[MPlayer-users] Re: Rescuing a scratched DVD

[HR]

> [mailto:mplayer-users-bounces at mplayerhq.hu] On Behalf Of 
[...]
> You seem to be advocating increased government regulation 
> over the film
> production industry, specifically price controls.
Actually not, I was appealing to the good and generous hearts of the
people in the movie industry and the actors, that they all charge less
for their services... And ofcourse to the fact than usually, when
someone is making "too much" money from doing something, someone else
starts doing it too, but they charge less for it. Ensuring real
competition. Usually. A better model for the people delivering those
services is ofcourse to charge the same price, so they can all get rich.

> 
> Yet in your previous post,
> 
> > It's a widely acknowledged fact (at least among intellectuals in my
> > country) that extensive micromanagement of the population 
> by laws and
> > criminalizing the common man by passing laws that most people do not
> > agree upon or understand [does not benefit the population.]
First of all, regulating a small part (the movie/music industry) for the
better of a greater good (the population) does not contradict the above.
Second of all, there is already implemented such control, through the
gov. apt. agency mentioned earlier. They just need to do their job
"better" (a subjective statement from our perspective, since the movie
industry probably are quite happy with the job being done).

[...]
> In the United States, there is the FTC.  But it does not seem that
> there is a actually any collusion among the film companies to keep the
> price up, nor is there a monopoly (rather, there is an oligopoly.)
We're going into syntax discussions here, but IMHO, when there is no
real competition (for example, when all the operators in a certain
market charges the same (high) price for a service), there is in reality
something that very much feels like monopoly for the consumer. The
problem is actually *proving* that there is price cooperation going on,
a tall order indeed. AFAIK music CD's/DVD's and movie DVD's cost the
same in the stores regardless of what label they come from, which
should've raised an eyebrow or two.

[...]
> But, I do not see price controls as likely fixing much; rather,
> competition is the only viable, efficient way to have reduced prices
> both at cinemas and for DVDs.
I agree on this completely, and IMHO the previously mentioned gov.apt.
agency does not do their job well enough in this respect (not in
regulating the prices, which I agree is not a good way, but in ensuring
real competition). Hence, there is no proper competition. I state this
from the fact that the price for specifically a music CD increases so
much before it hits the consumer, compared to production costs and
manufacturing, that it compares to e.g. coffee beans imported from the
3rd world.

HR