Arnold Schwarzenegger may feel a little more secure in his DVD incarnation: the Terminator 2: Judgment Day bonus DVD ("Extreme Edition") carries security for online distribution of the high-definition technology by way of digital rights management technology developed jointly by Digital Envoy and SyncCast, to run on the Windows Media 9 digital rights management platform.
And they're hoping that, if the technology proves a success with the Terminator 2 distribution, other DVD distributors – including those in adult entertainment – will pick it up and put it to work, thus fortifying Internet distribution of digital entertainment which they say has been compromised by piracy.
"Theft and unauthorized replication of digital content has prevented many media companies from issuing high-quality digital goods to consumers via the Internet," the two companies said in a statement. "In the case of (Artisan Home Entertainment)'s Hi-Definition Bonus DVD-ROM release of Terminator 2 - providing movie buffs with 5.1 surround sound and rich, quality video that is nearly three and a half times better resolution than standard DVDs - the content is only licensed for distribution in North America, making it critical that territorial rights management be a part of the distribution solution."
Microsoft Windows Digital Media group manager Jason Reindorp praised the SyncCast/Digital Envoy partnership for "working on innovative ways to provide media companies and their customers with rich content-protection solutions built on the Windows Media Digital Rights Management platform."
SyncCast vice president for business development Ezra Davidson said protecting DVD-ROM content means new opportunities for any media companies looking to secure their Internet distribution. "(W)inning some early adopters such as Artisan speaks volumes about the Internet's future as a viable means of secure content distribution for entertainment companies," Davidson said. "Our service is user friendly, and works transparently. As long as users have a valid disc and a North American IP address, they will be issued a license to access the content."
SyncCast used Windows Media Rights Manager to build a solution technology using real-time licensing and consumption reporting, including time, date, location, and specific product licensing information, and turned to Digital Envoy's NetAcuity technology, which lets Internet protocol addresses identify Website visitors "non-invasively" and down to the city level around the world in real time.
"We selected Digital Envoy as our exclusive partner for territorial rights management because it is the leader in geo-intelligence technology, as demonstrated by an A-list of clients," Davidson said. "Also, integrating their technology with our DRM Solution took less than two days and provides better content controls than the technology utilized by most DVD players."
For more information, visit SyncCast on the Web.
