Remember when the Motion Picture Academy started sending its members magical DVD players that would play enchanted, copy-protected screener copies of movies for Oscar consideration? It seems that the studios have balked at producing the DVDs because they haven't seen the machines or observed how they will work in Academy members' homes, so there might not be actual "movies" to "watch" for this upcoming awards season. The Academy maintains the players will eventually be adopted, as no one expects Academy members to accept the new technology right away. It's only a matter of time before word of mouth helps everyone realize that the players' installation process, in which an AMPAS-approved voodoo priestess activates the encryption magic by liberally splashing home theaters with freshly-sacrificed goat's blood, is not nearly as messy at is sounds.

• Oscar Voters Get Special DVD Players, But No Discs [Reuters]


• Academy Issues Magical DVD Players To Members [Defamer]

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