Color Bar Codes: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Okay, multi-color bar codes snuck up on me. But not the folks at Microsoft Research. That's why they're enjoying the palatial environs of a major research lab and I'm not.

But when you stop and think about, multi-color bar codes make a lot of sense. Colors let you pack a lot more information into a small space than does the ubiquitous black-and-white bar codes we've become accustomed to.

"The capability of these new bar codes to store more data in a smaller space should provide a rich resource for the industry and consumers alike," said Gavin Jancke, director of engineering for Microsoft Research and inventor of the format. "The new code offers several advantages over existing black-and-white bar codes most people are accustomed to seeing on product packages, enabling new consumer experiences, more visual appeal where aesthetics are important and the ability to incorporate advanced security features."

The high capacity color barcode (HCCB) technology that Jancke came up with was devised to assist publishers and consumers in finding out more about commercial audiovisual works, such as motion pictures, video games, broadcasts, digital video recordings and other media. For audiovisual publishers, identification and tracking technologies will provide detailed data for royalty payments, anti-counterfeiting efforts, market analysis, and the like. For consumers, scanning multi-color bar codes with webcams or cell phones that have color cameras, will return information such as product versioning, ratings identification, parental control, product availability, special releases, contests, pricing and promotions.

The International Standard Audiovisual Number International Agency (ISAN-IA), which coordinates a globally recognized identification system for audiovisual works, has licensed the bar code technology from Microsoft and will make it available to other organizations, starting with DVD media, later this year. Software from Microsoft and ISAN-IA will interpret the bar codes and be integrated with Web services to enable these interactions

HCCB is expected to become more widespread as cell-phone lens quality advances. For existing cell phones to read black-and-white bar codes, the code must be larger than 1.5x1.5 inches in size, which may be impractical in small spaces or where visual appeal is important. Eventually, consumers should be able to scan the new, smaller bar codes directly from television, phone, or PC screens; movie posters; DVD and CD jewel cases; magazine ads; billboards; and a host of other platforms to retrieve additional information. New security features can also be incorporated into Microsoft’s multicolor bar code. DatatraceDNA plans to provide technology for anti-counterfeiting security protection features through nanotechnology that is embedded within the material and ink of the Microsoft bar code and product packaging.

Posted by Jon Erickson at 05:11 AM  Permalink