bertcah lateena nigiel
Norine Wiltshire
From my understanding, Streaming media services such as Amazon instant video, Netflix, and others do all decryption client side. What I do not understand is that if this is true, and the videos ever exist in a decrypted state, what prevents users from harvesting them en masse?
I've always been curious how streaming streaming media providers circumvent this issue. I know some streaming providers (free ones like youtube) simply acknowledge that it is possible to save the videos, and don't do much to prevent it, but I would imagine that it is core to the business model of companies like netflix to make it neigh impossible to save a movie once you've rented it.
Just to make that this question doesn't seem too broad, I want to clarify that a direct answer to this question would show me how streaming media providers prevent users from trivially downloading their videos (via obfuscation / cpu features perhaps?)
I doubt cryptography is ever involved, it's mostly a matter of obfuscation; if the attacker can break the obfuscation and reverse engineer their player applet, then they will do the same to get the key if crypto is involved, so why bother ?
Content providers used to use some garbage called Flash to create an applet capable of talking to their server over RTMP and get the video stream from there. Note that the video is only streamed, never downloaded to disk, so the only place the decrypted/deobfuscated frames ever exist is in the computer's memory for a short period of time; that limits the "exposure" to a level they deem acceptable (or rather, a level Hollywood is forced to accept because it's either that or not selling their movies on the Internet at all).
Now content providers are aware of the decline of Flash's popularity and are starting to use HTML5 Encrypted Media Extensions, a plugin interface allowing a browser to communicate with the site's proprietary and obfuscated software that will be decrypting/deobfuscating the video frames before sending them back to the browser's media player which would play them; essentially the same thing as Flash except the proprietary applet now only does decryption instead of being the actual video player.
first off, it's quite hard and time consuming (but never impossible) to reverse engineer the Flash or EME applet and most people won't bother, they will either accept the restrictions or go somewhere else (unfortunately what they don't understand is that "somewhere else" also means "some pirate site" and they're loosing even more money by not letting honest users save the content they bought)
the content isn't downloaded in advance but streamed in real time, this allows some control over how much content can potentially be saved, as their server won't accept to stream more than one file (or a few if they're lenient) simultaneously per account, which means the pirates wouldn't be too efficient at ripping content from the site and will look for other sources, ie. physical DVDs or Blu-Ray discs which are rippable more efficiently and as a bonus offer more quality than streaming, so web-rips (as they call them) are often done only for content not yet available on physical media, as a way for pirate teams to be more popular by leaking the content before it's physically released
Altered Carbon is an American cyberpunk television series created by Laeta Kalogridis and based on the 2002 novel of the same title by English author Richard K. Morgan.[1] In a world where consciousness can be transferred to different bodies, Takeshi Kovacs, a former soldier turned investigator, is released from prison in order to solve a murder. The first season consists of ten episodes and premiered on Netflix on February 2, 2018.[2] On July 27, 2018, the series was renewed for a second season of eight episodes,[3] which was released on February 27, 2020, with an anime film set before the first season released on March 19, 2020. Though the series received generally positive reviews, it was canceled after two seasons.[4]
The series starts 360 years in the future,[5][6] with most episodes of the first season set in the year 2384 in a futuristic metropolis known as Bay City.[7] In the future, a person's memories and consciousness (termed digital human freight, or DHF) are recorded onto a disk-shaped device called a cortical stack, which is implanted in the vertebrae at the back of the neck. These storage devices are of alien design and have been reverse-engineered and mass-produced but can only be made from the material on Harlan's World. Physical human or synthetic bodies are called "sleeves" and stacks can be transferred to new bodies after death, but a person can still be killed if their stack is destroyed and there is no backup. Only the wealthiest, known as "Meths" in reference to Methuselah, have the means to change bodies through clones and remote storage of their consciousness in satellites, so they never have to die of old age before being resleeved.[7]
Netflix ordered the series in January 2016, fifteen years after Laeta Kalogridis optioned the novel with the intent of making a feature film.[2] According to Kalogridis, the complex nature of the novel and its R-rated material meant that it was a tough sell for studios before Netflix ordered the series.[2] The show was one of a number of dramas commissioned in short order by Netflix, which had committed to spending $5 billion on original content.[1]
Kalogridis wrote the script and served as executive producer and showrunner.[1] Steve Blackman served as co-showrunner.[2] David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross of Skydance Television also served as producers, as well as Brad Fischer and James Vanderbilt of Kalogridis' Mythology Entertainment.[1] Miguel Sapochnik directed the pilot episode.[2][10] Morgan served as a consultant during the show's production.[27]
The series was reportedly the most expensive Netflix production to date.[28] The production costs were not disclosed but Kinnaman said it had "bigger budget than the first three seasons of Game of Thrones".[9]
Ann Foley served as costume designer. The production crew fitted about 2,000 costumers and custom made at least 500 pieces for the show, and emphasized "grounded" looks for future fashion but figured in specific details, such as a unique palette for Meth characters and subtle costume changes when different people are inhabiting the same sleeve.[29]
The series is produced in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[28]Laurens Bancroft's gardens was filmed in University of British Columbia Rose Garden and the lobby of the Marine Building served as Bancroft's home. The old Canada Post building was used as the location of The Wei Clinic, where Kovacs was tortured. Scenes with the Envoys were filmed on the Sea to Sky Gondola suspension bridge, in Squamish. Other Vancouver locations include the Convention Centre's West Building, the visitor centre at VanDusen Botanical Garden, the UBC Museum of Anthropology and The Qube.[30]
The series contains references to several earlier cyberpunk classics, such as Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell, as well as several literary works, such as the stories of Edgar Allan Poe.[31]
Altered Carbon was renewed for a second season in July 2018. Anthony Mackie took over the lead role of Takeshi Kovacs, replacing the first season lead star Joel Kinnaman. Additionally, Alison Schapker joined the series as co-showrunner alongside Laeta Kalogridis.[3] On May 23, 2019, it was announced that Schapker would be the primary showrunner for the series, replacing Laeta Kalogridis who is still credited as an executive producer.[32]
On August 26, 2020, Netflix canceled the series after two seasons. The decision had been made in April and was not related to COVID-19, but a result of the standard process used by Netflix to calculate the viewership versus the renewal costs.[4]
The first season is based on Richard Morgan's 2002 novel Altered Carbon. While most of the major plot points in the book are retained, the adaptation featured several major changes for characters and organizations.[33] In the novel, the Envoys are elite soldiers of the United Nations Protectorate based on Earth, quite the opposite of the freedom-fighting rebels of the show, originating from Harlan's World, where Kovacs was born.
In the book, Kovacs was imprisoned for his freelance work after leaving the Envoys, while in the show, Kovacs is a captured rebel. The character of Reileen Kawahara in the novel was merely Kovacs' ruthless underworld boss and had no blood relation with him, in contrast to their sibling relationship in the show. The Envoy who trained Kovacs in the book was Virginia Vidaura. The show's Vidaura is only a minor character. Instead, his trainer is given the name and backstory of Quellcrist Falconer, who in book three is the historical messiah-like figure.[34] Falconer's rebellion occurred not during Kovacs' training, as in the show, but long before Kovacs was born in the books.
The Hendrix is an AI character in the novel; it runs the hotel and takes the form of Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix's estate declined to license his image for the television series because of its violence. Instead, showrunner Kalogridis chose the likeness of Edgar Allan Poe and a Victorian era hotel for the replacement Poe character and said it would juxtapose well with the futuristic Bay City.[35]
On November 7, 2018, Netflix announced a spin-off anime film serving to "expand the universe" of the series and new elements of the story mythology was in active development. Titled Altered Carbon: Resleeved, the feature uses character designs by manga artist Yasuo Ōtagaki, is written by Dai Satō and Tsukasa Kondo, directed by Takeru Nakajima and Yoshiyuki Okada, produced by Anima, and features an original music score by Keigo Hoashi Kinuyiki Takahashi from Monaca. The film was released on March 19, 2020.[36][37][38][39]
On Rotten Tomatoes, Altered Carbon: Resleeved has an approval rating of 60% based on reviews from 5 critics.[40] David Griffin of IGN gave it 6 out of 10, called it "a diverting entry in the Takeshi Kovacs saga that excels in the action department while neglecting to fully develop its main characters in a way that makes a lasting impact."[41] John Serba of Decider.com wrote: "Resleeved won't knock anyone's socks off, but it effectively pleases newcomers and hardcores alike."[42] Paul Tassi of Forbes said Altered Carbon: Resleeved was "not worth watching, even for fans" comparing it to a video game but without the interactivity.[43]
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