Thomson Tries to Keep DTV Honest

The bigwigs out in Hollywood are currently chewing their fingernails wondering how to keep digital TV media from being passed around the way audio files were traded on the now limping Napster. Thomson Multimedia, part of the Copy Protection Technology Working Group (CPTWG ), has just introduced a new gadget called SmartRight that it says can restrict playing and recording of cable or satellite digital television, as well as digital video content transmission over the Internet. According to a recent story on EETimes.com , SmartRight keeps content encrypted in the consumers' home network until it is displayed or played on a presentation device, and uses smart card technology to ensure that it can be re-enabled if it is hacked. Not sure what side of the fence you're on as far as being allowed to swap movies and other content, but the industry is working hard to make such actions difficult.