DVDs, Xbox 360 games to sport new high-capacity barcodes – but why?

Microsoft Research has developed a “High Capacity Color Barcode,” a little square of colored static that can hold up to twice the amount stored in a traditional UPC black-and-white barcode. And by the end of the year, the BBC reports, they will appear on DVDs and your very own Xbox 360 games.

But why, you may ask?

A lot of reasons. Here’s a clue: “Microsoft has said consumers could interact with the new barcodes, using webcams and mobile phones with cameras.” Xbox Live Vision Camera, anyone? “Information such as a website address or an e-mail address could be stored… and once scanned by a [camera], the consumer could be taken to a promotional page, a website offering downloads, or extra content.”

Talk about being rewarded for owning a Live Vision Camera.

There’s also an added security feature. A nanoparticle can be embedded in the new barcode, which can only be lit up by a specific frequency of light and detected by a digital reader. It can be developed as an anti-counterfeiting device to counter piracy. Er… could you imagine a gaming future where the instructions tell you to hold your game disc up to the camera to see if it’s legit?

Microsoft Research has developed a “High Capacity Color Barcode,” a little square of colored static that can hold up to twice the amount stored in a traditional UPC black-and-white barcode. And by the end of the year, the BBC reports, they will appear on DVDs and your very own Xbox 360 games.

But why, you may ask?

A lot of reasons. Here’s a clue: “Microsoft has said consumers could interact with the new barcodes, using webcams and mobile phones with cameras.” Xbox Live Vision Camera, anyone? “Information such as a website address or an e-mail address could be stored… and once scanned by a [camera], the consumer could be taken to a promotional page, a website offering downloads, or extra content.”

Talk about being rewarded for owning a Live Vision Camera.

There’s also an added security feature. A nanoparticle can be embedded in the new barcode, which can only be lit up by a specific frequency of light and detected by a digital reader. It can be developed as an anti-counterfeiting device to counter piracy. Er… could you imagine a gaming future where the instructions tell you to hold your game disc up to the camera to see if it’s legit?