Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Modern Copyright Protection: The new consoles... ?

  1. #1
    ServBot (Level 11)
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Posts
    3,106
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default Modern Copyright Protection: The new consoles... ?

    I was thinking about all of the disc-media systems that have been released and how their copy protection was handled. I am not compiling this list to figure out how to pirate anything, but I'm just curious to see how it has gone. Please correct any errors you see...

    Sega CD - nothing, assumed no one could copy CDs.
    Turbografx 16 - nothing, assumed no one could copy CDs.
    3DO - nothing, assumed no one could copy CDs.
    Jaguar CD - encryption code supposedly made by an employee making a noise into a microphone
    Saturn - outer ring of data that was outside of the readable scope
    PSX - Bad blocks (data unreadable by normal CD players at the time) and code used in a limited number of games to see if the system was modded.
    Dreamcast - new disc format. Rendered useless after Sega was found out to have left a "back door" open to play burned software
    PS2 - contains logical and physical changes that cannot be duplicated by the burner
    GameCube - Different sort of media, current burners can't replicate
    Xbox - contains logical and physical changes that cannot be duplicated by the burner

    Is that it? I'm trying to figure out where we've been and where we're going with console copy protection. Please, feel free to correct me where I'm mistaken.

    Of note: If you are a pirate, please don't post. I don't care about how the system is defeated, but just what the system is.
    Dan Loosen
    http://www.goatstore.com/ - http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/
    ** Trying to finish up an overly complete Dreamcast collection... want to help? (Updated 5/3/10!) http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61333

  2. #2
    Flawless Rawkality Flack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    OKC, OK
    Posts
    14,273
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    4
    Thanked in
    3 Posts

    Default

    Well, I'm not supposed to be posting, but ...

    Also, CD32, same as your first few (no copy protection).

    PSX also used the region code, which CDs could not read and CDRs could not write. A game with no region code = unbootable on a stock PSX. Another problem with copying some PSX games is they use less than 4 seconds gap between audio tracks, which was something older burners had difficulty doing. As far as bad blocks go:

    "Advanced: Details on the actual Bad Blocks: (Written by Icepic)

    Sectors 12 through 15 contain a zeroised EDC/ECC checksum (impossible) so if the PSX reads and doesn't see an invalid EDC/ECC then it knows that the CD in the drive is a copy. (The EDC is simply a CRC type hash that is used as a checksum to determine if the sector was read correctly. The ECC is used to recreate the sector data). The entire range of sectors is written in a RAW format (2352 bytes) and is completely zeroed, even the XA sub-header and EDC/ECC are zeroed. When it is copied on a CD-R, these sectors are exact, except for the EDC/ECC code that is (correctly) written as 0x3F13B0BC."

    Probably more than you wanted to know.

    I think in the future we'll see a combination of proprietary media combined with bad blocks or read errors, in other words multi-layered protection. I don't think we'll see more systems with stock IDE hard drives in them.

  3. #3
    drowning in medals Ed Oscuro's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    16,556
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    3
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    So the PSX broke error checking? How does it accomplish it, then, or doesn't it? Wierdness.

  4. #4
    Peach (Level 3)
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    653
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Thank you, this may prove handy in my effort to put several consoles in one box

  5. #5
    Flawless Rawkality Flack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    OKC, OK
    Posts
    14,273
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    4
    Thanked in
    3 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ed Oscuro
    So the PSX broke error checking? How does it accomplish it, then, or doesn't it? Wierdness.
    Think of it this way.

    Original PSX CD: Has errors.
    PSX checks error sectors.
    Sectors come back as errors.
    PSX knows the CD is an original.

    Copied CD: When copied, a CDR drive cannot "write" errors. It either writes 0, or leaves it blank.
    PSX checks error sectors.
    Sectors come back as 0 or blank.
    PSX knows the CD is a copy.

Similar Threads

  1. KVM switches, modern consoles
    By Gamereviewgod in forum Modern Gaming
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 03-10-2007, 02:07 PM
  2. Modern consoles and wireless internet
    By Skelix in forum Modern Gaming
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01-13-2007, 10:30 PM
  3. Transparent Modern Consoles?
    By musical in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 07-19-2004, 10:09 AM
  4. Recording on Modern Consoles
    By SoulBlazer in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 10-25-2003, 11:13 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •