# Media Block
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{{Short description|Component in a digital cinema projection system}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2015}}
A '''Media Block''' or '''Integrated Media Block''' ('''IMB''') is a component in a [digital cinema](/source/digital_cinema) [projection](/source/Digital_projector) system. Its purpose is to convert the [Digital Cinema Package](/source/Digital_Cinema_Package)[{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmjournal.com/node/7120|title=The ABCs of DCPs: Unwrapping the Digital Cinema Package {{!}} Film Journal International|website=www.filmjournal.com|language=en|access-date=2018-08-17|archive-date=2018-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816025551/http://www.filmjournal.com/node/7120|url-status=live}}] (DCP) content into data that ultimately produces picture and sound in a theater in compliance with [DCI](/source/Digital_Cinema_Initiatives) anti-[piracy](/source/Copyright_infringement) [encryption](/source/Data_encryption) requirements.
==Terminology==
DCI specification[{{Cite web|url=http://dcimovies.com/specification/index.html|title=Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) - DIGITAL CINEMA SYSTEM SPECIFICATION, VERSION 1.2|last=companyv|website=dcimovies.com|language=en|access-date=2018-08-17|archive-date=2018-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816022931/http://dcimovies.com/specification/index.html|url-status=live}}] allows for two different security system architectures.
In the first the Media Block is outside of the projector. This design is simply referred to as a "Media Block" and is typically a device attached directly to the [motherboard](/source/motherboard) of a [Digital Cinema](/source/Digital_cinema) server. The media block is usually connected to the projector by dual-link [SDI](/source/Serial_digital_interface) cables. Such media block is limited to processing [2K](/source/2K_resolution) output, downscaling 4K DCPs if necessary.
The second architecture describes an "Integrated Media Block". This refers to a device attached and integrated directly into the projector, which receives image data from the server, usually via a [cat6](/source/Category_6_cable) [Ethernet](/source/Ethernet) connection. They can process 2K and [4K](/source/4K_resolution) output.
Some hardware implementations integrate the entire server on a single board and are able to work both as a MB as well as an IMB.[{{Cite web|url=https://www.dcinematoday.com/dc/pr?newsID=5035|title=GDC Technology Heralds a New Era for Cinema Operation with its 6th Generation SR-1000 Media Block|website=www.dcinematoday.com|language=en|access-date=2018-08-17|archive-date=2018-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817161213/https://www.dcinematoday.com/dc/pr?newsID=5035|url-status=live}}][{{Cite web |url=http://www.gdc-tech.com/ndownload/product/SR1000/SR1000%20cover%20ENG.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2018-08-17 |archive-date=2018-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817161405/http://www.gdc-tech.com/ndownload/product/SR1000/SR1000%20cover%20ENG.pdf |url-status=dead }}]
==Security features==
All security functions are contained within a Secure Processing Block (SPB), a [tamper-proof](/source/Tamperproofing) physical device.[{{Cite web |date=24 May 2023 |title=Digital Cinema System Specification version 1.4.3 |url=https://documents.dcimovies.com/DCSS/0f7d382dabf6e84847ce7e4413f198f25b81af05/Digital%20Cinema%20System%20Specification.pdf |access-date=15 November 2023 |publisher=Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC |page=Section 9.4.6.2 |archive-date=20 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120023829/https://documents.dcimovies.com/DCSS/0f7d382dabf6e84847ce7e4413f198f25b81af05/Digital%20Cinema%20System%20Specification.pdf |url-status=live }}]
Upon ingestion into a DCP server, [Key Delivery Message](/source/Key_Delivery_Message)s (KDM) are stored on [flash memory](/source/flash_memory) in the media block or IMB. A KDM is written to enable the playback of a specific DCP during a specific time window and on a specific media block or IMB, identified by its [serial number](/source/serial_number) during the authoring process. Media blocks and IMBs also contain a secure clock that is set in the factory cannot be altered by the end user, which the DCP servers to which they are attached use to determine showtimes. The secure clock prevents [theaters](/source/Movie_theater) from showing encrypted movies outside the times authorized by the KDM (e.g. after it has expired) by simply changing the date and time in the server's [BIOS](/source/BIOS). Media blocks and IMBs also typically include [anti-tamper devices](/source/Tamper_resistance), designed to [self-destruct](/source/self-destruct) the unit if unauthorized modification of its hardware, software or secure clock is attempted.
==References==
Category:Film and video technology
Category:Film and video terminology
Category:Digital media
{{video-tech-stub}}
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Media Block](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Block) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Block?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.