Establishing trust in ‘Digital Cinema Initiative’ Compliant Devices using Permissioned Blockchain

The paper addresses the challenges associated with Key Delivery Message (KDM) generation in the digital cinema industry, which aims to enhance security standards and reduce piracy. Generating KDM involved verifying whether digital cinema devices are compliant with the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI). This paper explains the concepts of encrypted Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs), DCI, Trusted Device List (TDL), digital certificates, KDMs, and Distributor Key Delivery Messages (DKDMs). The proposed platform leverages the advantages of decentralized databases, transparency, and immutability to ensure the authenticity of device certificates on the blockchain network. This approach simplified the process of generating a TDL for the distributor, improved flexibility, and efficiently managed time constraints while maintaining the same high-security standards as traditional trust models. The proposed model creates a traceable device history for buyers, enhancing operational efficiency, traceability, and security while reducing piracy. The proposed platform is a practical and efficient solution that can be implemented in real-world scenarios and can serve as a reference for other industries facing similar challenges.

I. Introduction

Movies go through various stages before being shown in cinema halls, starting from the Pre-production stage [1]. Later, production begins, which involves the entire process of shooting the raw footage, followed by the post-production stage [1]. To enable distribution to cinema halls, movies are converted into Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format. These DCP files are distributed by end film distributors to exhibitors to be shown in cinema halls.