DRM
The Blu-ray format uses 5 different DRM schemes, each are unique with their own complex quirks.
It is mandatory for officially made BD-ROMs to use DRM as an agreement with the BDA licensing, but commercial BD-Rs and digital ISO files do not require DRM. All BD players are required to have all DRM schemes.
List of DRM
Here are the DRM schemes that Blu-ray uses, each one is very unique and many individuals have been successful at cracking these.Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is part of the Blu-ray DRM and it's an advanced and complex cryptic DRM that works by encrypting the content on the disc using a combination of symmetric and asymmetric key cryptography. The AACS cryptic system is overwhelmingly complex to explain.
ROM Mark is a serialization technology designed to protect against mass production piracy or the mass replication and sale of unauthorized copies of "pressed" Blu-ray Discs. Only licensed BD-ROM manufacturers have access to the equipment that can make these unique ROM Marks. A unique and authentic digital signature is buried in the recording which can identify whether an individual disc was pressed by an authorized glass master.
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of digital copy protection developed by Intel Corporation to prevent the copying of digital audio and video content as it travels across digital connections including HDMI. This protocol flag can cause the downsampling of high-definition video content on Blu-ray to DVD quality video and not be able to enjoy high-definition video from such discs.
BD+ is an additional but optional component of the Blu-ray DRM. It was developed by Cryptography Research Inc. and is based on their concept of Self-Protecting Digital Content (SPDC). It's basically a Security Virtual Machine.
Cinavia is an analog watermarking and steganography system under development by Verance. In conjunction with the existing AACS DRM, the inclusion of Cinavia watermarking detection support became mandatory for all consumer Blu-ray Disc players in 2012. It is not required to have Cinavia DRM on the disc.
|
|
AACS | ROM Mark | BD+ | Cinavia | HDCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discs | Required | Required | Optional | Optional | N/A |
| Players | Required | Required | Required | Required | Required |
| DRM type | Digital Cryptography | Physical | Security VM | Analog Watermarking | Transmission Protection |
| Cracking Difficulty | High (Revoked keys block playback) | Very High (Hardware-dependent) | Very High (Dynamic & obfuscated) | High (Detection in all players) | Medium (Master keys leaked) |
Hackers mostly bypass most of these DRM schemes by just ripping
the discs, modifying/decrypting the files, and
compiling them into an ISO file thus defeating the purpose. However,
it's better said than done, as it is not easy. Cinavia and BD+ are
the most difficult to crack.
Analog Sunset
After 2013, all Blu-ray players most disable analog outputs entirely for Blu-ray Discs as part of the AACS agreement.
Footnotes
*Only for BD-Rs or ISO files. It is mandatory for officially licensed BD-ROMs to have at least the minimum AACS DRM encryptionSources
- Doom9 Forums
- AACS homepage
- AACS specifications
- AACS Wikipedia Page
- Cinavia Wikipedia Page
- AACS Specs Revision 0.912 PDF
- Analog Sunset Demystified - Extron PDF
- Blu-ray Demystified
Author(s) : Æ Firestone
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