Hollywood destroys films to thwart pirates
10-06-03, 10:50 PM
#1
Suspended
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Flava-Country!
Posts: 3,964
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hollywood destroys films to thwart pirates
Here's a tidbit off of the Chicago Sun-Times you guys might find of intrest. . . .
Have you been seeing spots when you go to the movies? It may not be your eyes! More than 20 years ago Kodak devised a system called "Cap Code" designed to uniquely mark film prints so that pirated copies could be traced to the source. Cap Code uses very tiny dots that flash occasionally but are so small that the average viewer almost never notices them.
Well, something new and horrible has been introduced on some studios' prints. Sort of a giant picture-marring version of Cap Code dots: Very large reddish brown spots that flash in the middle of the picture, usually placed in a light area. They flash in various patterns throughout a given reel while other reels of the same film may have none at all.
A Kodak spokesman who helped devise the original Cap Code says this is not the work of his company but theorizes that it may be intended to be more visible on the murky compressed copies that get posted to the Internet where the original, very subtle Cap Code may be difficult to discern.
On one movie technical forum they are referring to this new system as "Crap Code" or "Cap Code on Steroids." There are reports coming in of viewers complaining of the spots on the pictures. While theaters strive to keep prints free of dirt and scratches, Hollywood starts sending out prints with built-in marring. Among the films known to be afflicted are "Ali," "Behind Enemy Lines," "28 Days Later" "Freddy vs. Jason" and "Underworld," probably many others as well.
A. You're the expert projectionist at our Chicago critics' screening room, with a fierce love of high-quality film, so I can imagine how upset you are. What's amusing about Crap Code and the other efforts to catch pirates is that most of the thieves are apparently industry insiders. A recent news story says studios may even be discouraged from distributing advance DVDs of their Oscar contenders to academy members, because some of these movies quickly find their way to the Web.
Have you been seeing spots when you go to the movies? It may not be your eyes! More than 20 years ago Kodak devised a system called "Cap Code" designed to uniquely mark film prints so that pirated copies could be traced to the source. Cap Code uses very tiny dots that flash occasionally but are so small that the average viewer almost never notices them.
Well, something new and horrible has been introduced on some studios' prints. Sort of a giant picture-marring version of Cap Code dots: Very large reddish brown spots that flash in the middle of the picture, usually placed in a light area. They flash in various patterns throughout a given reel while other reels of the same film may have none at all.
A Kodak spokesman who helped devise the original Cap Code says this is not the work of his company but theorizes that it may be intended to be more visible on the murky compressed copies that get posted to the Internet where the original, very subtle Cap Code may be difficult to discern.
On one movie technical forum they are referring to this new system as "Crap Code" or "Cap Code on Steroids." There are reports coming in of viewers complaining of the spots on the pictures. While theaters strive to keep prints free of dirt and scratches, Hollywood starts sending out prints with built-in marring. Among the films known to be afflicted are "Ali," "Behind Enemy Lines," "28 Days Later" "Freddy vs. Jason" and "Underworld," probably many others as well.
A. You're the expert projectionist at our Chicago critics' screening room, with a fierce love of high-quality film, so I can imagine how upset you are. What's amusing about Crap Code and the other efforts to catch pirates is that most of the thieves are apparently industry insiders. A recent news story says studios may even be discouraged from distributing advance DVDs of their Oscar contenders to academy members, because some of these movies quickly find their way to the Web.
wow
10-06-03, 11:07 PM
#3
DVD Talk Godfather
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: City of the lakers.. riots.. and drug dealing cops.. los(t) Angel(e)s. ca.
Posts: 54,199
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Re: Hollywood destroys films to thwart pirates
Originally posted by El-Kabong
A. You're the expert projectionist at our Chicago critics' screening room, with a fierce love of high-quality film, so I can imagine how upset you are. What's amusing about Crap Code and the other efforts to catch pirates is that most of the thieves are apparently industry insiders. A recent news story says studios may even be discouraged from distributing advance DVDs of their Oscar contenders to academy members, because some of these movies quickly find their way to the Web.
A. You're the expert projectionist at our Chicago critics' screening room, with a fierce love of high-quality film, so I can imagine how upset you are. What's amusing about Crap Code and the other efforts to catch pirates is that most of the thieves are apparently industry insiders. A recent news story says studios may even be discouraged from distributing advance DVDs of their Oscar contenders to academy members, because some of these movies quickly find their way to the Web.
It is true that the dvd screeners are often the material that spreads out to the net, but considering advance promo copies to stores and so forth are also apart of that, killing off screeners wont stop it.
If they actually took some measures to follow up on who's copy is being used as the master print then they could stop that act of screeners. But theater cam and telesync versions will always be around.
10-06-03, 11:50 PM
#4
DVD Talk Hero
(Image removed, will return it later. -Rich)
Just a quick sample of it.. See that little T?
I've only ever really noticed it during one movie - Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
To it's credit, it's only a frame or two, and no more irritating than Cigarette Burns (which I never would have started noticing had it not been for Fight Club... grrr)
Just a quick sample of it.. See that little T?
I've only ever really noticed it during one movie - Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
To it's credit, it's only a frame or two, and no more irritating than Cigarette Burns (which I never would have started noticing had it not been for Fight Club... grrr)
Last edited by RichC2; 10-07-03 at 10:19 AM.
10-07-03, 12:30 AM
#6
DVD Talk Hero
That's Tara Reid. (Photo is from My Boss's Daughter)
10-07-03, 09:04 AM
#11
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Posts: 9,921
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've been noticing it all over the place... I thought I was going crazy!!! I've seen it in many films lately...but there was one film where it KEPT happening and was extremely annoying...but of course, I can't think what movie it was...maybe Underworld...
MATT
MATT
10-07-03, 11:29 AM
#12
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Sitting on a beach, earning 20%
Posts: 9,917
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
My eyes are NOT playing tricks on me after all! I thought I was going MAD, but now I see that those dots are really there.
I had a bet going about them, and now my friend the flying tyrannosaurus owes me fifty venusian dollars. Won't he be pissed! Thanks for proving I'm not mad!
I had a bet going about them, and now my friend the flying tyrannosaurus owes me fifty venusian dollars. Won't he be pissed! Thanks for proving I'm not mad!
10-08-03, 08:26 AM
#14
DVD Talk Hero
Originally posted by mdc3000
I've been noticing it all over the place... I thought I was going crazy!!! I've seen it in many films lately...but there was one film where it KEPT happening and was extremely annoying...but of course, I can't think what movie it was...maybe Underworld...
MATT
I've been noticing it all over the place... I thought I was going crazy!!! I've seen it in many films lately...but there was one film where it KEPT happening and was extremely annoying...but of course, I can't think what movie it was...maybe Underworld...
MATT
