Thanks to a deal with ISAN International, Microsoft’s colorful barcode technology — that was shelved two years ago — will begin appearing on DVD and video game cases later this year. ISAN, a Geneva-based company, assigns codes to movies, keeping a database of not only the movie but also of the director, cast members, and release date. The new barcode with its red, green, yellow, and black triangles is expected to simplify its procedures.

Once the new technology is activated, studios and producers will be able to link their personal Web sites to this database. In the future, consumers using digital cameras may even be able to scan the barcodes from DVD cases, advertisements, or billboards to a Web page to watch trailers or buy products.

In the initial trial stages, only Webcams and digital cameras will be able to take advantage of this technology, as cell phone imagery isn’t clear enough for the technology to read accurately. Another obstacle for this technology to hurdle is censoring what producers or TV networks don’t want the public to be able to view while allowing access to other portions of the material. According to Gavin Jancke, Microsoft researcher who invented the new barcode, the United States will eventually catch up with Japan where people are often seen taking photos of a billboard’s giant barcode. He also adds that while previous attempts to introduce similar technology has failed the rise in cell phone camera use and the current familiarity with the Internet may prove that this technology’s time has come.

Tags: microsoft, barcode technology, gavin jancke, colored barcodes, isan, web cams, digital cameras, new technology released