Shrek DVD Mac support: a followup

After reading our brief item yesterday on the lack of Mac support for some features on the Shrek DVD, several users independently contacted the disk's content creator to express concern. We cannot confirm its accuracy, except to the extent that both readers were given the same basic explanation. Here is what one of the readers sent us:

"I just got off the phone with the content providers of the Shrek DVD-ROM. I called to complain about the lack of Mac support, but by the time the conversation was over I was no longer angry with them but with Apple. At first I was told that Apple refused to provide them with the Mac information comparable to what is available to the Wintel developers. I told them that as an old Mac developer I did not believe that was entirely accurate. I then spoke directly with one of the content developers who told me that they have begged Apple to give them the API's to the DVD player but Apple has declined. It seems as if Apple has decided to go their own way yet again and try to a provide a different way of doing things. It may be better but it does little good if we are left out in the cold."

It appears that at least some of the content is already available, except without an interface. Another reader adds:

"While some of the Shrek DVD-ROM content is not directly compatible with Macintosh computers (most notably the Re-Voice Studio software) enterprising users can find Mac compatible HTML, Flash, and Shockwave content in the COMMON/WIN/ folder of the disc. The DVD-ROM development company Interactual uses a customized PC based browser to deploy ROM content, but the actual content itself is pure Web compatible material. The ROM games were actually developed in a Mac-only shop!"

It is not clear to us if the APIs are really necessary of there is a reasonable alternative available. In either event and judging from our email on the subject, both Apple and the DVD publishers need to know that there is substantial user interest in this issue. We too have been frustrated by the inability to access Windows specific content on a< variety of DVDs, and hope that the DVD marketplace is still young enough to reverse this trend.

Update: A reader adds this perspective: "It should be noted that DVD playback is not a QuickTime addressable function. Even though Steve Jobs announced at the WWDC 2000 that QuickTime 5 would have MPEG 1 and 2 playback and recording, you may have noticed only MPEG1 playback has been delivered. Apple's official response is that they did not realize that the MPEG license fees would be so high. My response to them was to have a QuickTime SuperPro and pass on the license fee (Apple response: deer in headlights). Furthermore, Apple is afraid to make DVD playback APIs public because they do not want to be in the radar of the RIAA and the Motion Picture Association."