Video expiry date?

[(*)BlackZer0]

Hi everyone,

I looked all over the Web and this is my final resort.

Is there a way to make video files (downloaded from a website) have an expiry date?

And...

Is there a way to limit the number that a video file is stored on a storage device, so as to prevent piracy? (Digital rights Management, I know, but I'm talking mass-downloads.)

[PeOfEo]

no

[pyro]

Which part were you commenting on, Peo? Depending on what he meant by his first question, a server-side language could probably handle it, by removing the file at a set time.

[PeOfEo]

if he means from a users machine... then no. You cant have videos just die once they are on a users machine, like a expiration date on software, like trial software.

[pyro]

Ah, yes. That probably is what he meant... :)

[Sux0rZh@jc0rz]

he could build his own player and create a custom movie that can only be played on said player and while he's at it he can add expiration functions to the movies. then he could sell his software to millions of people who are tired of piracy. also his software could check for when someone rerolls the clock and when that happens to set the expiration dates on all movies back or forward said amount of time. how about making the extension... movies.fapm (finally a protected movie)

course he'd need to know C++ or something, but thats a minor detail.

EDIT: don't tell anybody how it works. that way it takes forever for people to figure out how to and then make a movie converter. (something that would convert it from .fapm to .avi)

EDIT: also movies can only be downloaded onto a certain part of the drive that is protected and cut off from the user. (geeks will still get it but you'll get rid of your average piracy peeps)

[(*)BlackZer0]

yes, I do realize my question is a bit weird. After all this is what the whole worldwide "content protection" issue is all about. And here I am innocently asking if there was an answer.

Well, the only method I can think of (for now) is to use Flash technology... embed movies in a .swf. That way I can control everything via ActionScript. Well, in theory anyway.

But I'm talking 15 minute videos here. I don't think Flash can handle such big files.
Maybe Shockwave? could be.

I might eventually go for the "custom player" thing... though it'll take time and isn't too user-friendly.

If anyone has any further insight, please do comment...

Thanks again.

[PeOfEo]

flash can, just make a splash screen (loading screen)