HBO's Bob Zitter wants to call DRM "Digital Consumer Enablement"

As if DRM's current "Digital Rights Management" title wasn't enough of a euphemism, Bob Zitter, CTO of HBO (owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) wants to rename it "Digital Consumer Enablement" to reflect all the exciting things it "allows" consumers to do. Zitter argues that DCE sets up consumers "to use content in ways they haven't before," such as portable media playback. (Funny, we don't remember the entertainment industry helping us out much with that one.) "I don't want to use the term DRM any longer," he says. He noted that HBO has been holding back HD on Demand movies thanks to that pesky analog hole that the FCC requires for older displays, and it's quite clear that the irony of the situation is lost on him -- DRM isn't doing a whole lot of enabling right there. Rather than trusting customers, Zitter would rather change the name of the tech to make them feel better about jumping through hoops to appease the media gods. To his credit, Zitter is a proponent of burn-to-own DVDs and "early window exhibition" releases of HD movies, but it he'll have to do a little better than "DCE" to prove himself an enabler of the consumer.

[Via Slashdot]

[andy @ May 11th 2007 3:39PM]

So if something is dead, and he says it's alive, does that now make it alive?

or it's black and we rename it white, does that make it white or black?

or...

[Jeremy K. @ May 11th 2007 3:41PM]

Totally clueless...

[Rohit Kapur @ May 11th 2007 3:41PM]

You can dress up a donkey any way you like; it'll still be a donkey.

[Carlos @ May 11th 2007 3:43PM]

"Digital Consumer Enablement" ?

My well thought out response...

BWWWHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAA!!!

[Jason @ May 11th 2007 3:47PM]

I think Tony and the boys from New Jersey need to take this HBO exec out for an afternoon on the boat.

[R @ May 11th 2007 3:42PM]

Rejoice! This is the answer to all our DRM problems!

And while he's at it, have him declare that the war in Iraq is over and everyone is happy!

[wood @ May 11th 2007 3:44PM]

this was Zitter's second choice. He had to go with it once he learned I've already copied "Digital Consumer Sodomy."

Sorry, Bobby.

[akijikan @ May 11th 2007 3:44PM]

Hey lets let more dickforce executives come up with friendly names for stuff

[Carlos @ May 11th 2007 3:46PM]

"It might be better to just call a spade a spade (unless of course you are Don Imus.)"

Not even close to being funny.

[gray @ May 13th 2007 8:17AM]

wow that is amazing... the audacity!

[wmd @ May 11th 2007 3:48PM]

The White House has a job for this guy!

Maybe he could be the War Czar!

[hackaroxp @ May 11th 2007 3:49PM]

-Sorry, does your product have DCE?
-No, Sir, it doesn't.
-I'm no longer interested. (Hangs Up)
-WtF!?!

[J Ozer @ May 11th 2007 3:54PM]

I have been Digitally Consumer Enabled to buy a new $600 player so that new movie disks will play!

I have been Digitally Consumer Enabled to buy a new TV so that my new $600 player will play in HD!

[Cory @ May 11th 2007 3:50PM]

Wouldn't removing it completely give a lot more "enablement" to consumers?

[Todd @ May 11th 2007 3:53PM]

"Digital Consumer Enablement"!??!?! Oh come on. How the frack do people so utterly out of touch with the consumer get placed in these positions of power?

"Hey clueless billionaire - DRM is double-plus BAD!"

[EDomain @ May 11th 2007 4:04PM]

This guy must have woke up and said "I am going to put out a comment that will instantly make my name recognizable to everyone. And they will associate my name with everything that is vile, evil, and stupid in the world. Yes, I will do that today."

And if he had some PR puke write the statement for him, he should fire that guy double quick unless he wants cartoons on the Internet of him marrying a donkey or something

[MrKleen @ May 11th 2007 4:06PM]

clearly, Bob Zitter is insane 0_o

[JT_X @ May 11th 2007 4:12PM]

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

[Brandson @ May 11th 2007 4:18PM]

People who want to pirate content are going to do so whether there's DRM or not. Meanwhile, selling DRM-ladened media is just limiting the market and big publishers like to blame consumers for not eating it up and paying full-price for it. Limited access and copy rights reduces the value of the product because you can't play it when and where you want to, take it with you, transcode it, etc., but publishers haven't exactly figured out that bit yet either.

Hopefully we don't have to wait for all these old guys who run the publishers to retire and be replaced by people who get it before things change.

[TravistyOJ @ May 11th 2007 4:20PM]

What a wanker.

[mgamendez @ May 11th 2007 4:20PM]

Digital Consumer Enslavement

[Bhaughbb @ May 11th 2007 4:23PM]

Call me confused, but how does DRM (or his DCE) enable users to do more when it requires hardware or specific software to paly it back on devices they as the media creator approve. Where as non-DRMed media I can properly use my fair-use rights and convert freely to any playback device capable of playing that type of media (audio/video)?
I like the unrestricted ability to convert music and put it on my laptop to take to work, or my ipod to listen to on the car if that's where I choose to, or stream it over the network to my xbox360 as the music of choice in the background while I'm playing a game. Same concepts apply to movies/tv shows I have purchased, why can't I convert them to my laptop or ipod video to keep me or my company entertained while on a long trip?

DRM doesn't allow any of that from what I've observed/experienced.

[... @ May 11th 2007 4:36PM]

I don't get what they're trying to accomplish. Do they not notice that nearly no one knows what DRM stands for, just what it is? So now it would be DCE, and everyone would hate it the same.

Personally I didn't know what DRM stands for, and I've removed it off of many forms of multimedia multiple times, I don't think I'm the only one that didn't...

[TIMMAH! @ May 11th 2007 4:42PM]

Direct Consumer Enemas ...

[Neebs @ May 11th 2007 5:10PM]

What it allows consumers to do? You mean, all those movies and games and music with no DRM doesn't ACTUALLY work? Mo' like, Digital Consumer Disablement.

[James @ May 11th 2007 5:51PM]

"I don't want to use the term DRM any longer,"

At first, I didn't see "term" in the above sentence, and knew I must be hallucinating. Pretty ballsy to go from euphemism to downright doublespeak, though.

"Damnable Content Eviscerator"?

[l2k @ May 11th 2007 5:54PM]

The headline should have read: "HBO's Bob Zitter announces "I am an ass!"

[Roy @ May 11th 2007 6:42PM]

Good post Paul. I like how you can still stick to your guns while upper management at your parent company still doesn't understand how DRM "disables" customers and touts it's "plus" sides.

[andrew @ May 11th 2007 6:44PM]

And I want to call Bob Zitter 'Wendy' from this point onwards.

[tekdroid @ May 11th 2007 6:45PM]

changing the name won't change the fact that millions will have payed for a restricted product. But nice try, because words are powerful shapers of perception - and they can affect outcomes. But this one will go nowhere.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to watch a movie on my Digital Consumer Enabled device.

[Tavis @ May 11th 2007 6:48PM]

Enablement is a perfectly promulent word.

[David @ May 11th 2007 7:23PM]

Ah right, before DRM came along I couldn't play anything on a portable player. I forgot about that one.

[DaveG @ May 11th 2007 10:34PM]

Digital Rights Exist?

[G @ May 11th 2007 11:20PM]

This is what happens when you allow old, fat white men to be creative. Well, this and Polka.

[Gilbert @ May 12th 2007 3:13AM]

Hmm, he looks familiar...

http://media.movieweb.com/galleries/821/1900/lo/p6.jpg