"We just provide the technology. It's up to the broadcaster to decide on how they use the technology," Kamerbeek said. "The invention gives viewers a choice to watch an entire movie with or without ads. You need both options in order to make that happen." [emphasis added]

Um... right. One teensy tiny thing you missed there, Ms. Kamerbeek - I ALREADY HAVE THAT CHOICE. The invention is not required to do that; in fact, it makes it harder to exercise that choice. You fail at positive spin.

Luckily I only watch ad-free (non-commercial) channels anyway, so I guess this won't affect me.

And make no mistake: The person who invented DVD region coding should be drug out into the street and shot.

Hear, hear.

Whenever I try and play a DVD from a different region on my computer, I get a message like this:

"This DVD is region X, and your DVD drive is currently set to region Y. Would you like to change the region setting of your DVD drive? Note: This can only be done 5 times before the drive will be rendered inoperative."

Rendered inoperative? Since when does the manufacturer have the right to destroy my DVD drive, that I paid for with my own money?

There's a term for this kind of behaviour. It's called "petty vandalism".

That doesn't make it any less of a bad idea.

Besides, does the same apply to DVD drives, as in the ones that go in PCs? I haven't seen a multiregion DVD drive. There are firmware hacks that can be found around the place, but I haven't heard of a (modern) DVD drive actually being sold without any form of region locking.

"Hey Bill?"
"Yeah, Bob?"
"Those damn consumers have too much money."
"I know! But they don't want to spend it on us."
"Yeah! What idiots. But I have an idea!"
"What's that, Bob?"
"Well, what if we could force them to pay us money?"
"I dunno, isn't that illegal or something?"
"No, no, that's the beauty of it! We just force them to pay for a previously free service in order to enjoy the same service! If they don't want to pay, they can still enjoy the service, provided they follow certain contract stipulations!"
"That's sheer genius, Bob! We'll get those damn consumers once and for all!"
"Muahahahaha!"
"Muahahahaha!"

--Actual conversation, recorded using stealth mosquitoes with back-mounted mini-transmitters. One of the transmitters was unfortunately lost due to a forceful trauma; the other transmitter-carrier was forced to retreat.


What I fail to understand is how they're claiming to have shirked responsibility for the concept. "It's not us that implements the device we invented, it's the broadcaster!"

To bring in an analogy, just how many weapons are designed and manufactured without being intended to be fired?

I'd actually propose a two-stage boycott if this ever saw the light of day: one, boycott any product that implements such a chip. Two, boycott any network that attempts to use the features of such a chip.

This stuff is actually anti-capitalism in my opinion.

(Also note that non-capitalists are happy to use such technology...in North Korea you get a radio you can't turn off...)

Why is it anti-capitalist? Much of the DRM stuff impedes competition and innovation. And, more importantly, it gets in my way. I like a "reality" series that didn't do well in the US, called The Mole. It has done much better in places like Australia, and I'm sitting here with money in hand *ready to pay* and I can't get the damn DVDs cause of region encoding, since I don't have a multi-region player.

Yes I suppose we could get one, but we already have a zillion electronics hooked up and a perfectly good DVD player -- let me *pay* for the damn DVD already!

This is possibly the greatest advance in the history of mankind. I am so glad researchers have spent time and money to make our lives so much better with this device. Future generations will look back on us with disbelief, unsure of how we ever survived without such technology. And the developers will be honored as true humanitarians.

/sarcasm

Well if they try to make you watch the commercials, just go unscrew the cable line from the back of the TV so that it doesn't know it's a commercial, and then you can put it back and watch another channel :P