Renew Encryption Key for offline PS3

[Deozaan]

Hi folks,

When Sony decided to require all PS3 customers to lose advertised features by removing OtherOS if you update the system, my Dad decided he didn't want to update his PS3 anymore.

Just tonight we tried to watch a new Blue-Ray and it shows an error message saying that in order to watch the movie we need to renew the encryption key. And it says the way to do that is to perform a system update.

Aside from the fact that my Dad doesn't want to update the PS3 system software, their internet connection here is so poor that he couldn't download the multi-hundred megabyte update files if he wanted to.

Does anyone know of a way to update the encryption key on the old fat PS3 models without performing a system software update?

The movie is Hugo, if that helps at all.

[Innuendo]

Welcome to the world of DRM.

The way Blu-Ray works is that playback devices only have temporary rights to play movies as their encryption key has an expiration date. If you want to play the newest movies your player has to keep up with the newest firmware.

If your father really wants to keep the Other OS option then his only option is to buy a new player & start playing his movies on it.

[Deozaan]

So there's no way to upgrade or update or renew the encryption key without doing a full system update?

That's pretty ridiculous making a $500 Blu-Ray player obsolete simply because it hasn't been connected to the internet for a while. . . And here I thought that Blu-Ray was supposed to be better than DVD.

[lotusrootstarch]

Deo: you best bet is to get one of those jailbreak dongles (such as the E3 Flasher that I have, costs $20) and upgrade the PS3 to 3.55 then jailbreak.

You will have blu-ray and tons of additional features (via third-party apps) including OtherOS.

There're a lot of dongle dealers on psx-scene.com.

[Innuendo]

That's pretty ridiculous making a $500 Blu-Ray player obsolete simply because it hasn't been connected to the internet for a while. . .

-Deozaan (March 04, 2012, 02:29 AM)

That's the whole premise behind DRM. Companies want to control the device you play your movies on.

And here I thought that Blu-Ray was supposed to be better than DVD.

The quality of sound & image quality are worlds better than DVD...which is why so many people are willing to put up with the draconian policies.

As the poster said above...jail-breaking is your only way out of that cycle, but I don't know if your father is willing to go that far (which is why I didn't mention it originally).

[Deozaan]

We just put in a Harry Potter 7 Part 2  Blu-Ray and it worked. I thought that if the encryption key had expired that all Blu-Ray discs would no longer play.

I'll talk to my dad about the jailbreak option, he may go for it.

[Innuendo]

We just put in a Harry Potter 7 Part 2  Blu-Ray and it worked. I thought that if the encryption key had expired that all Blu-Ray discs would no longer play.

-Deozaan (March 04, 2012, 04:36 PM)

To over-simplify things, there's a key in your player & there's a key on every disc. You are required to update the key in your player to keep up with new disc keys that are issued. However, a lot of new releases still use older keys that your father's player shouldn't have any trouble interfacing with.

[Diodato]

When Sony decided to require all PS3 customers to lose advertised features by removing OtherOS if you update the system, my Dad decided he didn't want to update his PS3 anymore.

Just tonight we tried to watch a new Blue-Ray and it shows an error message saying that in order to watch the movie we need to renew the encryption key. And it says the way to do that is to perform a system update.

-Deozaan (March 03, 2012, 09:54 PM)

Hi, I'm in exactly the same boat. My (fat 40GB) PS3 is still on v3.15 for exactly the same reason. And just like you recently ran into a BD that needs updated AACS keys. It's just this single one (Showgirls) out of over 300.
Did you upgrade your firmware? To which version? All went OK? I ask because when 3.55 came out a lot of people (including the son a good friend of mine) lost BD play, both films as well as games. Sony always claimed it was never their cause. I certainly do not want to pay 150 euro for something that I am not in blame of - that's how much Sony charges in Europe to replace the BD drive.
I am really thinking in just buying a cheap stand-alone player.

[Deozaan]

I think my dad ended up just updating to 3.55 or just whatever the latest firmware is.

[Diodato]

3.55 is quite old actually. I believe that 4.11 or something is the most recent. But it's the last one that for certain is hackable and can allow a Linux installation. I hardly used PSN, bought just two games on-line. But certainly don't want to give-up on Linux ...
Anyway thanx for the quick reply.

[Josh]

I have to ask, do either of you actually USE the Linux option on the PS3? What does it give you or what benefit does it provide? I have never understood the need for this "feature".

[lotusrootstarch]

There're enthusiasts in PS3 communities who want to have OtherOS feature to turn PS3 into a more dedicated media player/server, like the WD TV.

[Josh]

Maybe it is just me, but my PS3 does a great job of that already. Heck, that is the primary purpose of the one in our living room. It streams directly from our media server and various other sources.

[Diodato]

I have to ask, do either of you actually USE the Linux option on the PS3? What does it give you or what benefit does it provide? I have never understood the need for this "feature".

-Josh (April 13, 2012, 06:37 AM)

Personally yes. Not for entertainment use but as pure computational power-horse for some work projects. And that's what Sony widely advertized when they were releasing the PS3.
Yes I know, I bring work home ...

Maybe it is just me, but my PS3 does a great job of that already. Heck, that is the primary purpose of the one in our living room. It streams directly from our media server and various other sources.

-Josh (April 13, 2012, 06:57 AM)

Haven't you noticed how Sony with newer releases of firmwares more and more restricted the multimedia features? According to them to "enhance" user experience, but we all know it was because of the ease to play questionable INet downloaded content. Anyway, I don't want to start a debate. Let's stick to the topic of the thread - "Renew Encryption Key for offline PS3".
Cheers everyone.