RFID ‘watches’ DVDs

It’s no secret that millions of dollars are spent each year by retailers in an effort to prevent the theft of in-store items. According to this piece from Computing.co.uk, NXP Semiconductors and Kestrel Wireless have created a system that embeds radio frequency chips into these items which will disable playback unless the item is activated at the register.

"Using NXP's RFID technology and Kestrel's RFA it is possible to disable DVDs at the point of manufacture and enable them at the point of sale, making goods stolen at any point during the supply chain worthless," said a statement by the firms.

The two companies are now in talks with Hollywood studios regarding this new level of security and how it can reduce total costs and ultimately pass savings on to consumers.