An RFID based DVD project is being developed by ULCA's Wireless Internet for the WINMEC, in an aim to allow the movie industry to allow movies to be released on DVD at the time as their theatrical releases. The DVD has an embedded RFID tag that holds encrypted information unique to the disc and will only play in a DVD player that can authenticate the RFID tag. To play the disc, the player connects to an online network to authenticate the disc before it allows playback. Discs that do not have an RFID tag will be rejected by the player and even if someone does manage to copy the RFID tags, a given RFID tagged disc will only authenticate in a limited number of players.
At the moment, research is being done to see if this project is feasible as it has not even reached prototypes yet. For example, there may be issues with interference from other radio controlled equipment within the home. Also, another thing they note is that the player is not intended to replace the DVD player, but instead give consumers the option to watch early releases, while not using existing DVD technology which can be easily pirated. According to the MPAA, the US movie industry loses $3 billion each year to due to piracy, so by offering early releases, it should reach consumers that do not go to the cinema, but still wish to watch the movies.
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The UCLA research group is developing the software and hardware components of a system that would embed DVDs with an RFID tag and DVD players with an RFID reader so that the tagged DVDs would play only in RFID-enabled players and only if the reader could authenticate the DVD's tag. In order to authenticate, the player would also need to link to some type of online network, similar to the EPCglobal Network, that would associate the DVD with a legal sale. Through this system, the copyright owners (the film production company and any other license-holders of the content) would have digital rights management over the work. But viewers would not be able to play the DVDs without an RFID-enabled player because the tag would essentially lock the disc. Read the full article here. |
The first thing that came to mind when I started reading this was another attempt to bring back the old defunct DIVX system, as I know that there would be wide spread objection to replace the DVD player with a DRM enabled version. However, seeing that this is intended for early releases that would not be available on the regular DVD format, it would be useful for movie lovers who prefer the comfort of their living room for watching movies. However, even if this technology comes to a final stage, I don't think there would be many consumers interested in another box under their set just to play early releases, along with another cord trailing out to a network or telephone socket. :p
Finally from what I can see, if this system does reach the market, it would bring another piracy risk: At the moment where movies can only be watched in the cinema, it is not too difficult to catch those who illegally use camcorders to tape the image. However if consumer can watch the movie at home, there is little stopping the pirate from pointing their camcorder at the TV and taping it from there, if it means this is the only method to copy the movie.
Then again chances are that as the project progresses, there maybe watermarking involved that would be based on the disc's embedded RFID and thus allow tracking back to the telephone # or IP address where the disc was last played. While this technology would be way too late for replacing regular DVD releases, there may be a chance that HD-DVD or Blu-ray may take on something like this.
Source: RFID Journal
