AMD Adds Secure Video Playback To Their Open-Source Linux Driver

[darkbasic]

Is there any streaming service which could take advantage of that?

[oleid]

Secure! What about you just call it "restricted"? Can you be honest for once?

The name depends on the point of view. It is "secure" for the content providers, but "restricted" for the users.

I wonder if the infrastructure could be used to draw "secured" content, which may not be screen-grabbed., i.e. to show secret plans (loaded to GPU, decrypted and drawn there)

[Mez']

Yes, I meant to ask whether it will be possible to take screenshots containing 1080p video (for recording history over the years of my life).

HBO Go supports 1080p playback even without DRM (from my location), while Netflix and others support only 720p without DRM.

A major issue isn't the 720p resolution itself, but the very low video bitrate associated with 720p, i.e. it isn't uncommon for the 1080p bitrate to be 10-times larger than the 720p bitrate when playing the same movie. 1920*1080/1280/720 = 2.25.

The major issue is 2.0 audio. Even with 4K (or even better HDR), if you only have 2.0, it's still absolute crap to watch.

720p + Atmos > 1080p + 5.1 > 4K + 2.0

If we could just have Netflix on 1080p + 5.1 in Linux, it would already be a huge progress from current 720p + 2.0 (1080p with some add-on).
HDR + Atmos is the ultimate dream of course.

[wizard69]

Good news no - this is fantastic news.

As for copy protection i really see it as an evil that can't be avoided. Theft is so common these days that people don't even see it as unacceptable. That being said I'd prefer to see changes to the copy right laws that put a time limit on copy protection along with reasonable time periods of protection.

This is good news for those who want Linux to become a full drop in replacement for Windows. Though it would be nice if the world didn't have protected content that people wished to view, that's simply not the case. And anything that Windows can do that Linux can't is an impediment to more widespread adoption of our favorite OS.

No operating system is perfect but what is obvious to me is that Linux has fewer glaring issues compared to Windows. What the Linux community should be targeting with respect to code quality and features is Mac OS. Mac OS is the real benchmark when it comes to usability and good design. Windows is nothing more than a minimal corporate OS, with just enough capability to get the job done.

[muncrief]

Good news no - this is fantastic news.
...
No operating system is perfect but what is obvious to me is that Linux has fewer glaring issues compared to Windows. What the Linux community should be targeting with respect to code quality and features is Mac OS. Mac OS is the real benchmark when it comes to usability and good design. Windows is nothing more than a minimal corporate OS, with just enough capability to get the job done.

I always disliked Macs because of the outrageous prices, exacerbated by their closed eco system. I observed Steve Jobs both before he was fired, and after. Before he was fired he really seemed to want to help the world, but unfortunately after he was fired and rehired he became a greedy monster that cared only for himself. And since then I felt he wasn't so much a marketing genius as he was an unscrupulous shyster.

And I'm not trying to start a flame war here with Mac enthusiasts, that's just the way I genuinely feel. I don't like greed and dishonesty, personally or in business. I prefer those who strive to procure a reasonable profit, with honesty and goodwill. If Mr. Jobs had done that he would have won many more people over.

[microcode]

It'd be interesting to see this used for something more pro-consumer than DRM.

[OneTimeShot]

And I'm not trying to start a flame war here with Mac enthusiasts,

Really? The reality is though that if it wasn't for iOS, we'd still be trying to reverse engineer ActiveX and Flash plugins to surf the web.

[deusexmachina]

So this means an open source driver contained in the Kernel is monitoring our identity (or a fingerprint related to it) for DRM purposes?

[muncrief]

Really? The reality is though that if it wasn't for iOS, we'd still be trying to reverse engineer ActiveX and Flash plugins to surf the web.

Well, I doubt that. But even if it were true we'd be spending three to four times as much for everything involving personal computers, or we'd be forced to simply read newspapers. Seriously, the pricing and profit margins for Apple have always been obscene. And Apple is actually quite bold and proud of it, touting it to investors as their ultimate "strength."

But I never fell for the hype, and preferred to spend a reasonable amount of money for superior hardware and infinitely greater choice. And I was willing to live with an inferior underlying OS compared to Unix/Linux, but what I felt was a much better GUI and user experience.

I understand others differ, and the bottom line is that I'm not a Mac or Windows enthusiast. I feel Linux is heads and tails superior to both of them, but unfortunately suffers from developer infighting, the never ending arguments between purely open source and partially closed source, and GUI fragmentation. However each of those issues also partially contribute to the reason it has become so awesome, and I'm willing to take the bad with the good. Reality often demands tension between opposing forces, and I believe this is one of those all too often case studies.

[OneTimeShot]

So this means an open source driver contained in the Kernel is monitoring our identity (or a fingerprint related to it) for DRM purposes?

Not really. The way it works (as I understand it) is that the encrypted media bitstream is sent directly to the graphics card, which handles all of the decoding process up to pasting the visible of the bitmap on the HDMI cable, after having checked that your monitor is approved.

The "identifier" is the a private key stored in the GPU that you get when you log into Netflix (or whatever). If you dig around Chrome settings you'll find the controls under "Privacy/Security -> Protected Content". It's somewhat less scary than standard cookies, really...