Apple filed an interesting patent application with the United States Patent & Trademark Office that has enormous implications. It’s all over the Tech headlines at the moment but the mainstream press is still ignoring it. I’ll bet you haven’t heard about this yet. But you should.
You know that camera you have in your phone?
Governments pass laws prohibiting photography in certain places with a penalty if you do it anyway, but they leave you the freedom to choose. Penalties only apply if they catch you, arrest you, try you and find you guilty. But that’s a time consuming and expensive process and so that’s about to change.
The remote controller for your television works on infrared, right? It’s how you change the channel or adjust the volume without getting up.
techfresh.net
At the behest of the recorded music and motion picture industries, Apple has developed an infrared sensor integrated into all its mobile devices with a built-in camera; the iPhone, iPodTouch and iPad but it can roll out to every other device, too. A live concert, performance or movie would not be recordable or photographable if Apple implements this technology. An infrared signal shining from the stage to the audience would disable all recording features making it impossible to shoot photos or record music or movies and post it all online, in violation of copyright laws.
switched.com
Seems to me, though, shooting through a few cents worth of mylar would re-enable the camera. Mylar is a clear plastic sheet with a thin vaporized film of metal on it, which reflects up to 99% of the infrared spectrum. Block the infrared and the camera works again.
It would be ironic if concert venues began to disallow mylar like they do smoking, alcohol and drugs.
Is the infrared integrated into the lensing system of the camera or a separate module? On the lens, a small mylar on the lens may work but would probably defeat all the auto functions of the camera. Not to mention degrade the image further.
ReplyDeleteFrom the NYTimes:
ReplyDelete"The patent describes an invisible infrared sensor integrated into mobile iOS devices with a built-in camera — which includes iPhones, the iPod Touch and iPad 2. As the Apple patent explains, an infrared sensor in a mobile phone could be used to search for another signal that would say whether it is O.K. to activate and record footage with the phone’s camera."
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/apple-patents-way-to-prevent-concert-piracy/