BYU GRADS DEVELOP DVD-EDITING SOFTWARE

BY CHARITY BRUNSON / Nov 28, 2001
Brigham Young University's Daily Universe

ClearPlay became available last week. The company, founded by brothers Matthew, Lee and Peter Jarman, worked for two years to perfect the innovative technology that makes ClearPlay possible.

Their unique software allows an editor to map out a movie, noting frame by frame each moment that needs to be skipped or muted. The resulting file tells the computer how to play back the DVD. "If you think of a DVD player like a record player it's like picking up a needle moving it and dropping it," Peter Jarman said.

What makes ClearPlay unique is that it doesn't physically alter the DVDs, which means viewers can see an edited version of a movie they rented at any video store, Peter Jarman said. It also means that ClearPlay is completely legal -- since it changes only the playback and not the DVD itself, it doesn't violate any copyright laws, he said.

ClearPlay is currently designed to run on a computer -- it requires the intelligence of a DVD-ROM and Windows 98 or 2000 to operate -- but a laptop can be connected to a regular TV with a cable.

ClearPlay also still relies on human judgment. "ClearPlay doesn't automatically know what to skip -- we have to create a navigation file for every movie," Peter Jarman said. The service can be downloaded at www.clearplay.com.

Currently, about 160 titles are available at a flat subscription rate of $70 a year. About 15 - 20 movies are added each week. The selection includes PG, PG-13 and R- rated movies, carefully chosen for their family-friendly themes. And though the editing guidelines are the same for all films -- all graphic violence, profanity and sexual content is removed -- the results aren't necessarily child appropriate.

"With some movies, the premise of the movie isn't suitable for kids; we're not taking away that premise," Peter Jarman said. The service does, however, strive to help families promote responsible media viewing.

"It's a tool to help parents and individuals who want to enjoy a lot of the mainstream entertainment out there but not suffer through anything inappropriate or offensive," he said. It is students, however, who Peter Jarman said he thinks are most likely to benefit from ClearPlay, because they have the technology to use the software.

And in Provo, there seems to be a demand for edited movies. Clean Flicks, a club for renting edited movies, said they have over 1,500 members at fees ranging from $30 a year to $25 a month.

Matthew Jarman, who was actually inspired to start ClearPlay while working for a local movie editing company, said he is pleased with his product. "I think there are a lot of developments that we will continually improve on, but it works well right now," he said.