This isn't specific to trading, so I am putting this here, for a few hours- and then mvoing it to CHIT CHAT
But I thought the users here- would find this fascinating



New DVD chips 'to kill illegal copying'

New DVD chips 'to kill illegal copying'DVDs will soon be embedded with radio transmitter chips which will allow the major movie studios to remotely track individual discs as they travel from factories to retail shelves and to consumers' homes. The studios hope the technology, which can be used for Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs as well as normal DVDs, will prevent unlawful copying and pirating of their films.

The companies behind the new advance say living room DVD players will eventually be able to check on the chip embedded in a disc, and reject any discs which have been copied or played in the 'wrong' geographical region. Ritek Corp., parent company of U-tech Media, which will manufacture the discs, is currently the world's largest DVD maker.

"This technology holds the potential to protect the intellectual property of music companies, film studios, gaming and software developers worldwide," claimed Ritek's chief exec. Gordon Yeh.

U-Tech, along with IPICO, the company behind the RFID chips to be used in the discs, confirmed on Friday that production of these new 'chipped' DVDs will begin at U-Tech's main plant in Taiwan. Once extensive testing is complete, home DVD players will be embedded with RFID readers to extend the anti-copying technology into homes as part of a digital rights management (DRM) system.

IPICO claims that its RFID tags can be read a minimum six metres away, and at a rate of thousands of tags per minute. The chips will not require a battery, as they'll be powered by the energy in radio waves from the RFID reader.

The president of IPICO, Gordon Westwater, added: "[This is the] first step towards new international standards to safeguard optical media, and the subsequent adoption of the chip-on-disc concept as a global standard."

Could this new technology see a realistic end to optical disc piracy?



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This article makes me wonder- about privacy issues? If they can track a disc to your home, wouldn't that be an issue with privacy and privacy groups like the ACLU?
The article also mentioned the potential of DVD players that will reject a copied disc. Would these players be able to use the old chipless DVDs and home-made DVDs, not pirated copies of movies but legit home-movie DVDs that Joe Public makes of his wedding or what-not?


JUst thought it interesting- and would share-

This topic will be moved this evening- but feel free to reply or share it.

I'm also wondering about the "The companies behind the new advance say living room DVD players will eventually be able to check on the chip embedded in a disc, and reject any discs which have been copied or played in the 'wrong' geographical region. " part. Say, if they know the master disc was sold in California & I bought it in California, are they going to not let it play in Colorado (IE, if I bought it for a gift for my friend in Colorado)? Or what if I bought it in California & then moved to Ohio - does that mean I won't be able to watch it in Ohio?

Also, people are going to be plenty PO'd if they are not able to make LEGITIMATE (IE fair use) copies of DVDs they legally purchsed. I do this all the time, so we can take copies on trips & watch on the airplane or in the hotel. If it gets damaged or lost, I'm not out the $$ I paid for the movie.

sounds like a classic case of the greedy media corporations going after honest consumers instead of the REAL CRIMINALS pirating disks by the thousands.

Wanna guess how much more likely it will be that the disks you buy in the store are going to be "DEFECTIVE" and not play in your home dvd player? Or what the chances are that the new disks will refuse to play in your existing player at all, and they will expect consumers to shell out for the "NEW IMPROVED" players?

Better yet, will these greedy corporations be passing on all the savings they get by "eliminating piracy" on to those same consumers they just walked all over?

And what does anyone think the chances are of this actually even slowing down the real hackers and pirates?

Thanks, but I'll stick to my old equipment and good old non-HD dvd's thanks.

Stop buying Ritek products.

There's a better way to stop illegal copying, stop charging ludacrous prices. :eek:

Also, if history is anything to go by, it'll only be a matter of time before someone develops a programme to crack the chips, no matter how advanced it may be.


J

I agree! It makes me wonder if these DVD players will play discs that don't have the chip, such as recorded discs that we make. My money is some DVD player manufactures will forgo the technology and use it as a selling point just as some say they play both NTSC and PAL discs.

RedWhine you hit the nail on the head with your comment-
MY main concern is also, I was told- and so far no one has stated otherwise that if you own something you are legally allowed to back it up.
And I have done that with all my Disneys In example
When my nieces come over, they watch the back up- and leave my pristine copy, with the artwork- away from their playdo sticky hands.

So should this take affect, am I now, unable to back up legit copies?

The problem with ideas like this- they tackle punishing one crook, at the expense of 95 honest people-

And I guarauntee its the crook that will figure out how to bypass, avoid, reduce or ignore the hazard, and leaving others unable to use their own items, and their own equiptment.

I am all for Jie's idea- lower the cost and see if that reduces piracy alone.

The last time I went to buy a Laser Disc it was 49.99
And the last time I bought a Disney dvd it was 29.99

C'mon.
no wonder some people pirate. When 30 movies cost you a thousand dollars, people can't afford to be entertained.

If they haven't noticed that is why resale shops, online auctions, online pawn shops do so much business.
Cause and effect

Or should I say COST and effect.

Some people will pirate anyhow, I know that- and its a shame- I think its ludicrous that people can't wait a few weeks to see a show in the theater, or the dollar theater-
that they have to smuggle a camera in-
That is pure selfish/impatience.
But the majority of the other cases I speak of are directly related to cost prohibiting.

whenever new technology likes this comes up

2 months later someone comes up with a way around it or a way to neutralize it

so it seems like such a waste of $$ and effort

why not just try to make dvds more affordable and work WITH the buyer instead of operating in the attack mode?

i mean, u can see dvds in the bargain bin at walmart--- some of the same titles that were $25 a few months before

SO OBVIOUSLY there is a HUGE markup on them

and the studios could cut that a bit and solve it that way:wave:

right now the technology is not even in use

with the costs involved EVEN WHEN it is implemented it will most likely be just with HD and BLU RAY dvds

i think it will die out b/c of a big backlash

and lawsuits over privacy issues

just my thoughts

:crazy:

Do you think that in a couple of years time, we'll all be trading in blu ray and hd dvds instead of dvdr? And if so, do you think it'll cause the same hassle as the vhs/dvdr transition?


J

There's a better way to stop illegal copying, stop charging ludacrous prices. :eek:

Also, if history is anything to go by, it'll only be a matter of time before someone develops a programme to crack the chips, no matter how advanced it may be.


J

True, kind of like how some people use those Macrovision elmininator machines to get around making copies of copy protected tapes or discs.