TV-Anytime asks Liberty Alliance for digital identity

Two industry-based standards organisations have joined forces in a move they say will give users a reliable digital identity for downloaded and interactive telly.

TV-Anytime and the Liberty Alliance have announced a programme to set DVR (digital video recording) standards under the slogan 'digital television requires digital identity', promising consumers a wider choice and control in broadcast programming.

An Alliance spokesman said: "The standards are necessary to make sure the customer knows that his information is secure and for content companies to be able to develop decent products for people."

The TV-Anytime Forum is the film industry's attempt to get to grips with the growing threat of DVRs. The record industry claims to be clobbered by downloads and the Hollywood and Bollywood moguls would like to avoid the same fate.

The threat has already has legs. The Liberty Alliance is quoting IDC to the effect that four million DVRs were shipped worldwide last year. The figures indicate that shipments will hit 28 million by 2008 and the industry bodies would prefer if the material played on these machines is paid for.

In the meantime, home networks and ever-increasing numbers of digital consumer goodies are filling people's homes.

The two industry groups are trying to offer a deal to consumers. On the one hand, they'll make sure that users can pay online without losing money and without broadcasting all their personal details. They won't have to trust Microsoft's Passport system either.

Also, they should be able to connect all the goodies they've bought and transfer paid-for content from one to another.

But users will have to pay for the technology, says the Liberty Alliance, otherwise nobody will develop new games, enhanced TV or graphics.