Module 5 Assignment: DVDs versus VODs

            The theory of Red Queens was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and describes the competition between two technologies (Thornburg, 2014g). In Through the Looking Glass, the queen says “in this world, you need to run as fast as you can to stay in place.” That same theory applies to technologies that emerge at the same time offering similar hardware and software capabilities. If one fails to keep up with the other, it will fall behind. Similarly, the theory of Increasing Returns suggests that when two similar technologies hit the market around the same time, one of them will just by chance capture people’s imagination more than the other and drive the other into extinction (Thornburg, 2014e).

            For a writing assignment in Module 4, we had to watch and discuss a film based on one of Philip K Dick’s novels. I had chosen Total Recall to analyze. In order to watch the video, I had the option of either buying the actual DVD from WalMart for the price of $12.99, rent it from a Redbox video terminal for $1.38 or watch it on Netflix for free using my Apple TV. I chose the latter of the three. My viewing choice is a prime example of the theory of Increasing Returns because the cheapest viewing option was preferred over leaving my house to purchase or rent the tangible DVD almost hinting at the future demise of the DVD all together due to popularity and convenience.

McLuhan’s Laws of Technology suggest that every medium simultaneously enhances, obsoletes, retrieves, and reverses other mediums whether or not it manifests (Thornburg, 2014f). As viewing format and delivery improves, the Video on Demand technology has the possibility of offering consumers instant views without ever having to leave their homes.

McLuhan’s Tetrad

Enhances: Video on Demand (VOD) movies not only enhance the quality of the video, but also provide consumers with various viewing options by streaming the video onto their televisions, computers, phones, tablets, or other devices.

The streaming video no longer requires the user to purchase and store the actual disc which requires an increasing monetary investment and amount of physical space.

Streaming video does not involve saving the videos to the actual device, but instead stores into the cloud storage system provided by the streaming provider. This makes it possible for the consumer to search, browse, watch, pause, and re-watch any VOD movie at their convenience for a small monthly premium of less than $10. 

Consumers no longer have to worry about the quality or player of the video becoming compromised due to damage from scratches or water.

This makes it possible for the consumer to search, browse, watch, pause, and re-watch any VOD movie at their convenience for a small monthly premium of less than $10. Consumers no longer have to worry about the quality or player of the video becoming compromised due to damage from scratches or water.

Obsolete: Similar to how popularity of Video on Demand and Redbox terminals forced video rental stores such as Hollywood Video  and Blockbuster Video into bankruptcy, it is quite possible for DVDs to experience the same fate.

Retrieval: The media library of most Video on Demand providers is quite similar to the video libraries once seen inside of actual video stores. However, rather than taking up aisles and thousands of square feet of space, the entire library is housed perfectly on screens as large as flat screens and as small as a phone’s screen.

Reversal: Despite the large amounts of cloud storage offered by Video on Demand, the service still requires an actual device for streaming video mimicking the necessity of the older VHS movie players that had to be plugged directly into the television.

 

References

Laureate Education. (2014e). David Thornburg: Increasing returns [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014f). David Thornburg: McLuhan’s Tetrad [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education. (2014g). David Thornburg: Red queens [Video File]. Baltimore, MD: Author.