Philips Announces Commercial Availability of Cinefence Digital Cinema Forensic Marking for Both Image and Sound

Royal Philips Electronics announced the commercial availability of its CineFence forensic marking technology for both digital cinema image and sound. Five major Hollywood movie studios have approved Philips’ CineFence forensic marking of digital cinema sound tracks to deter piracy. The approval makes Philips’ CineFence the first forensic marking solution for both image and sound tracks for digital cinema.

The studios gave their approval for Philips’ CineFence image marking in 2006, and recently concluded extensive sound tests on Philips’ CineFence audio marking technology. CineFence supports forensic marking of up to 16 audio channels on a single Digital Signal Processor (DSP).

Illegal camcorder recording at cinema theaters has been identified as a major source of movie piracy. Since content pirates illegally record the image and sound tracks from different theaters, the movie studios adopted forensic marking as a mandatory requirement in the Digital Cinema Initiatives’ (DCI) Digital Cinema System Specification. Philips’ CineFence is the first forensic marking technology that fully complies with the DCI Specification and enables individual traceability of image and sound.

The CineFence marks are imperceptible to cinema audiences and yet maintain their integrity in illegally copied material. Comprehensive listening tests demonstrated that Philips marking technology does not make audible changes to the original sound tracks, but remains detectable even when recordings are compressed into pirate formats.

Source: DCinemaToday

System Specifications for Digital Cinema in Germany

This document contains suggestions for structures and workflows introducing digital cinema in Germany. Consequences for producers, engineering firms, distributors, cinema operators and advertisement procedures will be taken into consideration. Special technical requirements of German market participants will be described. Furthermore this document contains system specifications and suggestions for equipment of cinemas, to benefit optimally from digital technology.

DCI specifications dated July 2005, DCI Compliance test plan (CTP) dated February 2007 as well as SMPTE standards of DC28 are the starting point for the introduction of digital cinema. They transfer hitherto screening technology to a digital cinema show. To clarify workflows and systems, existing specifications and standards will partly be explained. Within this document the scope will be broadened as well as substantiated on special requirements of German cinema. This also means future digital player systems have to be at least DCI-compatible.

The DCI specification does not include declarations about the distribution structure for DCPs, KDMs and Log records. Therefore this document will present a recommendation, for shaping these structures in Germany. Since DCI and SMPTE solely deal with realization of conventional cinema showings, this document includes also suggestion for equipment towards a further usage of the cinema with other digital media such as business events, live events, DVD screenings and so forth. Altogether this should add value to the cinemas. To what extent these possibilities will be used - thus what equipment is acquired - is left to the owner of the cinema.

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European Digital Cinema Security Whitebook is Online

This book results from the work of the Enhanced Digital Cinema (EDcine) project established by the European Commission in the context of the Networked Audio Visual line of the 6th framework of IST (Information Society and Technology). The world of digital cinema has been led by Hollywood initiatives. The Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) is under standardisation by a subgroup of the Society of Moving Pictures and Television Engineers, namely the DC28. EDcine was launched in this environment to maintain the European industrial leading edge in the field and to develop new tools and best practices beyond the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI). Economic, cultural and technical aspects are more complex in Europe. There is a clear need to go beyond DCI. In its initial functional analysis, EDcine included end-user groups, such as small production studios, local post-production
facilities, small and big distribution networks from large multiplexes to small arthouse cinemas, and cinema archives. It was then deemed necessary to settle the key digital cinema security questions in a “White Book”.

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NATO Releases Digital Cinema System Requirements v2.0

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) issued today a revised Digital Cinema System Requirements document (version 2.0). The requirements are a product of a group of committed NATO member company volunteers, working in conjunction with NATO's Digital Cinema Consultant Michael Karagosian.

The first revision to the now 2-year-old NATO Digital Cinema System Requirements, version 2.0 is targeted to standards committees, product manufacturers, and service providers in the digital cinema supply chain. NATO's System Requirements provides important direction for areas not covered in the DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) spec.

These include:
- Operational requirements
- Maintenance operations
- Workflow requirements
- System requirements for support of the blind, deaf, and hard-of-hearing.

A fresh review of the entire document was conducted, deleting some requirements no longer needed, and expanding or creating new section topics.

Among the highlights:
- Exhibitor-driven universal theatre identification scheme introduced.
- Establishes the requirement for a commodity digital cinema server.
- New requirement for closed caption support.
- Workflow automation requirements introduced.
- TMS (Theater Management System) described in terms of 3 service functions, with detailed roles for each service.
- New requirements for exhibitor network security.

According to NATO digital cinema consultant, Michael Karagosian, “The document describes new areas where additional standards work is needed. Completion and implementation of in-theatre standards are important next steps in the development of digital cinema, and NATO will continue to actively pursue these goals.”

NATO President & CEO John Fithian added, "I applaud the dedication of these men and women to sensible digital cinema operations, and I encourage theater owners to make appropriate use of these requirements in their equipment purchasing policies.”

Source: DCinemaToday

Doremi Cinema's DCP-2000 Server Receives FIPS Level 3 Certification

"Doremi Cinema announces that its DCP-2000 cinema server has officially received a Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Level 3 validation certificate.

FIPS Level 3 compliance provides the DCP-2000 with the highest level of protection required by the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) to secure the motion picture files used in the cinema server.

"Achieving FIPS certification brings the highest level of comprehensive security DCI compliance for our server," said Michael Archer VP of Sales at Doremi. "Our security solution also allows for maintenance to be performed at the theater level without special personnel, since our security design left maintenance items easily accessible."

The Doremi server underwent a comprehensive testing process by the accredited cryptographic module testing laboratory InfoGard. InfoGard submitted its test report to NIST, which issued the FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validation certificate. Doremi's NIST certification number is 850.

Doremi Cinema's DCP-2000 is by far the most installed cinema server in the world with over 4000 screens worldwide. Doremi's continued leadership in installations both underscores the reliability and consistency of the DCP-2000 server to provide both the highest quality JPEG2000 images and the highest levels of security sought by the major studios to protect their content."

Source: DCinemaToday

GDC Selects Thomson’s Forensic Watermarking for Digital Cinema Server Roll Out

"Thomson today announced that GDC, one of the leading solution providers for digital cinema, has selected NexGuard, Thomson’s comprehensive, state-of-the-art forensic tracking product line, for integration into 1,200 digital cinema servers.

GDC digital cinema servers will now embed NexGuard’s audio and visual forensic watermarking solution. NexGuard combats in-theatre piracy by offering forensic means to identify the date, time and location of illegal camcorder recordings.

NexGuard’s solution not only exceeds the Digital Cinema Initiative’s (DCI) specifications with resistance to illegal camcorder capture and compression, but also provides the ability to embed more than the required amount of critical identification information.

The NexGuard family of content security solutions has been solely designed to serve the media, entertainment and communication industries, and offers the most wide-ranging line of products to track and secure digital audiovisual content through production, post-production, distribution and exhibition."

Source: DCinemaToday

DCI Announces Completion of its Compliance Test Plan for Digital Cinema Validation and Compliance Testing

"Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) announced today the completion and availability of the DCI Compliance Test Plan (CTP). Six months ago, DCI engaged CineCert to finalize the CTP, which includes validated test procedures for the DCI Specification, version 1.1, including all referenced SMPTE standards. It details test procedures appropriate for each class of digital cinema device, such as projectors, servers, and media blocks.

With the availability of the CTP, DCI continues to promote its Digital Cinema System Specification, which sets forth the technical specifications developed by the six DCI member studios and serves as a guide to manufacturers, system integrators, exhibitors, and other stakeholders for digital cinema standardization, interoperability and quality.

DCI is considering several entities that have expressed interest in becoming licensed facilities to perform the tests detailed by the Compliance Test Plan. A selection process is underway, and testing entities are expected to be named in the near future."

Source: Digital Cinema Initiatives

Dolby Digital Cinema Receives Industry’s First FIPS Level 3 Certification for Digital Cinema

"Dolby Laboratories today announced that the Dolby Digital Cinema server has officially earned its Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Level 3 validation certificate. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a nonregulatory federal agency within the US Department of Commerce, awarded the certificate.

The Dolby Digital Cinema server is the first digital cinema server to achieve the highest level of content protection security specified by the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI). All Dolby Digital Cinema servers, currently in over 400 cinemas worldwide, meet the FIPS Level 3 requirements, which is a major step toward achieving DCI compliance.

FIPS 140-2 are security standards adopted by DCI and cover detailed requirements for physical security, software, interfaces, key management, and cryptographic algorithms. To earn the certification, the Dolby Digital Cinema server underwent a rigorous testing process by InfoGard Laboratories, an accredited cryptographic module testing laboratory, which performed extensive analysis of the design and construction of the unit. InfoGard submitted its test report to NIST, which issued the FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validation certificate.

The official Dolby Digital Cinema FIPS 140-2 NIST certificate is number 842."

Source: DCinemaToday

DTS Digital Cinema Announces Implementation of Philips Cinefence Forensic Watermarking on Filmstore Digital Cinema Player

"DTS Digital Cinema today announced that it has implemented the Philips CineFence forensic watermarking technology on its FilmStore Digital Cinema Player as part of its commitment to continue providing solutions that support DCI specifications for digital cinema.

DTS-DC has implemented CineFence technology in line with its singular focus on supporting all elements of the motion picture industry’s transition to digital cinema. The FilmStore Digital Cinema Player, into which the technology has been integrated, is part of the FilmStore Content Management System, an innovative and comprehensive suite of products and software that have been engineered to support the build-out and operation of an industry-wide digital cinema infrastructure.

Philips CineFence forensic watermarking is a technology designed especially for the digital cinema environment to support increased measures to protect content that is delivered in a digital format."

Source: DCinemaToday

DCI Announces Contract with Cinecert for D-Cinema Compliance Testing & Validation

"Over the next six months, Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) and CineCert will work to take DCI's compliance test program to its next level.

DCI has entered into a contractual arrangement with CineCert to complete the validation of the compliance test program begun by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits.

In February 2006, DCI contracted with Fraunhofer to develop a standardized set of procedures to comprehensively test equipment for compliance with the DCI Digital Cinema System Specification, commonly referred to as the DCI Specification. The output of the Fraunhofer project was Version 0.9 of the DCI Compliance Test Plan, released February 14, 2007.

However, due to the non-compliant status of digital cinema equipment at the time, Fraunhofer was unable to complete a full validation process. The final plan developed by CineCert and DCI will include errata to the DCI Specification and all relevant SMPTE digital cinema standards, most of which were not officially published at the time of the Fraunhofer effort.

In addition to the final test plan, a specification for test materials and the test materials themselves will be created. Specialized test plans will be prepared for a variety of digital cinema hardware and software products, included servers and projectors. Another deliverable will be standardized test reports, which will allow for meaningful comparison of features and test results between tested products.

Concurrent with the CineCert project, DCI will undertake an open process to identify testing entities to perform the tests identified by the DCI compliance test program. That selection process is under development and details will be announced in the future.

The DCI member studios have approved and published version 1.1 of the Digital Cinema System Specification, dated April 12, 2007. Since the initial publication in July 2005 of the DCI Specification, Version 1.0, the specification has received several rounds of errata. Version 1.1 does not include any new revisions; rather it incorporates all 148 previous errata into the body of the specification document, making it easier to read."

source

Digital Cinema System Specification v1.1 and Draft Stereoscopic Digital Cinema Addendum v0.9

"Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) has adopted and is releasing a revised Version 1.1 of its Digital Cinema System Specification. The new Version 1.1, dated April 12, 2007, incorporates the 148 erratum previously released for Version 1.0 of the Specification. With the integration of the erratum into the body of the Specification, readers will now be able to use the Specification without having to cross-reference to these 148 errata.

Additional Specification erratum items continue to be evaluated and will be posted after agreement by the DCI membership that the erratum is needed. Future errata will modify the DCI Specification, Version 1.1.

DCI is also releasing a Draft Stereoscopic Digital Cinema Addendum, Version 0.9, dated April 12, 2007. This document defines high-level technical requirements and specifications for the mastering, distribution and theatrical playback of stereoscopic digital cinema content. This document will be integrated into DCI’s Digital Cinema System Specification at a future date."

Digital Cinema System Specification v1.1
Draft Stereoscopic Digital Cinema Addendum v0.9

intoPIX JPEG 2000 decoder compatible with Philips CineFence watermarking solution

"Following tests of its single chip FPGA decoding core intoPIX has announced the full compatibility of its DCI compliant IPX-JP2K JPEG 2000 decoder with the advanced Philips CineFence digital cinema watermarking solution.

Tests, which comprised of a 2K screening of the demanding animated short movie ‘Elephants Dream’ produced by the Open Orange Movie Project, were first made to confirm the absence of any visible artifacts on the screen. These were then followed by a recording of the projected image using a consumer grade camcorder to successfully identify the server, projector, location and date codes using Philips CineFence watermarking detector."

source: www.dcinematoday.com/dc/pr.aspx?newsID=718

Draft DCI Compliance Test Plan

In February 2006, DCI contracted with the Fraunhofer Institute to create a Compliance Test Plan (CTP) for the DCI Digital Cinema System Specification, version 1.0. Fraunhofer has delivered the initial version of the CTP to DCI, but it has not been completely validated.

DCI has created a redacted version 0.9 of the CTP, removing certain detailed procedures deemed sensitive to maintaining system security, but retaining the test objectives of the redacted tests to indicate intent.

DCI is currently exploring ways to further refine and validate the current draft of the CTP, which can be downloaded using the link below. This is a draft document that is a work-in-progress :
www.dcimovies.com/compliance/DCI_Compliance_Test_Plan_v09R.pdf

Terminologie pour les KDM

La terminologie des KDMs a été affinée grâce au forum de l'ISDCF :

Naming Convention: KDM Terminology (new)
Distributor KDM –used to create multiple exhibitor KDM’s
Exhibitor KDM - for individual servers

Concrètement, le "Distributor KDM" est le message contenant la clé primaire, et crypté pour l'équipement qui va générer les "Exhibitor KDM", destiné à chaque serveur de lecture.