Sony patents anti-rental tech
By George T. Chronis -- Video Business,11/14/2005
NOV. 10 | It recently came to light that Sony Computer Entertainment received a U.S. patent exactly one year before on a one-system-one-disc technology that renders movie or game discs useless on more than one playback unit. If implemented, the technology would prevent affected discs from being rented or resold.
There is no evidence that the technology is slated for SCE's PlayStation 3, yet the digital rights management scheme has far-reaching implications for the video rental industry.
The patent describes a process by which every media disc is shipped with a unique registration key. The first time the media disc is inserted into a player, that key is read and the disc is registered by the player, then the original key on the disc is rendered unreadable. Any attempt to play a registered disc in another player will fail.
The PS3 will be equipped with the same Blu-ray disc drive hardware Sony intends to use in its consumer Blu-ray players. If the one-system-one-disc technology is added to Blu-ray drives on the PS3, the same easily could be done with consumer Blu-ray players and computer Blu-ray disc drives.
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| Submitted by: | robert marks 11/30/2008 9:50:17 AM PT |
| Location: | maryland |
| Occupation: | retired |
i just got a blueray, will i be able to watch a movie on it thats not blue ray?
| Submitted by: | michael stewart 1/3/2008 2:09:22 PM PT |
| Location: | indiana |
| Occupation: | mngr |
This will kill Blu ray for sure. If consumers buy the movie they have purchased rights to watch it how they see fit as long as they do not distribute. With this technology someone that owns they movie would not be able to "watch it in bed instead of in the living room" or "watch it at a friends house". What if your player fails? Does this render your entire library obselete? If a movie is registered to a defunct or defective player it will not play in your replacement player. Even if they replace it under warranty.
| Submitted by: | Anthony Askee 11/15/2006 1:02:01 PM PT |
| Location: | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Occupation: | Manager |
NOT a good idea, sure maybe for saving money but also for losing customers. Lets say you have some media with this technology. Something happens, lets say a bolt of lightening strikes your PS3 or Blu-Ray player. This renders ALL games and movies you have bought for it useless. I sure wouldn''t want to go out and everything all over again, I''d rather get the HD-DVD and have it transferable between players rather than relying upon my single player for viewing!
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