to purchase. For example, rather than purchasing or renting an entire season of TV programming in order to catch up on a couple episodes, the consumer will be able to order up just the shows they want to watch. The DVD and VOD technologies are in much the same competition.
When Thomas Hawk wrote in his blog about “The Staying Power of DVD vs. VOD” in 2005, he concluded that DVDs will be around for a while. It is true that DVDs are very portable and easy to obtain. I agree with him that it would be good if all electronic entertainment were available on demand. But from my own personal experiences I am glad to still have the DVD available to me. I think that until the bandwidth and speed of data transfer is universally up to the requirements for a good VOD experience, the DVD or Blue Ray DVD will be the media of choice. Even though my internet speed is not what I’d like it to be, homes two blocks down from my home have even slower speeds to contend with. How long this will take to make VOD universally viable is up to the economics of the situation. Right now, it is not economically feasible for my ISP to cross the street with their fiber optics.
Reference:
Hawk, T. (April 23, 2005). The staying power of the dvd vs. vod. Message posted to http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/2005/04/23/the-staying-power-of-the-dvd-vs-vod/ .
Thornburg, D. (2009). Red Queens [Podcast]. In Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) Emerging and future technology.
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Gary you have given a very good assessment of the two technologies and the possible results at the end of that war. The end does not appear as soon as most people believe. The DVD can be viewed over and over while some VOD providers give you only 24 hours to view.
ReplyDeleteThe cost of very good bandwidth is relatively high and it cost less to own a DVD player than to own o computer. I suspect some reinvention taking place in the DVD industry. But great argument Gary
Lawrence,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments about the costs of a DVD player compared to that of a computer. In the end it will be economic issues such as these as well as factors such as how long the viewer will have access to the VOD or the ability to download and store the VOD content. It will be interesting to see how things shake out in the end.
Great comments and observations, Lawrence.