Wish: Expiring swf panos created with Pano2VR

zdeto · Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:11 pm

Hi Thomas,

I got into some issues with my clients and I'm thinking about a nice feature added to Pano2VR. I would like to have the possibility to add an expiration date to the swf panos created by Pano2VR. If the swf is played after the date I set, then it should display an message, or stop working.
I guess that I can do something like that if I embed the panos in another swf that does what I want. But this is a solution if I deliver 1-2 panos but when I'm delivering 30 panos it's a waste of time to embed each one in my wrapper that should check the date...

So, what do you think? Can you do this? Pretty pleeeease...

ThomasK · Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:06 pm

Yes, this would be VERY USEFUL feature. An expiration date for the swf and URL check to run the swf only from a given URL.

Some time ago I posted this link to an old AS2 script as an example:
http://gousable.com/flash/swf_protector.html

Also the old PTCrypt application from Prof. Dersch offered limited encryption of jpg files for the PTViewer
Immervision offers encryption with Package Crypter:
http://www.immervision.com/en/multimedi ... ools_5.php

Another example is http://www.mochibot.com to track Flash content on the web.

zdeto · Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:23 pm

Hey ThomasK,
It's good to know that I'm not the only one wishing this!

Although, the url checking sometimes is good, but not all the times. Because when I generate the swf, I don't usually know exactly where it will be displayed. But if Thomas can add this, I don't mind!

Mochibot looks interesting, I find out about it from your older thread. I'm gonna look into it...

zdeto · Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:50 am

well?

ThomasK · Fri Sep 19, 2008 2:33 pm

Perhaps in six weeks with the new version, who knows...
Otherwise, Andrej, let's met in Vienna for a sit down strike in front of Thomas door!

zdeto · Fri Sep 19, 2008 4:02 pm

ThomasK wrote:Perhaps in six weeks with the new version, who knows...

That would be so great! I really hope you will implement this feature, this would be very useful to panographers in case of customers who delay payment tooo much. When they will see their panos expired I'm sure they would hurry up the payments

ThomasK wrote:Otherwise, Andrej, let's met in Vienna for a sit down strike in front of Thomas door!

Hehe... that's an ideea!

ThomasK · Wed Oct 08, 2008 5:16 pm

Dear Thomas,

since there was a note about the upcoming version 2.2 of Pano2VR I just wanted to ask if the feature data expiration of swf files will be integrated in this version.

Gruß aus Genua,
Thomas

Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:30 pm

Yes, it is on my list for 2.2.

zdeto · Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:29 pm

Hurray!

Maybe when you'll start working on this, we should have some private conversations about how exactly this feature will be implemented. I'd like it to be really useful for panographers. I can't tell you how much I miss this feature, I have panos delivered and online on some clients websites for months and still haven't got payed.

ThomasK · Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:15 am

Thats fine! Because here in Italy it's quite impossible to sue somebody for 500 Euro or 1000 Euro. The times of the justice are just biblical. Better setting the expiration date some time ahead of the terms of payment. If the client doesn't pay in time the pano will expire and the photographer is in a better position to negotiate the payment.

hum@no.id · Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:03 am

Stupid unnecessary function (IMHO)...

Demo watermark - forever

zdeto · Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:36 am

hum@no.id wrote:Stupid unnecessary function (IMHO)...

Demo watermark - forever

Trust me, I know what I am asking for. It's not stupid. I have thought about watermarking, but this is better. It's like having a shareware software fully functional for a limited period of time and after expiration it stops working.

hum@no.id · Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:49 am

Any illegal (if need) has a possibility hacking graphical resource from SWF and QTVR content.. with following re-compiling with like as Pano2VR tool...

Swindler "stop" - the watermark on panorama's texture...

*But you may be played with this possibility "Expiring swf" if you like

zdeto · Fri Oct 10, 2008 12:50 pm

hum@no.id wrote:Any illegal (if need) has a possibility hacking graphical resource from SWF and QTVR content.. with following re-compiling with like as Pano2VR tool...

Swindler "stop" - the watermark on panorama's texture...

*But you may be played with this possibility "Expiring swf" if you like

That's true, but not everyone knows how to hack and extract the graphical resources from swf/qtvr. You might do it, I might do it, but I know for sure that my clients are by far less experienced than me. I'm telling you again, I know exactly what I am asking here

And I know for sure that if I offer my panos watermarked to my type of clients, I will surely get into other issues from the start. So this discussion is somehow pointless...

ThomasK · Fri Oct 10, 2008 2:05 pm

My panos are always watermarked with a small logo, and hacking the swf pano is against my business terms. But I prefer to have the expiring or path feature for the swf pano. Also a pingback (www.mochibot.com) from the swf is not a bad idea to track the swf file on the the web against duplication.
Immervision has the expire and path feature for Java panoramas, the Flash version should come with Flash 10. But I don't want to switch back to Immervision and it's lame support.