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@pluralistic@mamot.fr

2026-08-26 03:23 UTC

They disinvented the VCR. You might think that the reason we don't have VCRs anymore is because VCRs were supplanted by DVDs, PVRs and streaming, but that's not the case. They had it in for the VCR from the very start, and they never stopped trying to kill it. Eventually, they succeeded. -- If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog: https://pluralistic.net/2026/08/25/gammamax/#felony-contempt-of-business-model 1/

Replies (1)

  • @flyingpenguin@infosec.exchange 2026-08-26 07:06

    @pluralistic@mamot.fr Oh no! This is very hard to read. The history is off. Perhaps because I lived it. Betamax as foundation and 1201 as disinvention contradict each other. 1201 never overruled Betamax. It was much more sophisticated. Studios in 1984 were set back yet by 1985 shipped Macrovision to take control (The Cotton Club). Format was the actual strategy from day one and by 1998 they proved it worked. TiVo had a licensed digital pay by 2000 through DirecTV. Standalone TiVo used CableCARD to get on cable, through an FCC mandate that opened cable to third-party devices. Carterfone 1968 (w00t) was being applied. The broadcast flag you mention actually was struck down in 2005 and never took effect. And on and on, it has so many historical errors, I guess I'll write them up. Now I really feel old.

    Open ##4546730