On “Open-Pricing” Anime Downloads
I doubt that this will ever happen, but it occured to me that it would be very interesting if a site hosting official “open pricing” episode downloads had a public tally of downloads, contributors, and amount of money donated. It would be interesting to see if the web’s anime fan community really is willing to put its money where its mouth is, or if only a small handfull of contributors actually donate. Furthermore, I think that a public system like this would be a fascinating and useful way to literally reveal exactly what American fans want. For example, perhaps episodes with unusually high animation quality reveal more donations or larger amounts while “filler” episodes or episodes with noticably poor production quality get significantly fewer donations or smaller monetary amounts. Production studios could look at those results and easily see what fans like and want to support. At the same time, fans could see that their contributions are literally expressing their precise thoughts about the quality and content of individual episodes.
On a side note, I’m amused that Crunchyroll’s downloadable versions of Blassreiter and Druaga are described as “DRM-free” while the download pages also state, “Please do not share this file illegally! Information will be embedded into the downloaded file that can be traced back to your purchase.” Since the file has identifiable digital rights information encoded into it, it’s not DRM free. I don’t object to Gonzo protecting its property, but I do object to Crunchyroll’s false advertising. Furthermore, I find it highly ironic that Crunchyroll demands that downloaders not share video files illegally while the site itself continues to share thousands of video files illegally.
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Since the files only contain personally identifiable information that is gathered as a measure to ensure legality and to protect themselves, that isn’t considered DRM in the most academic sense.
When someone states that the file is DRM free, the file is free of specific encryption that would only allow it to function on a specific platform.
On to my main point:
The open pricing model only works if the shows themselves are worthy to pay for to begin with. As one of the more tolerant anime fans with no real aversion to anything, I still don’t see why anyone should pay for Blassreiter when the show itself is just BAD all around. I couldn’t find anything to like about the show at all, and I like MD Geist!
I did pay $30 for the Tower of Druaga and felt it was worthy of buying because the story, while being conventional medieval fare managed to keep me entertained. I’m rather happy that the high quality files lend themselves to being easily converted for use into other formats since I own an iPod Touch.
As for CruncyRoll asking for its users to not share these files while hosting others, it’s just standard legal fare and not indicative of any real demands from the company. Think YouTube before the Google purchase.
It’s not DRM, as stated above. Furthermore, that information can easily be removed as the ID string is stored in the AVI’s comment area (a quick HEX erase can do the job, maybe even some AVI editing program). If you want to share the file with your friends or family members, you can do so; no software/hardware device is stopping you from doing that.