AfterDawn: News

BDA brings forth DRM re-enforcement for Blu-ray

As has widely been reported, HD DVD and Blu-ray's Advanced Access Content System (AACS) has been the target of several successful attacks that have led to Blu-Ray and HD DVD movie titles being decrypted, ripped and shared on the Internet. Even though AACS LA moved to tackle the attacks, hackers have stayed ahead. This is bad news for both formats (from movie studio's perspective at least), but Blu-ray has had BD+ up its sleeve.

BD-Plus is described as a more advanced copy protection technology, yet its still unseen and unproven. The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has decided to bring forth its planned release to re-enforce protection of content on Blu-ray discs. It differs from AACS in many ways, but mainly because each disc can install a small piece of encryption software on a player, so that each disc has its own key.



Once BD+ is available it will add between seven to 28 days per title to production time, with 20th Century Fox being expected to release the first BD+ title. The studio slowed the production of new discs ever since the successful AACS attacks at the end of 2006.

Source:
PC Pro

Written by: James Delahunty @ 17 Apr 2007 18:27

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• 11 comments

• juanpollo

  This is going to fail misserably (think I spelt it wrong) just as AACS did. As soon as the BD+ are released, it would only be a matter of time before hackers find a way to crack this so called 'more advanced' protection. F**k off Sony, don't you think you wasted enough money on useless protection?

  17.4.2007 18:53 #1

• ZippyDSM

  oh great you have random discs that hack the firmware of players....this makes no sense

  17.4.2007 18:56 #2

• Blackjax

  Does anyone remember the DRM fiasco on cd's from Sony that caused all their legal woes?! How much do you want to bet that this is going to cause some sort of problem with your high def player. When you go messing with firmware on a player it can be bad news SO Sony go ahead with your plans to stop hackers. I want to see how much you can spend when your junk disks start trashing consumers expensive high def players. Are you going to run to the politicians you have bought just to save your arse? Are you going to blame the consumer for something you did? I would lay money down in vegas that this is what will happen!

  17.4.2007 19:56 #3

• b18bek9

  all i can say is sony always puts their foot right into their own mouths with this nonsense....wasting time an money on protection that never works even with normal dvd's.....i think they should learn from all their past mistakes and find another solution cuz the so called copy protection they keep saying is the new thing to stop ppl from copying there bullshiet is like it is bullshiet......all i can say is i hope this is cracked as soon as it comes out.....i dont even have a HD DVD player or blu ray cuz its a waste of money when i can get alot of hd movies off my hd directv reciever...why try and see which format will win let them fight over nonsense and in a few years ppl might buy when the prices drop and the nonsense settles down.....

  17.4.2007 20:28 #4

• tabletpc

  big deal they will just stream the key off of the dvd drive onto there computer and hack hack hack it again

  17.4.2007 21:07 #5

• duckNrun

  Quote: ...each disc can install a small piece of encryption software on a player, so that each disc has its own key. Seems to me this sounds a lot like MS' PID numbers except that it will be an auto detect sort of feature that will integrate into the firmware of the BD players. And if the players firmware can have a small program installed on it then it can be updated. If it can be updated it can be hacked. I can imagine that there will eventually be BD Settop player hacked firmwares available online just like there are many other alternate firmwares out there for devices already.
  
  And of course you are right.. what is the legal implications of altering MY device's firmware with YOUR product.
  
  Everyday they keep showing me just how LITTLE I really need to 'upgrade' my DVD collection WHICH LOOKS GOOD ENOUGH anyways! This continual cycle of release, buy. update a release slightly, tell me I need to buy it, release, buy has really exceeded it's worth to me.
  
  I for one AM NOT going to turn around and RE-BUY the 982 DVDs that I own, especially not for even more crippled products that cost twice as much as the ones I already bought!

  18.4.2007 00:29 #6

• aone

  i think it's wonderful how much Sony and the BDA and Fox motivate hackers and keeps their juices flowing. :)

  18.4.2007 11:47 #7

• klassic

  Did I miss the part in the article where it says "Sony"?

  18.4.2007 13:33 #8

• llongtheD

  @ Klassic,
  I guess you don't realize that Sony developed this format. And with this kind of B*llshit, the format will probably go the way of the minidisc, and the betamax. I can't think of anyone who would want to unknowingly install software on their 1000 dollar bluray player to further limit playback abilities. When will $ony get it?

  18.4.2007 17:41 #9

• borhan9

  This does not worry me cause its only a matter of time that it can be broken again. And ofcourse the hackers are going to be a step a head.

  18.4.2007 22:22 #10

• sparkery

  If this is successful for blu ray, and HD-DVD is still relatively unprotected, doesn't it mean that people will prefer HD-DVD for its "added back up flexibility"? Sony might protect themselves out of business.

  19.4.2007 14:01 #11