DCP-o-matic

We are not given DKDM, they say that our certificate, which is made in DoM, is not in the world database of legal stations. And so they don't give us DKDM. What to do?

carl wrote: ↑Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:25 am To get the root certificate you can click on "Advanced..." below "Decrypting KDMs" in the preferences, select "Root" in the last, then click "Export certificate..."

We are not given DKDM, they say that our certificate, which is made in DoM, is not in the world database of legal stations. And so they don't give us DKDM. What to do?

Unfortunately there probably is not much you can do. At a guess they don't want to give you a KDM because it gives you the power to do things like exporting unencrypted versions of the KDM's DCPs.

carl wrote: ↑Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:09 am Maybe - I don't know what database they mean, though, so you'd have to ask them I guess.

Carsten wrote: ↑Thu Sep 24, 2020 8:37 pm This is an 'unregulated' aspect of Digital Cinema and it's trust system.

All cinema playback servers are protected by a combination of hard- and software to not expose encrypted assets - distributors trust the server DCI compliance certification and issue KDMs towards them.

For mastering software, if they issue a DKDM towards your DCP-o-matic installation, they expose their assets to an open source mastering software. Basically, that way, they release it into the wild. Some distributors/rights holders have no problem with that. Some do. You will probably receive a DKDM for a small arthouse indie title in order to supply a subtitled version. If Disney, or Warner is your contact, this will never happen. They maintain a database of trusted systems/partners, towards which they issue DKDMs exclusively. DCP-o-matic installations are not part of their trust database.
'Legal stations' is an incorrect term. It's their own internal agreement, there is no legal aspect tied to it.


In this kind of relation between 'you' and 'them', someone offers something, and the other party orders something. There needs to be a negotiation about the conditions of this relation. If they don't like you using open source software, one possible solution for you is to buy one of the few commercial DCP mastering solutions.

It may be that a suitable root certificate solves the issue, but I doubt it. You can not simply give them 'YOUR' root certificate, you would have to apply for a proper intermediate cert from an official registration authority. The root certificate would be that of the registration authority, and the intermediate certificate would be for your company..

- Carsten