Activating discs at point of sale?

[Grubert]

http://homemediamagazine.com/news/em...chnology-13981

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) has published threshold standards for “benefit denial technology,” which would allow for the disabling of DVD and video game usage until the point of sale — rendering stolen discs useless.

The standards are a result of “Project Lazarus,” an EMA effort to gather together key retailers, home video divisions and video game publishers to examine the possibilities of DVD and video game benefit-denial technology. “Project Lazarus” also is developing a cost-benefit analysis for the technology.

“The deployment of benefit denial technology would reduce shrink in video game and DVD stocks, increase open marketing of video games, reduce packaging, decrease labor costs, improve consumer access to video games and Blu-ray Discs, and make the categories more attractive for additional retail channels,” said Bo Andersen, president and CEO of EMA. “Given the myriad of potential benefits, EMA recognized the imperative to bring together major stakeholders to provide an impetus for further development and timely deployment of effective benefit denial technologies for DVDs and video games that are useful and effective for a broad range of entertainment retailers.”

The standards are available at http://www.entmerch.org/lazarus_standards.pdf

It's supposed to be 'transparent to the consumer' but I have my doubts.

[jw]

yea I read that.
My thoughts here from what I have seen at in the USA, especially at Wal-Marts is they fail to deactivate that security strip so people are gonna get pissed if they buy a movie and have to return it because the cashier didnt deactivate the Benefit denial tool.......Mass returns based on faulty equipment and lack of knowledge as well.

We will see, It sound like a good plan just needs proper training

[Petra_Kalbrain]

OH MY GOD!!! This has disaster written all over it! If for no other reason, when it comes to Blu-ray's already existing confusion with certain releases and required firmware updates, the public already have enough of a chance of being sent back to the store out of ignorance. This will be like throwing a gallon jug of gasoline onto a campfire.

[Marquoz]

If the salespeople are well trained, this is a great idea.

I don't see it working in practice though, it will be a complete pain! Imagine christmas rush with a bunch of new employees, they aren't going to remember to activate all the disks, and there will be tons of people POd on christmas day. Then they have to dig out their receipt and get it activated.

How many people buy a bunch of movies at once, throw them on the shelf and watch them at a later date? I know for one I do that if there is a good sale. Now keeping my receipt for it, that's another story, it usually ends up in the trash with the wrappers. Imagine me going back to the store without a receipt to get it activated. Don't think they will be willing to do that.

[tron3]

Over kill. A much simpler and viable plan is this one.

Each box receives a unique ID number. When the item is scanned and the sale finalized, the unique ID number is automatically transmitted to a central server database. This info is also printed on the receipt with another unique ID number in case of failure.

When the software is installed, any ID not in the database is denied activation. If you have a problem, call in the receipt ID number and get it activated. Naturally, none of these numbers can be used twice.

The major failing here is that you MUST have an internet connection to install the software. But if the software is stolen, there is no way to activate it short of a receipt or major "warez" hacking.

Dunno, just my thought.

[Marine Mike]

I personally like the idea, but feel that it will have poor execution due to untrained cashiers.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Originally Posted by tron3

Over kill. A much simpler and viable plan is this one.

Each box receives a unique ID number. When the item is scanned and the sale finalized, the unique ID number is automatically transmitted to a central server database. This info is also printed on the receipt with another unique ID number in case of failure.

When the software is installed, any ID not in the database is denied activation. If you have a problem, call in the receipt ID number and get it activated. Naturally, none of these numbers can be used twice.

The major failing here is that you MUST have an internet connection to install the software. But if the software is stolen, there is no way to activate it short of a receipt or major "warez" hacking.

Dunno, just my thought.

Your idea could work if there was a phone number to an automated system for those that don't have an internet connection. Also, some companies would have to be entrusted with the code generating algorithm for rental chains, etc.

[YoodinVranks]

Also, remember the release day for Iron Man... The disc wouldn't play because of to much traffic at the BD-live host server (or whatever). You could get around it by turning off your internet connection, but what if the disc wouldn't play without being able to verify the disc...