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DRM Flub Prevented 3D Showings of Avatar In Germany
Fraggy_the_undead writes "According to German IT news site heise.de, yesterday several 3D showings of Avatar couldn't take place (German; Google translation to English), because the movies were DRM protected such that there had to be a key per copy of the film, per film projector, and per movie server in the theater. The key supplier, by the name Deluxe, was apparently unable to provide a sufficient number of valid keys in time. Moviegoers were offered to get a refund or view an analogue 2D showing instead."
Just keep trying to micromanage everything, you DRM-loving assholes. Best-laid plans of mice and men ...
Maybe now some of the rank & file will begin to understand the evils of pervasive DRM, even if only in Germany.
It's a good thing that they allow us to manage our rights like this.
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
Somehow, I believe the studio will twist this story to sound more like "See! Piracy is causing us to lose money!"
This despite them putting in the DRM, and despite them generating $10B revenue in 2009.
"Be prepared, son. That's my motto. Be prepared." --Joe Hallenbeck
I'm just unclear on how that makes this a noteworthy "DRM is bad"
I think the main point is that their fall-back plan was a DRM-free acetate film strip.
Well, it's hard to say why the key generator company was unable to produce enough valid licenses in time. According to the article, the movie theaters had licenses but they turned out to be "no longer valid" on opening day. I suspect that either "Deluxe" (the key distributor) had a major systems failure and couldn't regen the day's licenses, or forgot to tell their customers that they needed to have the keys renewed frequently, or something.
The movie distributor was certainly able to deliver the movies (which are delivered by courier on AES-encrypted hard drives) on time, so if the actual physical movies could be delivered you'd think the key generator company that the movie could keep up by issuing one key for each drive physically delivered, and if those keys have to be generated each time the movie is shown you'd think they'd have that worked out.
I get the impression that the theaters (multiple, independent theaters across Germany were affected, not just one) have all been planning and looking forward to this for some time. Th article indicates that they all received their copies of the movie they purchased in plenty of time, and copied them to their theater server well in advance, but that the keys turned out not to work when they hit PLAY. But maybe this is the German equivalent of a RIAA/ASCAP thing where you buy the movie from one source and you have to buy the licenses to play it from an entirely different source, and the theaters didn't realize that the keys they originally got only worked for testing or something.
Still, with all the advance planning, and all the various theaters that were affected, I find it hard to believe that so many theaters who had planned screenings so far in advance would somehow "forget" to buy licenses to play it. They had the physical movie, they had the glasses, they sold the tickets, and it sounds like they paid since the key distributor was able to get them the keys the next day.
"This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
don't want to be the one modded to hell and back for saying it, but isn't this an issue with the company not purchasing the proper licenses in the appropriate amount of time rather than an issue with DRM?
Consider an alcoholic who beats his wife. Is the problem that he beats his wife (with a solution that he signs up for marriage counseling), or that he can't stop drinking?
Say he also doesn't pay his bills on time. When the gas or electric get shut off and the kids don't get fed, what's the problem? That the kids are hungry, that he doesn't have enough money, that he didn't find a sympathetic ear at the utility company, or that he can't stop drinking?
Microsoft routinely brushes off Windows activation "issues" with an implicit argument that it's an implementation snafu. Your argument is the same. Personally, I think it misses the point.
I'm not impressed with stunts that aren't real.
I'm not impressed with special effects that are the point of the story instead of serving the story.
I'm an sf fan and a cameron fan but I only have mild interest in watching this film.
I feel like there is no genuine buzz and all the buzz is manufactured.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.