Kinect 2 DRM limits viewing to set amount of people in room

[FiB3R]

Are these ***** taking the ****ing ****?

Xbox One will monitor users' content viewing in a number of ways.

Microsoft's next-generation console has applied for a patent offering users Xbox 360-like achievements for watching specific content and adverts, reports Gamesindustry International.

The console's Kinect 2 will also employ DRM measures to prevent more people than the license allows viewing the content at one go, as per another patent filed last year.

If Kinect senses too many people in the room, it will prompt the users to upgrade the license.

"Television viewing tends to be a passive experience for a viewer, without many opportunities for the viewer to engage or have interactive experiences with the presented content," the application for the achievements reads.

"To increase interactive viewing and encourage a user to watch one or more particular items of video content, awards and achievements may be tied to those items of video content."

The company has said that not all the patents they apply for will necessarily be incorporated into Xbox One.

First image of the Xbox One

"Microsoft regularly applies for and receives patents as part of its business practice; not all patents applied for or received will be incorporated into a Microsoft product," it told MCV.

However, the trade said that its UK industry sources have confirmed that the DRM system will be implemented on Xbox One.

The company claimed earlier in the week that its policies for the next-generation console were still subject to change before its launch.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a484593/xbox-one-to-monitor-tv-viewing-content-watched-number-of-viewers.html

Maybe my first reaction was a little... misguided. The max number of viewers better be something like 50 though, otherwise they can go **** themselves.

[Anthony Tosie Veteran]

Are these ***** taking the ****ing ****?

http://www.digitalsp...of-viewers.html

"Microsoft regularly applies for and receives patents as part of its business practice; not all patents applied for or received will be incorporated into a Microsoft product," it told MCV.

What is with everyone posting misleading titles lately?

[FiB3R]

Did you all miss this bit?...

However, the trade said that its UK industry sources have confirmed that the DRM system will be implemented on Xbox One.

[logicwin]

so they have a patent and may or may not implement it? Theres no info on the amount of people it restricts, for all we know its to prevent someone making a movie theatre in their basement that fits 50 people and profiting from that.

edit: "UK based sources" is not Microsoft, that is heresay

[TheLegendOfMart]

Any recording devices/viewing devices (e.g webcams) have to have the option of being turned off in the EU, otherwise it violates the law, Microsoft are going to have a shock if they implement that kind of DRM.

[Anthony Tosie Veteran]

Did you all miss this bit?...

So yeah, back the **** up.

That goes against everything Neowin has heard from Microsoft about DRM with the console.

[Shaun N.]

Don't like it? Don't buy it

[FiB3R]

That goes against everything Neowin has heard from Microsoft about DRM with the console.

I hope so. I would hold MVC in relatively high regard as a source.

[Torolol]

MS could, in theory to incorporates the 'patent' via xbox-1 updates.

Order the Schrodinger kinnect, nao!

[Anthony Tosie Veteran]

I hope so. I would hold MVC in relatively high regard as a source.

What we know about DRM:

• Xbox Live subscriptions will work for both Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
  
• Xbox entertainment services (video and music) are pretty much unchanged.
  
• Games are tied to user profiles, but anyone on the console a game was installed on can play it.
  
• We haven't heard clarification on persistent Internet requirements or used games.
  

Other than that, I'd take pretty much anything else you hear as rumor and speculation until then. I'd be amazed if this outlet's sources were correct, because we haven't heard anything remotely like that. What would it even apply to? It's not applying to TV integration, not to Xbox Video, not to Blu-ray and not to apps we know of (such as Netflix). I don't know what else that leaves.

[Brian M. Veteran]

Thread cleaned.

Please keep it civil guys.

[Torolol]

Don't like it? Don't buy it

Agreed, I always encourages everyones to vote with their wallet.

[shakey]

That goes against everything Neowin has heard from Microsoft about DRM with the console.

Do you have more information that we are missing? I'd like to read it. Really interested in getting all the FUD out and hear the truth. Would help if it was shared.....

[FiB3R]

What we know about DRM:

• Xbox Live subscriptions will work for both Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
  
• Xbox entertainment services (video and music) are pretty much unchanged.
  
• Games are tied to user profiles, but anyone on the console a game was installed on can play it.
  
• We haven't heard clarification on persistent Internet requirements or used games.
  

Other than that, I'd take pretty much anything else you hear as rumor and speculation until then. I'd be amazed if this outlet's sources were correct, because we haven't heard anything remotely like that. What would it even apply to? It's not applying to TV integration, not to Xbox Video, not to Blu-ray and not to apps we know of (such as Netflix). I don't know what else that leaves.

I agree that it should be treated with suspicion, but just because we currently know X, does not mean that new information Y is automatically incorrect. What kind of logic is that?

And why wouldn't it apply to all those services? Pretty sure that is exactly what it would be used for. (if used at all)

[spaceelf]

As an aside, they had this patent on the first Kinect also IIRC. People took that to mean it was going to be used then too.

It wasn't.

[Jazirian]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a484593/xbox-one-to-monitor-tv-viewing-content-watched-number-of-viewers.html

When it comes to Xbox rumours, I wouldn't trust anything that DigitalSpy publishes.

[Torolol]

MS could for example sold that patents to somebody else,

and this 'somebody else' claim that MS are not to license that patent,

rumor solved and $$$ for MS.

[FiB3R]

When it comes to Xbox rumours, I wouldn't trust anything that DigitalSpy publishes.

Actual source of the report is MVC. Who their source is, we don't know.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/the-extent-of-kinect-2-s-visual-drm-is-beginning-to-emerge/0116138

[George P Global Moderator]

The Kinect, as a device on it's own, can and will be used for things outside of the Xbox and gaming. Look at Kinect 1 for windows, we know that Kinect 2 will come to Windows as well. It's not hard to imagine that a patent like this, or others that don't make sense and sound bad for use with the X1 in a home could be either for something totally different because MS does patent things they never use in a product like they say, or for use outside of the Xbox One.

A patent that allows the Kinect to act as a head count could be used in other places but not with the X1 in your home, or it could not be used at all like they said.

If you take the time to see all the patents MS files for each year your head would spin, and lots of them are held just incase someday they're needed so MS can charge and get royalties.

[Ambroos]

There's also an easy solution. Turn your Kinect so much to the side it can only see one person (or just cover it up). Problem solved.

[Torolol]

There's also an easy solution. Turn your Kinect so much to the side it can only see one person (or just cover it up). Problem solved.

Thats largely depend on how the kinect are programmed, MS could for example doing something llike this:

if the program detect the xbox activity, but the kinect 'sees nothing' the program are to halt whatever the xbox doing.

Afterall MS did said kinect are mandatory. ;)

[threetonesun]

Yes, they probably have this patent, no it's not going to be used for anything that currently exists.

I could see it being used in the future for some sort of early-release movie program, where the licensing structure is currently bizarrely designed (fingerprints, only one projector can ever be used, etc).

[Yogurtmaster]

I heard something else too. I heard that if you disconnect Kinect from the Xbox one you can't turn on the TV!

I can't imagine that! That is communism!

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

They'll struggle in the EU if true - http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/ueberwachung-datenschuetzer-peter-schaar-kritisiert-microsofts-xbox-one-a-901893.html

[Boxster17]

Hypothetically, say they do implement something like this. What stops people from just turning their Kinect to face a wall and not look at the people actually watching the movie?