I think the idea is incredibly stupid, for many of the reasons named in the comments to the Slashdot article. First, it won't stop the professionals. If they post how to make the deactivator, it won't even stop many serious amateurs. And it will make the DVD purchase process more annoying for everyone.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Aaaar! Shiver me timbers! Them scalawags is discriminatin' against us sea-dogs if we can't be watchin' no DVDs because of them being free of pirates! And avast, me 'arties, what's to become of all the pirates who have taken up acting on yon silver screen if the DVD can't have pirates in it! Aaaar! 'Tis a dire portent indeed!
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It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
I would think that it might could put an end to the pedestrian piracy that occurs with any joe-blow that has a PC and a dvd writer, nowadays... A chip may be quick enough to make software cracking impractical...
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I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
No business makes a decision so they can lower prices to consumers. I remember when one of our suppliers merged with another one. They touted the savings they would have by combining logistics, R&D, etc. I actually heard some of their employees and other dealers who thought this might actually bring about lower prices for the products. I would laugh hysterically when I would hear this. Prices actually went up, several times after the merger.
