Today, the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) announced a new consumer-facing brand for the DRM system it has been working on for more than two years: UltraViolet.
DECE has more than 60 members, and includes most of the biggest names in content distribution and consumer electronics: Best Buy, Fox, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Sony, Warner Brothers, Panasonic, Paramount Pictures, Dolby Labs, and Comcast, to name just a few.
The group has been attempting to devise a system for video encryption that would let users share their content between devices without sacrificing the DRM. The solution the group came up with involved a cloud-based "Digital Rights Locker" that authenticates a user's privileges to watch a certain video. This would mean that various file formats and devices would be compatible with the DRM, since the system's functionality isn't contingent upon protecting the files themselves.
"The introduction of the UltraViolet brand is another important step towards the consumer launch of UltraViolet products and services," Mitch Singer, DECE president and CTO of Sony Pictures Entertainment said in a prepared remark today. "Our goal is to firmly establish UltraViolet as the symbol for digital entertainment -- one that gives consumers the freedom of access wherever they are, the confidence of knowing how it will work and the broadest choice of content, stores and devices."
Users will have to create UltraViolet accounts, where they access and manage all of their content. Licensing deals have not yet been announced, since the UltraViolet tech specs have not yet been released. They are expected this year, DECE said.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
