I suppose it was inevitable, but it looks like the ability to record high-definition movies on your digital video recorder may soon be a thing of the past. There’s some shady discussion currently going on over at the FCC as they debate whether or not to allow the MPAA to make use of a technology called Selectable Output Control (SOC) in order to block the capture of selected movies on a digital recording device. This is all part of the “Petition for Expedited Special Relief”, which is being pushed on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal City Studios Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Brothers.

Now before you get too upset at the proposal, you should know that the idea has come about because various studios are looking to start broadcasting their movies on specialty channels prior to DVD release, and they want to protect this content from piracy. They say that once a movie is released on home video, the recording ban would be lifted for that particular title. While I like the idea of studios releasing movies on HDTV soon after the theatrical release, I think they are only going to hurt themselves by blocking the ability to record. PVRs have definitely increased the amount of television programming that people watch because they are able to do it on their own time. It is a huge win for both consumer and content provider, and they should learn to work with it.

The other thing is, once the blocking technology becomes available to them, what’s to stop them from applying it liberally all over the place? The Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC) fears this as well: “In the long term, imposition of SOC could have the effect of driving from the market any home interface that supports home recording.”

Do you think that it would be fair to block recording on new movies? The FCC is currently holding an open public comment period on the issue until July 7th. If you would like to have your say, you can file a comment here.