Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

53939 readers

439 users here now

⚓ Dedicated to the discussion of digital piracy, including ethical problems and legal advancements.

Rules • Full Version

1. Posts must be related to the discussion of digital piracy

2. Don't request invites, trade, sell, or self-promote

3. Don't request or link to specific pirated titles, including DMs

4. Don't submit low-quality posts, be entitled, or harass others

Loot, Pillage, & Plunder

💰 Please help cover server costs.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

956

Looks like DRM prevented to watch movies in many theaters yesterday (www.theverge.com)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

153 comments fedilink hide all child comments

From the article:

When we went to our seats, the wait staff let us know that despite the fact that the previews were playing, we wouldn’t know until the movie actually started whether we could see the film or not. If it didn’t work, the screen would just turn black. Luckily, the film went through without a hitch.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 90 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I've built DCPs (Digital Cinema Package, the format that protectors use) and the DRM part is always so finicky. I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Could you share some interesting insights?

[–] [email protected] 42 points 8 months ago

I've never worked on this stuff but I've looked it up before. Essentially, theatres get a DCP but it's unplayable without a Key Delivery Message (KDM).

My understanding is that theatres order these and pay a fee for each one. The KDM is only valid to unlock a specific DCP, on a specific projector, on a specific date and time. It won't work if any of these checks are off meaning you can't check that it works until the theatre is filled with patrons who paid to see your movie, as the KDM will only decrypt the movie seconds before playtime. If there's some glitch, a theatre manager needs to call a hotline for a new KDM.