When digital file-sharing via the Internet first made its tenuous inroads toward mainstream consumer acceptance, I did what I normally do in these situations. Extrapolated wildly on the potential application of such technology taken to extremes. I pictured a global cultural datasphere of all of our planet's film, music, books and art accessible by anyone, anywhere, at any time.
I'm admittedly prone to such sci-fi flights of fancy when I first
perceive the potential of a new technology. In the first giddy rush of
these daydreams, I imagine a world in which corporations behave
ethically, governments serve efficiently, and society as a whole
functions with humane, progressive, enlightened self-interest.Then comes the inevitable bum out when I remember that the real world doesn't function that way. Science and art do not exist in a vacuum; they are part of the fabric of our civilization and intricately linked with social, legal, ethical and -- most conspicuously -- economic concerns. The global cultural datasphere, if it ever comes to pass, will not be pioneered by scientists and artists. It will be assembled, bit by profitable bit, by business and sales people.
Such as it is. All of this high-minded reflection was prompted by news that Amazon.com is launching a beta version of its new Video on Demand service this week. Like similar initiatives being developed by Apple, Netflix, Google and Microsoft, Amazon's Video on Demand is essentially yet another attempt at delivering TV shows and movies via the Internet in a way that makes sense.
Amazon says it will launch with a library of 40,000 titles. As with the competition, they will only be able to offer content from the movie studios and TV networks they have partnered with, so there's no one-stop shopping. (Disney and ABC, for instance, are partnered with Apple instead.) One significant aspect of the Amazon system: You can buy a TV show or movie without actually downloading the video file. Amazon keeps your purchases in what it calls “Your Video Library.” You can then watch your show whenever you return to Amazon, even from a different computer or device.
So, that's good, and it neatly sidesteps the problem of piracy, which is a major speed bump in this area. One step closer to the datasphere ideal, Keep the dream alive, friends.
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