The next disc that presents unusual behavior is the slightly more memorable Casino Royale. This behavior was similar, the movie starts playing and then the DVD player says there is an error on the disc and it cannot be played. You can eject the disc and try again, but it only repeats the error. It seems the only way to really get the movie to play is to simply hit Play again after the error about the disc being unplayable.

Is this what viewers should expect from other discs published by Sony Pictures? What other kind of random playback failures should be anticipated?

My guess is that these kinds of defects have been added to the media in an effort to prevent users from creating digital copies of the films. The only thing this has actually accomplished is to leave me with the impression that Sony movies are substandard quality that will generally be difficult to play.

Rather than purchase music in the store, give me the option to purchase a license to a song. When this purchase is executed, my Music License Card is credited with the license and I can then go online to any number of providers and download MP3 or WMA files for these songs. It is also possible to visit a music store and purchase a copy of the songs on the media of my choice (CD, DVD, SACD). Certainly, these transactions can be executed simultaniously for me when buying music at a popular vendor; however, in all cases the Music License Card is required to establish access to the entertainment content being purchased.

What does this mean? It means when my CD collection is outdated by another format it is possible to upgrade to this new format by purchasing the media and getting my music onto it. It also provides the level of flexibility needed in a digital world, where my Music License Card can be registered on my home PC and my PVR to provide digital music content in either location.

Licenses can be grandfathered based on current media ownership. If you own a CD and would like a license to the music on that disc, simply return the disc to the publisher and your account will be credited with a license based on the content of the media.

The iPod has taught consumers that music is not the media itself but the content. Songs sound as good on the iPod as they do on the computer, a USB thumb drive at work or from my CD player in the stereo at home. Providing a licensing strategy that will give consumers the flexibility to explore their favorite songs on a wide variety of media is paramount to the survival of the record company.