Just got my DirecTV bill which mentions how, from now on, pay-per-view videos will self-destruct from my DVR after 24 hours (they used to remain indefinitely). This wasn't a surprise, as it was reported ages ago.
Sad and amusing really: the PPV offerings are already more expensive (by 2x) than the video store 4 minutes from my house. Oh, but PPV has second-run films that aren't on video, and it's more convenient.
But they're not competing with the video store, are they?
BitTorrent has first-run films and is even more convenient, and the films stick around as long as they want. Oh and they have gorgeous HD specimens with an open codec and no HDCP, special video cards, fancy cables, strange monitors, blah blah blah.
And if I'm going the PPV route, and I really wanted to keep the PPV videos from the DVR, I could just push the record button on the attached DVD recorder, which records in the clear, obviating any CSS-based, DMCA-granted restrictions (beyond the normal copyright restrictions) that might get in the way of my time- and place- shifting.
Those DirecTV guys and the Hollywood schemers who thought this up are so smart, I want to know what they're eating for breakfast so I can get some too.
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