kumi
6th September 2007, 20:21
From http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200709060062.html today:
Film producer Norio Tsuchiya was trying to figure how to get his new movie with a strong social message to reach a wider audience when he came across new DVD technology.
He learned the technology provides password protection for DVDs. That way, Tsuchiya reasoned, he could distribute the new film in a format that was easy to duplicate, with a secure copyright safeguard.
And so on Sept. 1, the movie "Zero Karano Kaze" (Wind from zero), which tells the story of a mother who lost her only son in a drunken driving incident, was made available for rent in a DVD format with copyright protection.
The password function enables the copyright owner to limit the number or duration of viewings by a customer.
The movie's distributor set rental fees for the film based on the anticipated number of viewers. The cost is 400 to 500 yen per adult and 300 yen for high school students or those younger.
The new system is expected to secure profits while taking films with social messages, many of which are usually screened in small theaters, to wider audiences.
"A movie shown at a small number of theaters will get wider distribution while its copyright is protected," said an official of Visionare Corp., a Tokyo company that patented the technology.
In "Zero Karano Kaze," veteran actress Yoshiko Tanaka plays the mother, based on the story of Kyoko Suzuki, 58, of Kanagawa Prefecture. Suzuki lived with her only son, Rei, after her husband died.
In 2000, Rei was killed by a drunken driver with a history of driving under the influence and without a valid license.
Rei was 19 and had just entered Tokyo's Waseda University. The Chinese character for his name also means "zero."
Suzuki led a nationwide campaign, through an exhibition titled "Inochi no Messeiji Ten" (Exhibition of the message of life), for tougher penalties against traffic offenders.
The movie opened in May, mainly at small theaters or gatherings. Around that time, Tsuchiya, 56, learned about the new technology, which allows a customer, for example, to pay for a password that provides access for two weeks.
Tsuchiya asked Visionare, a digital media technology developer, for cooperation in making the DVD.
The film's director, Toshi Shioya, 51, said: "I believe this movie has the power to make the audience think they must not drink and drive."(IHT/Asahi: September 6,2007)
Is this another DIVX? ...does anyone know how this 'password protection' works? The http://www.visionare.co.jp/ website is in Japanese (which I can't read.)
Film producer Norio Tsuchiya was trying to figure how to get his new movie with a strong social message to reach a wider audience when he came across new DVD technology.
He learned the technology provides password protection for DVDs. That way, Tsuchiya reasoned, he could distribute the new film in a format that was easy to duplicate, with a secure copyright safeguard.
And so on Sept. 1, the movie "Zero Karano Kaze" (Wind from zero), which tells the story of a mother who lost her only son in a drunken driving incident, was made available for rent in a DVD format with copyright protection.
The password function enables the copyright owner to limit the number or duration of viewings by a customer.
The movie's distributor set rental fees for the film based on the anticipated number of viewers. The cost is 400 to 500 yen per adult and 300 yen for high school students or those younger.
The new system is expected to secure profits while taking films with social messages, many of which are usually screened in small theaters, to wider audiences.
"A movie shown at a small number of theaters will get wider distribution while its copyright is protected," said an official of Visionare Corp., a Tokyo company that patented the technology.
In "Zero Karano Kaze," veteran actress Yoshiko Tanaka plays the mother, based on the story of Kyoko Suzuki, 58, of Kanagawa Prefecture. Suzuki lived with her only son, Rei, after her husband died.
In 2000, Rei was killed by a drunken driver with a history of driving under the influence and without a valid license.
Rei was 19 and had just entered Tokyo's Waseda University. The Chinese character for his name also means "zero."
Suzuki led a nationwide campaign, through an exhibition titled "Inochi no Messeiji Ten" (Exhibition of the message of life), for tougher penalties against traffic offenders.
The movie opened in May, mainly at small theaters or gatherings. Around that time, Tsuchiya, 56, learned about the new technology, which allows a customer, for example, to pay for a password that provides access for two weeks.
Tsuchiya asked Visionare, a digital media technology developer, for cooperation in making the DVD.
The film's director, Toshi Shioya, 51, said: "I believe this movie has the power to make the audience think they must not drink and drive."(IHT/Asahi: September 6,2007)
Is this another DIVX? ...does anyone know how this 'password protection' works? The http://www.visionare.co.jp/ website is in Japanese (which I can't read.)