Is the PS3 using a new anti-piracy tool?

[admin]

A PS3 user has posted a video online which claims to show a new form of anti-piracy tool for the PS3. He claims the new system, called Cinavia, is being automatically downloaded and installed to the PS3 after firmware 3.41 (Sony changed their terms of service earlier in the year to allow automatic downloads that "may change your current operating system, cause a loss of data or content or cause a loss of functionalities or utilities"). But apparently, this new DRM has been around since firmware 3.10, but the new video has brought this new system back into the spotlight.

Cinavia works by comparing the audio of movie copies to the original, and if it matches, it will either prevent playback, or mute the audio on the PS3. The audio watermarking can indicate whether the movie (or rather, the soundtrack) was intended for use in professional cinema equipment (therefore aiming to prevent cinema based camcording piracy), or for home video use (but with limitations on copying). The inaudible audio watermark is carried over even when the audio track has been copied, recorded or altered. While the goal of this DRM is to stop people playing downloaded and pirated movies on their PS3, it may also stop users from playing legally backed up movies, or movies they've extracted from the disc as part of their digital media library.

So far, the system doesn't appear to affect all downloaded or copied videos, as there hasn't been a lot of reports about Cinavia stopping people playing their "legally" ripped movies.

More:

http://www.haxnetwork.net/2010/07/sonys-copyright-protection-preventing-users-playing-legaly-backed-up-movies/

[dr_ml422]

How does Cinavia know that the movie being watched is a copy anyway? I mean there has to be more to this than just the audio matching. Sounds kinda crazy. I would think that the opposite would be the case where the audio doesn't match like in a encoded video just using one track and not all that initially came with the movie.

[admin]

Cinavia is primarily used in cinemas, to prevent camcording, so if you record audio from the cinema using the camcorder's microphone, then apparently the inaudible watermark is also recorded, and when Cinavia detects this in a file, it knows that the file is an illegal recording.

I think it can be applied to DVDs as well, as long as Cinavia detects you're not playing from a commercial DVD (for example, the DVD doesn't have CSS copy protection, or it's not even a DVD, just a file), and if the audio contains the watermark, then it knows something is not right as well. Of course, this prevents home made backups and converted files (for streaming) to be played back, even if the file was legal. So far, there's not a lot of evidence to point to many DVDs using Cinavia or playback being stopped, but like any DRM, I'm sure there will be crack for it (just need to detect the inaudible audio and strip it from the track, I presume).

[dr_ml422]

How can anything record something that's inaudible if I may ask? Is it like some extra high pitch Dog whistle sound deaf to the human hear but not to dogs? To call it inaudible when it's part of audio is confusing.

Can you explain this a bit further if possible. Thnx.

[admin]

It's inaudible to human ears, but there are lots of frequencies in audio recordings that exists, but normally we can't hear. You can read more about the technology here:

http://www.cinavia.com/languages/english/pages/technology.html

[dr_ml422]

Admin I just for the 1st time received a numbered message on my HDTV while playing back a movie via TVersity saying this movie can not be played. It stopped playback. It was a .mp4 I made of American Me. I streamed it wirelessly before w/no issues. Now all the .mp4/.mkv2vob files were pausing and stuttering. Finally on American Me I got that message. Funny my music has no problems as right now I'm listening to wireless streaming via TVersity from My Music on 7.

I haven't updated to any new firmware, unless this PS3 did it wirelessly, though I doubt it cause it will tell you 1st then you go install the update. I'll stream again see if it was a glitch in Wireless Signal, though I doubt it.

[admin]

What was the exact message? Sometimes if the wireless link isn't very stable, TVersity may stutter and playback may stop, and I've even had this happen on a wired network.

[dr_ml422]

What was the exact message? Sometimes if the wireless link isn't very stable, TVersity may stutter and playback may stop, and I've even had this happen on a wired network.

It was a number across the screen on the HDTV saying this movie can not be played etc... started w/a 8. Didn't write it down. Funny as I was able to watch 300 in a .mkv2vob file flawlessly, and some other flic but w/stuttering a bit in the beginning then straightening out. Maybe it was wireless link.

Let me put on American Me again see what happens. I'll post back.

[admin]

That's probably not it then, because I think the message is suppose to mention Cinavia, much like this screenshot:

http://www.ps3news.com/modules/image_upload/plugins/thumb.php?img=img_21977.jpg&w=500&h=400

I've gotten the 800* something error before too, it's usually a network issue (and this is on a wired connection too).

The next time it doesn't work, try to copy the file to the PS3 (you should be able to do it from the PS3 interface), and then try the file, it will probably work (copying should be a bit more resistant to network problems than streaming).

[dr_ml422]

I'll prolly copy the files I have just to start learning how to do it as well as troubleshooting this issue. There should be no network problems at all if straight on the PS3 HDD though correct? There's no networking being done this way.

Wonder if heavy over the air wireless signals contributed to this when it happened. Later last night I went over some files w/no problem.

[admin]

I'll prolly copy the files I have just to start learning how to do it as well as troubleshooting this issue. There should be no network problems at all if straight on the PS3 HDD though correct? There's no networking being done this way.

Wonder if heavy over the air wireless signals contributed to this when it happened. Later last night I went over some files w/no problem.

Yep, if it's on the HDD, it will rule out the network connection being the problem.