New Intel Chips Will Block Would-Be Pirates

Intel has added a surprise new feature to its next generation of Core microprocessors—an anti-piracy feature that it hopes will convince studios to stream true 1080p videos. Until now, studios have offered “HD” streaming content, but they’ve held back on the true 1080p resolution out of fear of pirates, the Wall Street Journal explains. Intel’s new chips—codenamed “Sandy Bridge”—will have an “Intel Insider” feature that is intended to ensure the processor won’t copy such content.

Intel will debut the chips at CES this week, and announce video distribution deals with several companies, including Warner Bros. and Fox. “The new Intel technology is a fundamental change for us,” says one Warner Bros. executive. “It creates a fundamentally more secure platform in the PC environment.” On the technical side, the chips also take a big step by grafting a graphics chip directly onto the main processor, which should improve visual performance and eliminate the need for a separate graphics card, CNet reports.