The Edge
11th January 2006, 23:06
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/09/drm_keeps_spielbergs.html
DRM keeps Spielberg's Munich out of award-voters' hands
Patrick von Sychowski sez,
Steven Spielberg will most likely not get any nomination for the BAFTA (British Film Academy) awards for "Munich" because of a massive DRM cock-up. BAFTA's 3,000+ members were sent encrypted 'screener' DVDs that can only be played on special DVD players supplied by Cinea (www.cinea.com - a Dolby subsidiary). First the DVDs were held up by UK customs, thereby missing the first round voting deadline. But when they arrived, they would not play on any machine because they had been mastered for Region 1 (North America). As BAFTA members are cannot vote for films they have not seen and only a handful of preview screenings have been held, the film ought to be disqualified from consideration. I can't imagine Spielberg will be best pleased about this.
I find it extraordinary that even members of Britain's film making community are not trusted to play DVDs from any other region than Europe! Warner Bros has earlier committed a similar technical faux-pas when they sent BAFTA members commercial DVDs of "Batman Begins" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" that were also Region 1, though at least WB has steered clear of Dolby/Cinea (motto: "Making Piracy History"). Looks like other studios might want to do the same thing, come next year's awards season.
What goes around comes around I say.
DRM keeps Spielberg's Munich out of award-voters' hands
Patrick von Sychowski sez,
Steven Spielberg will most likely not get any nomination for the BAFTA (British Film Academy) awards for "Munich" because of a massive DRM cock-up. BAFTA's 3,000+ members were sent encrypted 'screener' DVDs that can only be played on special DVD players supplied by Cinea (www.cinea.com - a Dolby subsidiary). First the DVDs were held up by UK customs, thereby missing the first round voting deadline. But when they arrived, they would not play on any machine because they had been mastered for Region 1 (North America). As BAFTA members are cannot vote for films they have not seen and only a handful of preview screenings have been held, the film ought to be disqualified from consideration. I can't imagine Spielberg will be best pleased about this.
I find it extraordinary that even members of Britain's film making community are not trusted to play DVDs from any other region than Europe! Warner Bros has earlier committed a similar technical faux-pas when they sent BAFTA members commercial DVDs of "Batman Begins" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" that were also Region 1, though at least WB has steered clear of Dolby/Cinea (motto: "Making Piracy History"). Looks like other studios might want to do the same thing, come next year's awards season.
What goes around comes around I say.