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Give Your DVD Player The Finger

sebFlyte writes "Wired is reporting on some scary new DRM tech being developed. From the article: 'At the store, someone buying a new DVD would have to provide a password or some kind of biometric data, like a fingerprint or iris scan, which would be added to the DVD's RFID tag. Then, when the DVD was popped into a specially equipped DVD player, the viewer would be required to re-enter the data.'"

27 of 620 comments (clear)

  1. Authenticate This! by A+Boy+and+His+Blob · · Score: 4, Funny

    I like my idea for a bimodal hand geometry/voice recognition system better, me giving the MPAA the finger while telling them to "bite my shiny metal ass."

  2. fP? by c0ldfusi0n · · Score: 2, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new finger-reading DVD-playing overlords.

    --
    A computer makes it possible to do, in half an hour, tasks which were completely unnecessary to do before.
  3. user friendly by jmke · · Score: 4, Funny

    that seems like a very user friendly system; way to go!

  4. Brave New First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Looks like my collection of severed fingers FINALLY has a use!

  5. So, no movie for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    if a disgruntled Wendy's customer severs my finger on the way home from the DVD store?

  6. What happens when you loose your finger? by Hulkster · · Score: 3, Funny

    Or optionally, if you happen to come across a finger in your Wendy's Chili, can you use that to watch their DVD collection?

  7. What fingerprint would they need? by jocknerd · · Score: 5, Funny

    My kids have put about a million fingerprints on all my dvds.

  8. Outrageous! by bigtallmofo · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm used to being able to do whatever I want with my current DVDs. I can take them to any region of the world and play them with no problem. If I want to fast-forward through the several minutes of commercials at the beginning of a DVD, no problem. If I want to make a backup copy in case the original gets destroyed, the movie companies have bent over backwards to make this easy.

    DVDs have never been horribly crippled in any way in the past, so they shouldn't be in the future.

    --
    I'm a big tall mofo.
  9. hmmm by justforaday · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, after dad dies, I'm gonna hafta keep his finger around to view his pr0n collection? That's doubly creepy...

    --
    I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
    1. Re:hmmm by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Funny
      So, after dad dies, I'm gonna hafta keep his finger around to view his pr0n collection? That's doubly creepy...

      It gets worse, Pr0n will probably use an imprint of your schmeckle. Then you'd have to have your dad's weenie to watch his Pr0n after he's gone --- way beyond nasty. :-P
      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  10. "Mommy, the movie broke again!" by FunWithHeadlines · · Score: 5, Funny
    Ringing phone.

    "Hello?"

    "Mommy, movie broke again."

    "Honey, I told you that when I'm at work I cannot authorize, er unlock the movie for you."

    "Mommy, I wanna watch my movie!"

    "I know, sweetheart, but I can't come home until later. Please play with your toys until then, or let your older brother play one of his movies for you instead."

    "Yuck! Hate "Kill, Kick, & Maim!" I wanna watch "Honeydumpling Sweethearts" again."

    "I understand, but you'll have to wait."

    "WAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    (Silently cursing DRM)

  11. Goodbye Netflix by Nytewynd · · Score: 2, Funny

    How can this possibly work with Blockbuster or Netflix? The cost of shipping their clerk to your house with the DVD will be too high for them to make a profit. Have you seen how fat those movie store guys can get? On the other hand, I already have a huge idea to market. Synthetic fingers. You can pirate DVDs for free, but charge the users $100 to purchase the rubber finger that unlocks the movies.

    --
    /. ++
  12. Oh Brilliant! by brewer13210 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Let's see here, Grandma buys the kids a Disney DVD for Christmas, but the kids can't play it unless Grandma comes over for a visit to have her iris scanned. Wow, these guys are really thinking.

  13. To all of you... by unFKNreal · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...who are saying consumers won't accept this, I say bullshit. You or I don't want to accept it, granted. But most consumers take whatever they're given, and follow along like giant herds of little sheep.

    It's an unfortunate fact, Jack.

  14. I think we are missing something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Cmon, surely this is a joke.......

  15. Re:Gifts? Online purchases? by Martin+Blank · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think the 48-hour DVDs failed more because people didn't like the idea of throwing away that much. Most people that I talked to said this almost immediately: "Think of how much additional trash there would be." The next thought was usually wondering about what happens if the seal breaks before you intend to open it, and then eventually they might get around to wondering about something related to security. A clever few figured it would be a cheap way to get the copies -- buy one of these legit, and then rip it/copy it.

    --
    You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
  16. MPAA has already rejected this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    .. for a rival system which requires you to drop your trousers and bend over in front of the DVD player at which point the player inserts a rusty three-inch diameter metal probe up your anus. The purpose of this is not to take DNA smaples in order to enable you to watch the DVD but just so the MPAA can se how far they can abuse the public before they object...

    They already have plans for a 5-inch model...

  17. Re:Libraries by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 2, Funny
    This would screw over libraries. How sick.
    Not at all, it's just a fiscally responsible, sound business decision.
  18. Re:Gifts? Online purchases? by James_Duncan8181 · · Score: 4, Funny
    How is being forced to sit through 15 minutes of previews, many for DVDs that I already own, every time I insert a disc unintrusive?

    Unintrusive? No. Effective? Apparently.

    --
    "To any truly impartial person, it would be obvious that I am right."
  19. Re:Gifts? Online purchases? by ePhil_One · · Score: 5, Funny
    The satellite fuckers WILL NOT WIN.

    Hell YEAH! Soon those pathetic alternatives to our monopolistic cable plants will be bankrupt and we can get back to offerering minimal services for maximal prices.

    Slashdot for one will welcome their new cable provider overlords!

    --
    You are in a maze of twisted little posts, all alike.
  20. Absolutely Ridiculous by Vidael · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...for many, many reasons that have all been listed above.

    In addition, if this were implemented and someone broke into your home and stole your DVDs, they'd also want your finger too. Great. So now human fingers become a commodity on the black market; beautiful.

  21. Spreading disease by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sure, and how many people wash their hands after using the bathroom? DVDs will become the fast track to illness if this takes off.

  22. Re:Zonk Gives You The Finger by orderb13 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I don't know... with that asshole Bush in office, I wouldn't put it past the Military-Industrial Complex to do something like this. People are sheep and will probably accept it. Blah blah blah...

    Wouldn't want to disappoint you.

  23. Re:Gifts? Online purchases? by mbbac · · Score: 2, Funny
    That lady has a history of suing fast food companies for putting body parts in her food.
    No, she doesn't. Don't spread misinformation. This is the first time she's employeed the old body-part-in-her-food scam. She has a history of suing corporations.
    --

    mbbac

  24. Re:Gifts? Online purchases? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Exactly how does one fuck a satellite?

    1. Obtain Space Suit
    2. Obtain orbit
    3. Locate the "docking port"
    4. Fuck away

  25. Six words make this idea worthless by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 2, Funny

    At the store, someone buying a new DVD would have to provide a password or some kind of biometric data, like a fingerprint or iris scan, which would be added to the DVD's RFID tag.

    People still buy DVD's at STORES?

  26. Re:Gifts? Online purchases? by minion · · Score: 2, Funny

    There is no way the public would touch this with a barge pole

    That may be because most of the public doesn't have a barge pole, and the ones that do are probably somewhere where they aren't any dvds to touch with it.

    --

    -- If we don't stand up for our rights, now, there will be no right to stand up for them later.