Piracy the end of media industry?

[Jake]

15 years ago, 16MB of portable disk space was unheard of.  Today (15 measly years later), I own a 2TB USB external hard-drive.  Don't ask that kind of question, you never know.

You're talking about a linear progression of technology that was bound to happen. Re-producing raw materials without scarcity is a whole different and MUCH more complex science. I'm not saying it's not possible, but it isn't plausible and won't be for some time to come.

I think the point was that, don't be so sure on the 'for some time to come' part. 

I don't doubt our technological abilities, but do you understand what it would take to basically re-create an object with all the necessary and rare materials right from our own homes? The only way I see this working is if people could go to the store and buy packs of material that you install at home, which allow you to print schematics that you bought. Not only does this start to complicate things that aren't that complicated to begin with (aka, buying hardware from a manufacturer or store), but it would end up being a huge mother-!@#$ing waste of natural resources. To top that off, what company in their right minds wants to give the consumer control of the hardware? Don't tell me you don't see a huge, HUGE, problems with that.

Possible, but not even close to being plausible.

[T-Rok]

Well, with how small everything is getting, if things keep getting smaller it would be quite simple. xD Now, while getting the resources is impossible as you said, all that is *really* needed is one, a conductor and two, an insulator. While this is currently impractical, I could see 2 materials being invented specifically for this use, it is what would most likely be done first. The machine would have to have the ability to convert the insulator into different forms varying from soft to hard. So essentially society would have to eventually convert to all products being made of only 2 materials. Kind of like you see in Tron. Except thats a poor example of what I mean. But everything in Tron is either a glowy line, or a single colour. So it gets my 2 material point through. You could almost never have an object be cloned by a machine, that is improbable. But if you had say a "blue print" (pun intended) you can insert it into your material printer and it would read this blue print. Now while this is highly improbably for at home use do too cost. A company with access to this kind of technology could increase production rates probably by ten fold. I had a lot more for this running through my head but I can't seem to remember anymore.. (I have short term memory loss >.>) So if I remember anything else I'll continue on this strange idea of mine. xD

[Matty_Richo]

Just too add in my 2 cents, nothing is really being done to reduce it (at least not in Australia) faster and bigger internet is getting cheaper, it isn't being enforced, torrent sites are growing, pirating things is as easy as doing a Google search. In my opinion, if people cared that much they could be doing something about it.

[Chaos]

15 years ago, 16MB of portable disk space was unheard of.  Today (15 measly years later), I own a 2TB USB external hard-drive.  Don't ask that kind of question, you never know.

You're talking about a linear progression of technology that was bound to happen. Re-producing raw materials without scarcity is a whole different and MUCH more complex science. I'm not saying it's not possible, but it isn't plausible and won't be for some time to come.

I think the point was that, don't be so sure on the 'for some time to come' part. 

I don't doubt our technological abilities, but do you understand what it would take to basically re-create an object with all the necessary and rare materials right from our own homes? The only way I see this working is if people could go to the store and buy packs of material that you install at home, which allow you to print schematics that you bought. Not only does this start to complicate things that aren't that complicated to begin with (aka, buying hardware from a manufacturer or store), but it would end up being a huge mother-!@#$ing waste of natural resources. To top that off, what company in their right minds wants to give the consumer control of the hardware? Don't tell me you don't see a huge, HUGE, problems with that.

Possible, but not even close to being plausible.

Thinking too small, bro.

@Matty:  That's just it;  There's really nothing you CAN do, short of taking extremely drastic measures that would !@#$ up far more things than it would fix.

[Lingus]

To top that off, what company in their right minds wants to give the consumer control of the hardware? Don't tell me you don't see a huge, HUGE, problems with that.

That was actually my whole point in bringing this up. It would take digital piracy, and turn it into a problem where people can actually pirate physical products. You can bet the companies that make these products would have an issue with it.

[ARTgames]

Nah I don't think piracy will be the end of media industry. There are lots of people who make media and get payed with ads or merchandise or both. And piracy does not really effect them. For example a lot of internet shows work like this. Like Rev3 or Twit or AVGN and the list goes on like with you tube partnerships.

Now will traditional media I'm not sure but I think it will live. They will come up with a way to make us pay for it.