A group of Hollywood content providers are teaming up to develop a standard that lets consumers play their purchased movies and other digital content on any device that has a Web connection. Members
of the consortium, called the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, have been working since May to create rules for the new standard. "No matter where you are in the world, if you previously
purchased "Spider-Man 3," you should be able to access "Spider-Man" and stream it," said Mitch Singer, the group's president. The consortium's members include Philips Electronics, Toshiba, HP, Cisco,
and all the major Hollywood studios. The idea here is to create a virtual library, or "rights locker", for consumers that exists in the cloud and can be accessed anywhere. Similar to Apple's iTunes
approach, consumers would have to register the devices on which they want to play content, though with fewer restrictions.
By allowing consumers to play their files anywhere, the DECE
members hope to minimize online piracy. "We don't make money when the content is locked down," says Mark Coblitz, senior vice-president for strategic planning at Comcast (CMCSA). "We make money when
consumers want to purchase content, and that only happens if you have compatibility between services and the device." The first set of standards could be released as early as January.
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