Matsushita to test pirate-proof DVDs
Published: 09 Jun 2003 08:25 BST
Japan-based electronics maker Matsushita Electric Industrial is to test a movie rental system that combines DVD discs with file downloads.
Besides Matsushita, Nikkei Business News said the trial will involve four other companies -- networking equipment provider Oki Electric, software maker Japan Wave, Internet cafe operator InterPia and systems developer PFU.
As part of the trial, InterPia will give out free teaser DVDs containing movie clips and other kinds of entertainment. To view the full content, users will have to pay between 300 yen (£1.5) to 500 yen to download the missing pieces from the Internet. The downloaded content will be erased automatically after a given time, thanks to built-in software.
This method of movie distribution could curb illegal copying of the DVD, as the disc does not contain the whole movie. At the same time, viewers are saved the hassle of returning the disc to the rental store.
If the user wishes to watch the movie another time in the future, the movie will have to be downloaded -- and paid for -- again.
The report said Japan Wave is developing the technology to make the movies copy-proof while Matsushita will devise a payment and revenue model for the project. The back-end server networking requirements will be handled by Oki Electric.
The group hopes to entice film makers and video rental outlets to take to this technology, which will be commercialised later this year. This announcement closely follows a similar move from Sony last week. Sony, too, uses technology from Japan Wave to split a movie into numerous directories on the hard disk. Users will have to download a special software to view the full movie, which is also timed to self-destruct after a few days.
Disney is also set to test a system of movie rental which uses DVDs that undergo a chemical reaction to become physically unreadable after a given time.
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