True. I know from experience that theater employees will play the movies a day or two before the release date, if for no other reason then to make sure there are no obvious defects on their copy. It would be relatively simple for a trusted employee or a theater manager to make dupes, especially when they are the only one in the theater.

Kierthos

Considering most hot-ticket summer blockbusters are developing their DVD content before the film is even in theaters, I don't see why camcorders are even necessary. Post houses like Deluxe [bydeluxe.com] or Ascent [ascentmedia.com] are just overflowing with digital content that won't hit the streets for months. Any lower quality is a waste of time. If you're going to steal, might as well get it from the source...

The "how" is easy. Every camcorder manufactured after the enactment of this law will be required to have a GPS-enabled system that will report where you are. If you are within the geocoords of a movie theater, then a crack squad of highly-trained federalized ushers will storm the theater and force everybody to be strip searched in plain sight. Older camcorders will be retro-fitted with the GPS-enabled system. They will sneak the unit into the battery, so when yours dies you'll go buy a battery with the unit

It's called a sting operation. Would you want to risk 3 years in prison just to get a tape of a movie you can already see for free(if you work there already). Anybody you work for could be a narc. I know I sure as hell wouldn't want to risk 3 years.