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DRM Flub Prevented 3D Showings of Avatar In Germany

Posted by timothy on from the token-of-our-appreciation dept.

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."

8 of 386 comments (clear)

  1. Defective by Design by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just keep trying to micromanage everything, you DRM-loving assholes. Best-laid plans of mice and men ...

  2. not surprising by meerling · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe now some of the rank & file will begin to understand the evils of pervasive DRM, even if only in Germany.

    1. Re:not surprising by Sir_Dill · · Score: 5, Insightful
      How is this off topic?

      Infact it couldn't be more ON topic.

      The biggest problem is that people don't understand what DRM actually means and how it can impact them.

      Things like this shed light on the pitfalls of DRM.

      I am not a proponent of piracy, however I have had more than my fair share of DRM related issues in my home theater and as a result I vehemently oppose DRM schemes.

      Snafus like this really opens the eyes of the public and hopefully informs a few of them while we still have a chance to understand the problem and vote with our dollars(or euros).

    2. Re:not surprising by maxume · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The rank and file, for the most part, will be mad that the projector was broken.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    3. Re:not surprising by Yvanhoe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I began to consider piracy when I bought a DVD with non-skippable ads on them.

      --
      The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
    4. Re:not surprising by digitalunity · · Score: 5, Insightful

      By far, this is the most annoying thing about DVD's. So-called "acceptable user operations". The DVD decides what you get to do or not do, including watching a bunch of previews for movies you don't want to see. I could understand this happening once, the first time you watch it. But really, its an insult to avid movie fans with movie libraries. Forcing them to watch ads for movies that came out 10 fucking years ago is ridiculous.

      --
      You can't legislate goodness. Let each to his own destiny, by will of his freely made choices.
  3. DRM by amicusNYCL · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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
  4. Why do I think this will just add fuel? by ground.zero.612 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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