AfterDawn: News

BD Plus copy protection is ready

BD Plus Technologies LLC announced yesterday that it had begun issuing specifications to content providers that would allow use of its patented BD Plus copy protection system.

The copy protection, usually known as BD+, allows for added levels of copy protection on current Blu ray format specifications. With the announcement, the technology is now ready for implementation by content providers and surely Hollywood will be implementing it as soon as possible. Since Blu ray's launch last year, many major Hollywood studios have expressed interest in added security for their movies, not wanting to see a repeat of what happened to standard DVDs with DeCSS



FOX and MGM stopped shipping new high-def titles in April, saying they would again when BD+ became available.

So far, no studio has announced they will be using the technology, but rest assured the announcements will be coming soon.

Source:
HD Digest

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Jun 2007 13:56

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• 28 comments

• Pop_Smith

  I wonder how long this will take to get around. They got around AACS rather quickly which was supposed to be really, really good.
  
  I personally give this three weeks maximum before its at least partially opened up.

  20.6.2007 14:05 #1

• tucker001

  i give it a week

  20.6.2007 14:11 #2

• BcMester

  It's not too bad that more and more studios support Bluray exclusively, once it's cracked (it's not a matter of if, but when), there will be less protected movies to worry about. :)
  
  Edit: do you guys think it's possible (even in theory) to make a 100% safe copy protection? I don't think so.

  20.6.2007 14:17 #3

• killaklan

  100% copy protection...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  20.6.2007 14:44 #4

• hughjars

  As always it'll not be the 'pirates' that get it in the neck from this cr@p, it'll be the paying punter caught out with compatibility issues, failures to recognise hardware and/or disc/reader issues.....and not forgetting that you'll only be covered with free updates for a limited period after that you have to pay for the priviledge.
  
  See here - Quote:BD-MV playback at HD quality has very strict copy protection integrated and managed by the Advanced
  Access Content System License Administrator (AACS LA), and software manufacturers are required to
  include the AACS key management in the play back software.
  These AACS play back keys are only valid for a predefined and limited period of time. Customers
  generally have to buy new AACS keys every 15 months.
  
  
  With the Plextor PX-B900A/T3KB the customer can playback BD movies produced until April 2009.
  
  To play back movies produced after April 2009, the customer has to purchase a renewal of the key. link to pdf press release from plextor: http://www.plextor.be/press/datasheets/Plextor_AACS.pdf
  
  
  This was meant to be a specific 'selling point' for blu-ray; it's all about trying to put the power and control into the movie studio & the hardware manufacturers hands.
  It's about as fundamentally anti-consumer as it gets.
  
  ......and it all rests on the excuse/principle beloved by every idiotic sad little fascist jerk
  (ie 'if you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about').
  
  It may be that this is actually impossible to 'crack'......but then the easiest way is not to tackle it head-on; avoid it instead.
  I give it 3mths before we hear it's by-passed.
  
  Frankly I could care less right now, HDDs are incredibily cheap & there are several hundred BD & HD DVD straight rips out there, a very nice little collection of HD movies in fact.

  20.6.2007 15:05 #5

• Pop_Smith

  With how quick people are poking and prodding at copy "protections" after their release I would say you cannot make one, or at least one that will last.
  
  EDIT: Wow, you have to buy new keys to watch your movies? On top of that you still have to pay for the movies (and the expensive drives, monitors and graphics cards to be "Compliant"). That is about the most anti-consumer news I have heard in a long time. Hopefully this will help HD DVD sales pickup (as HD DVD luckily lacks "BD+").
  
  Although when BD+ gets cracked it won't be a problem I guess.

  20.6.2007 15:07 #6

• OzMick

  Funny that... When it finally seems that BluRay is going to inevitably become the more accepted (there will be no "winner" in this format war) format, THEN they tighten the screws and leave everyone with useless DRM. Thanks.

  20.6.2007 16:03 #7

• chickenR

  nothing can be 100% copy-proof. if it's been human engineered, it can be reverse engineered.
  though I do think there could be some really tough copy-protection.

  20.6.2007 16:26 #8

• erjl

  If it can be done with a computer. It can be undone with a computer.

  20.6.2007 16:54 #9

• 26r0cK

  They should make sumthing like if whenever sumbody tries to do anything to the BD movie other than playing the disc itll automatically blow up :P

  20.6.2007 18:08 #10

• trigga71

  If something can take the data and read it then it can be cracked. It just a matter of time, money and resources

  20.6.2007 18:17 #11

• guenthar

  Are the movie companies stupid enough to even use this since for one they would have to say on the dvd boxes that you have to buy keys every 2 years (or get sued) and then loose a lot of customers because of that.
  
  EDIT: They can't put something in that can detect what exactly you are doing with the disc since whether you are watching the movie or ripping it you are just reading data off the disc.

  20.6.2007 18:22 #12

• NexGen76

  I'm just curious what going to make BD+ better than the other protection anyone got info on the BD+ spec's ?

  21.6.2007 02:35 #13

• ChromeMud

  BD+ copy protection is just another angle to convince movie studios
  that Blu-ray is the better investment rather than HD-DVD.It also means that all the Blu-ray players out there have to be firmware updated which is fine for all the folks in the know but others will just think their player is fu##ed!A lot of consumers will be unhappy
  if they brick their machine or have to pay to have it serviced.
  I won't touch HD tv's,players or whatever until I can see some
  stability both technicaly and in the formats growth.

  21.6.2007 04:00 #14

• hughjars

  Originally posted by guenthar:EDIT: They can't put something in that can detect what exactly you are doing with the disc since whether you are watching the movie or ripping it you are just reading data off the disc. - Actually the whole point about this BD+ is that their firmware/security updates do download code to your machine (which you may or may not be fully informed about).
  This then interacts with code on the disc
  (and if you're not up-to-date with your security/firmware who knows if the disc will play at all.....especially as the BD+ gets avoided/cracked and they impose ever more complex versions?).
  
  The current claim is that when your BD machine is turned off and the disc removed that the memory is then cleared and nothing left behind.
  
  But after the root-kit BS who is going to trust them about any of that?
  
  ..... and if you mess with your firmwares & try unofficial ones, cracks or stuff like multi-region hacks and the security detects this and bricks your machine, what then?

  21.6.2007 04:36 #15

• flyingv

  Who in their right minds would purchace these if you have to keep purchacing new "codes?" That's the craziest $hit I've ever heard! I have a hard enough time swallowing the prices that we already have to pay let alone having to pay to be able to watch it again in the future. This would turn the public against this "New Tech" disc and then where will they(the film industry) be? On their ass and broke because "Joe" cannot afford or will refuse to purchace any new movie. I will stick to my good old regular DVD's, thank-you!
  
  Save us Slysoft, save us!

  21.6.2007 12:36 #16

• borhan9

  It took them this long to get it ready just watch this space and see how fast it gets cracked :)

  21.6.2007 21:07 #17

• webe123

  This is nothing more than a basic "rental" service. You "rent" a key...then you have to..."rent" another one after a certian amount of time. If this goes the way that music being rented goes....it will not sell well and won't last long!
  
  People are tired of DRM and restrictions....they should get a clue from the music industry and see that, but if they don't, they will go out of business! Simple as that.
  
  The studios are going to have to realize what the music industry is just now realizing....people won't buy a restricted product in mass like an unrestricted one. They can either change or go out of business...their choice.

  22.6.2007 02:45 #18

• ZippyDSM

  so everyone will buy hardware to copy their movies ,sale their old movies off, buy new movies, and repeat as needed with the help of 40$ copy software.
  
  why? because people don't like gettign raped over media.
  
  
  that or go HDVD.
  
  really this is the main reason why BR sucks.

  22.6.2007 09:46 #19

• plazma247

  Ummm, ok they can change to key and start stamping new disks out.
  
  But, if the codes cracked which if its anything like all DRM that came before it would eventually be.
  
  So a disks cracked and they start stamping a new code thats cracked, so they change it again.
  
  But how much cost is envolved if seeing if a disk has been cracked then resetting all the systems for the code just to have to do the same thing next week.
  
  Surely it will end up with something like AnyDVD trying say then 10 possible codes on the disk, instead of knowing the correct key first time.

  22.6.2007 11:48 #20

• dec42

  According to the latest MPAA study, all-media revenue for 2006 was 8% higher than 2005, and reached $42.6 billion USD. The "all-media" references money made from home video, television, theatrical and pay TV entertainment.
  I guess they will never get enought

  23.6.2007 16:07 #21

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by plazma247:Ummm, ok they can change to key and start stamping new disks out.
  
  But, if the codes cracked which if its anything like all DRM that came before it would eventually be.
  
  So a disks cracked and they start stamping a new code thats cracked, so they change it again.
  
  But how much cost is envolved if seeing if a disk has been cracked then resetting all the systems for the code just to have to do the same thing next week.
  
  Surely it will end up with something like AnyDVD trying say then 10 possible codes on the disk, instead of knowing the correct key first time.
  thats the problem will they be able to keep up with it by litrealy blanking 20 or so % of all movie discs?
  what happens when people start cracking it and then feeding legit keys into the system to force it to say thos keys are bad to break the system.
  
  really this setup is as smart as the uncopyable "marker" CDs....

  23.6.2007 16:17 #22

• plazma247

  Quote:
  thats the problem will they be able to keep up with it by litrealy blanking 20 or so % of all movie discs?
  what happens when people start cracking it and then feeding legit keys into the system to force it to say thos keys are bad to break the system.
  
  really this setup is as smart as the uncopyable "marker" CDs....He He do you mean the cds which you could by pass with a marker pen.
  
  http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2002/05/52665

  24.6.2007 05:02 #23

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:[quote]
  thats the problem will they be able to keep up with it by litrealy blanking 20 or so % of all movie discs?
  what happens when people start cracking it and then feeding legit keys into the system to force it to say thos keys are bad to break the system.
  
  really this setup is as smart as the uncopyable "marker" CDs..../quote
  
  He He do you mean the cds which you could by pass with a marker pen.
  
  " target="_blank">http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries...5/52665[/quote]
  =======================================
  pretty much,altho this will cost them more.....I don't understand what they are tryign to accomplish by doing it this way.....

  24.6.2007 05:08 #24

• plazma247

  Quote:
  pretty much,altho this will cost them more.....I don't understand what they are tryign to accomplish by doing it this way.....
  I think the idea is to then change the code once one has been cracked so:
  
  Film comes out and say after 1 month someone cracks the code for the disk, they then start producing a slightly diffirent disk with a diffirent code. So i guess the older disks would could then be copied and all disks manufatured after that date would not play with the older know cyhipher.
  
  But this would mean effecivly that once the codes broken on the first disk it could be ported to another medium and distributed, say XviD or stripped mpeg ... so it wouldnt matter that some later disks were an unknow key, it would mean the end for such programs as AnyDVD but not the end.
  
  looking at it that way, they could even go as far as having an individual key for each disk instead of having keys on batches, but even then only one single key needs to fall before theres a key less copy out there.
  
  Seeing as the music industry has now realised DRM doesnt work and in the long run ends up hurting your sales have turned about face, its probably something the motion pictures industry should start to think about.
  
  Additionally i think they should make these considerations when thinking about all the little programs that copy dvd content onto mobile devices such as psp.
  
  They may think they can sell us two copies for both devices but generally the public doesnt see it this way, by placing such a protection system into the picture it would then mean if you wanted to backup to watch on mobile devices your only choice or easier choice would be HD-DVD.

  24.6.2007 07:41 #25

• ZippyDSM

  Quote:[quote]
  pretty much,altho this will cost them more.....I don't understand what they are tryign to accomplish by doing it this way.....
  /quote
  
  I think the idea is to then change the code once one has been cracked so:
  
  Film comes out and say after 1 month someone cracks the code for the disk, they then start producing a slightly diffirent disk with a diffirent code. So i guess the older disks would could then be copied and all disks manufatured after that date would not play with the older know cyhipher.
  
  But this would mean effecivly that once the codes broken on the first disk it could be ported to another medium and distributed, say XviD or stripped mpeg ... so it wouldnt matter that some later disks were an unknow key, it would mean the end for such programs as AnyDVD but not the end.
  
  looking at it that way, they could even go as far as having an individual key for each disk instead of having keys on batches, but even then only one single key needs to fall before theres a key less copy out there.
  
  Seeing as the music industry has now realised DRM doesnt work and in the long run ends up hurting your sales have turned about face, its probably something the motion pictures industry should start to think about.
  
  Additionally i think they should make these considerations when thinking about all the little programs that copy dvd content onto mobile devices such as psp.
  
  They may think they can sell us two copies for both devices but generally the public doesnt see it this way, by placing such a protection system into the picture it would then mean if you wanted to backup to watch on mobile devices your only choice or easier choice would be HD-DVD.from my understand once the keys to that disc are broken that disc wont play,or did I misunderstand something.
  
  I mean whats the point is a live key system if its constantly hacked keys are black listed and the older media that has 90% of black listed keys wont play.........

  24.6.2007 07:46 #26

• plazma247

  http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry...y-enhanced.html
  
  no your right mate, i cant see this being long before some just does a cleaver firmware write like the 360 drives got to play backups.
  
  Again, it wouldnt only take one disk to get cracked before a stipped version would be out there.

  24.6.2007 08:47 #27

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by plazma247:http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/bd-plus-bd-bluray-enhanced.html
  
  no your right mate, i cant see this being long before some just does a cleaver firmware write like the 360 drives got to play backups.
  
  Again, it wouldnt only take one disk to get cracked before a stipped version would be out there.So they are goign to blank discs with the live key system?
  I cant wiat till hackers flood their live key system with bad keys making it "blank" 80% of movies...that would be fun to watch.

  24.6.2007 15:17 #28