In a time when movies are on the Internet before they appear in cinemas, security is an issue that requires special attention. This year, the Oscar voters will use individualized personal DVD players that they have freely received in December.

The DVD players were produced by Cinea Inc., a subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories that has developed technology to prevent movie piracy. The nominated movies will be put on DVDs encrypted by Cinea's S-VIEW system. These DVDs are impossible to view on other player than the special Cinea DVD player. However, conventional DVDs can be played in the players, which exempts them from the single use status.

Another feature enhancing security is that the player, called SV300, has a unique code for each owner, what makes it individually addressable.

The DVD movies are watermarked and can be programmed to play only on some or all Cinea DVD players.

Watermarking was the technique used also in 2004 for the videotape screeners distributed for the Academy Awards voters. This technology permitted authorities to trace and arrest a man in Chicago for copying several Oscar-nominated films.

In case of an attempt to copy with a video camcorder, each frame of the movie contains an invisible code that allows the studios to trace such copies back to the owner.

However, there is a funny part to all this. Considering the ever increasing rush to ensure security against movie-piracy, it is likely that more and more similar devices be issued unless some other technical solution is found. Can you imagine the pile of such devices on the voters' desks gathered after some events like this?

What is ironic is that, no matter how hard they try to solve the problem coming up with sophisticated equipment or exquisite technical solutions, the answer is in the hands of a bunch of people, the voters, the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.