What Is Video Content Protection System (VCPS)?

We must protect content proactively because there is no way to stop digital piracy. Philips has created a new standard for managing digital rights and protecting digital video content. It was designed to preserve broadcasted videos and was later revised to include protection for pay-TV channels. Philips promoted the latest revision of this standard to protect copyrighted digital entertainment content for which they used the Digital Video Interface. VCPS was introduced in the late 1990s to protect digital entertainment content that uses the Digital Video Interface and needs to be recorded by devices connected to a digital video recorder. These systems, which record TV broadcasts or cable and satellite programming, can be purchased in hardware and software versions. Hardware models include those by Thomson-Houston, Samsung, Philips Electronics and Panasonic. As digital data are straightforward to manipulate, content owners want more protection for their work. VCPS, an innovative technology for encrypting video recordings on DVD+R and DVD+RW discs, was created with precisely this in mind. Three keys are needed to play a media file: one is stored on the disc, another in the player’s software, and the player holds the last. The first is a public encryption key that can be shared with anyone and offers minimal security. The second is a private key that no one other than the original content owner should know about — it encodes each piece of media to prevent duplication. The third key is called a session key and is only used for a specific communication session between two parties — in other words, when you play the disc on your computer, it’s only available for that duration. As you can see by the complexity of this system, VCPS is highly effective at protecting movie producers’ copyrights from theft - thereby ensuring peace of mind for consumers everywhere!