Digital content could be tied to Blu-ray, DVD
PHYSICAL: Proposals would allow disc owners to access movie through other devices
By Jennifer Netherby -- Video Business, 11/6/2009
NOV. 6 | PHYSICAL: Blu-ray Disc and DVD won’t be left out of the digital movie revolution.
Two upcoming proposals to make digital content playable on a broad range of devices from connected HDTVs to mobile phones, both attempts to make digital movies more appealing to consumers, could also extend the life of DVD and Blu-ray once digital takes hold.
Both Walt Disney Studios' Keychest technology and the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem would tie digital content to packaged media.
The idea is that a customer could buy the latest Blu-ray movie at a Best Buy or any other store, then access that same movie through a set-top box on their TV, at a hotel on the road or through a mobile phone or other device that's part of the content ecosystem.
Disney is expected to unveil more details about its Keychest technology in the coming months. Keychest would allow consumers to buy a movie once and access it digitally through a broad range of connected devices from Disney partners. Rather than download digital content, movies would be stored on a digital cloud and be accessible through different devices. There would be some sort of authentication to verify what content a user has access to.
The DECE is working to develop an open digital standard that would be adopted across its 45-member companies, which range from every major studio except Disney to Comcast, Intel, Microsoft and Best Buy. Digital movies bought under the DECE standard would be tied to digital content accessible through any other connected device using the DECE standard.
Disney hasn’t said when it plans to introduce its technology; DECE backers are hopeful that the group will approve a standard in the next year.
In the meantime, most major studios already include digital copy on major disc releases, allowing consumers to watch a film on their computer, iPod, PlayStation Portable or other device.
