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Many entertainment companies use copy protection technologies to protect their films against theft and some delivery systems for film content already use some form of copy protection, including DVDs (which use the Content Scrambling System), PPV, dedicated DSL set-top boxes, cable set top boxes, digital encryption encoding of satellite signals and videocassettes (which contain Macrovision).
Copy protection benefits consumers as well as the industry because without these safeguards, the industry would not be able to release their high-quality digital content without the fear of widespread and rampant piracy. For instance, with PPV, because of the copy protection, there is a level of assurance that the movies won’t be copied freely so movies can be offered at a very reasonable price considering the cost of making the product.
The motion picture industry has pursued those who distribute devices that break copy protection in any format. While no technology has yet proven foolproof, the industry continues to implement protection technologies which raise the threshold of difficulty and expense for the pirate and therefore help reduce piracy.
http://www.contentprotection.net/
The Broadcast Flag is a nickname for a solution defined by cross-industry groups and regulators for use in the United States. It is more generically called "Redistribution Control." It is one country’s solution to the problem of "unauthorized redistribution of unencrypted digital television over the Internet.
The purpose of the Broadcast Flag is to preserve the value of broadcast programming in other markets — sales to other TV stations including foreign stations, other media such as home video, etc. — by preventing its indiscriminate redistribution over digital networks. If broadcasters cannot protect valuable content, there is concern that content providers will only license to encrypted delivery systems like cable and satellite, denying unencrypted broadcast stations the ability to acquire the most popular programming.
The Broadcast Flag implements "protection upon reception," in that it allows for the "clear" or unencrypted, transmission of digital TV signals and then invokes protection at the point where it is first received. The Broadcast Flag uses a combination of technological protection measures and legal or regulatory obligations to achieve this protection. A few digital bits are embedded into an unencrypted television program in order to signal to a receiving device that the program must be protected from unauthorized redistribution. Receiving devices, e.g., digital TVs or set-top boxes read the bits and determine whether or not the associated TV program must be protected. If protection is required, then one or more of several existing and future content protection systems may be applied to the TV program to manage its use. The Broadcast Flag does not prevent copying, only unauthorized redistribution over the Internet.
The analog hole is a problem characterized by the theft of movies and TV from an unprotected analog video output. When protected digital video is converted to analog form for display, the resulting video can be captured and reconverted back to digital, thus stripping away the former protection. Digital hardware devices that have analog output capabilities, enabling compatibility with older analog devices, permit these conversions, creating a "hole" in content protection measures. Through this analog "hole" unauthorized copies can be made and then redistributed infinitely via optical disc and the Internet. Obviously, this creates several problems
- an inconsistent consumer experience between analog and digital sources,
- Unlevel playing field for manufacturers of digital versus analog products and
- Failure to protect copyright.
It is critical to content owners that the analog hole problem be addressed through the implementation of security measures or effective laws that require analog to digital conversion devices to retain the security measures included in the original content.
Although the keys for the Content Scramble System (CSS) protection technology for DVDs have been exposed for some time, DVD player manufacturers, as licensees of the CSS technology, are obligated to abide by the CSS license agreement. Thus, licensees are required to comply with all CSS guidelines, including copy protection and robustness requirements. The CSS license continues to be amended to address new and developing situations. For example, the CSS license was recently amended to include the new managed recording ability, which allows content to be downloaded and recorded to new CSS recordable DVDs. Further, efforts are underway to improve the security of the CSS technology.
The next generation of optical discs, such as HD DVD and Blu-ray, are protected by the new Advanced Access Content System (AACS). AACS requires that HD DVD and Blu-ray players provide a more secure environment for content. AACS includes renewed content scramble and other key attributes that should make it significantly more reliable in the long term than its predecessor:
Many entertainment companies use copy protection technologies to
protect their films against theft and some delivery systems for film
content already use some form of copy protection, including DVDs
(which use the Content Scrambling System), PPV, dedicated DSL
set-top boxes, cable set top boxes, digital encryption encoding of
satellite signals and videocassettes (which contain Macrovision).
Copy protection benefits consumers as well as the industry because
without these safeguards, the industry would not be able to release
their high-quality digital content without the fear of widespread
and rampant piracy. For instance, with PPV, because of the copy
protection, there is a level of assurance that the movies won’t be
copied freely so movies can be offered at a very reasonable price
considering the cost of making the product.
The motion picture industry has pursued those who distribute
devices that break copy protection in any format. While no
technology has yet proven foolproof, the industry continues to
implement protection technologies which raise the threshold of
difficulty and expense for the pirate and therefore help reduce
piracy.
Technology Initiatives
Technology Part 1
Technology Part 2
Read the full booklet "Asia Pacific Technology
Initiatives" (PDF)
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