GDC SA-2100 disqualified by Paramount

[Carsten Kurz]

I guess it is not about link encryption. Otherwise, many other systems would be expelled as well. Distributors usually don't know to what projector a specific media block is tied to, and what link encryption method is used.

[James Gardiner]

In any case. This is unfortunate, and if true, and these media blacks have no option but to be retired, I would hope GDC may offer some type of rebate on a newer player... But I suppose if you have an S1 projector as well. You are really in a pickle. Not like you can still get external/SDI-based media blocks anymore. Or if any second-hand units are still around, and have not disarmed themselves due to neglect.

[John Eickhof]

Theatres effected by this ought to just stop exhibiting paramount product for a while or take 10 % off their film rental to pay for new servers! sounds like more 'big brother' to me! When will it stop once they set precedent?

[Harold Hallikainen]

In any case. This is unfortunate, and if true, and these media blacks have no option but to be retired, I would hope GDC may offer some type of rebate on a newer player... But I suppose if you have an S1 projector as well. You are really in a pickle. Not like you can still get external/SDI-based media blocks anymore. Or if any second-hand units are still around, and have not disarmed themselves due to neglect.

USL did a prototype box that you could plug a server into to drive a series one projector. I recall another company doing that, and I see that GDC still does: https://www.gdc-tech.com/cinema-solu...block-sr-1000/

[Marcel Birgelen]

With the DCI updated software, the mediablocks, permanently stopped supporting Cinelink DH. I don't believe, even on a DSP100 that the DH option remains. Even so, that is a degree of paranoia that is over-the-top. These clowns allow streaming and PVOD way too soon to worry about copying in theatres. Who would worry about trying to crack a DCP player when digital perfection is going to be available nearly instantly right from the studio?

Don't forget that they often even allow entire movies to leak in high definition formats even before they hit the theaters and/or streaming markets...

But the DCP release format is something special in the minds of those people, because it's the highest definition format out there and the closest thing to the digital master you can get your hands on and they simply don't want you to have it, even if the reasoning behind it makes little sense.

When I was involved in a Video-on-Demand PoC based on a then newfangled FttH project, back in the early 2000s, we received Digital Betacam tapes with content on it from several studios. We could've ripped it from DVDs, which wouldn't even require a re-encode to MPEG2, but the whole idea of ripping content from DVDs didn't sit with them. One studio stipulated, that there had to be someone from the studio in the room when we converted the stuff, to check we didn't make any illegal copies... The entire thing was an utter waste of time and money, as the guy didn't know shit what he was witnessing and we could've duplicated the captured end-product as many times as we wanted... The MPEG2 encoding and encryption happened afterwards, in a process that would often take more time than the real-time capturing.

The example serves to highlite that those idiots seldomly take decisions based on common sense, but mostly based on extreme entitlement and protectionism. While I can understand restrictiveness when it comes to your own intellectual property, in practice they're so petty, most decisions seem to be rather counter-intuitive towards their supposed goal of maximizing profits from those intellectual properties.

So, whatever happened here, maybe they found a yet undisclosed "Ghost 2" that's based on an exploit in one of those older GDC mediablocks, or maybe someone just released a security report about some potential security vurnerabilities in those GDC products. Don't expect the decision to make any business sense and expect other studios to follow suit.

[Steve Guttag]

In any case. This is unfortunate, and if true, and these media blacks have no option but to be retired, I would hope GDC may offer some type of rebate on a newer player... But I suppose if you have an S1 projector as well. You are really in a pickle. Not like you can still get external/SDI-based media blocks anymore. Or if any second-hand units are still around, and have not disarmed themselves due to neglect.

GDC, ironically, does indeed offer their current SR-1000 with a docker so one can feed an SDI based, S1 projector. So, there is an upgrade path.

[Brad Miller]

I would hope GDC may offer some type of rebate on a newer player...

Check with GDC. They have had upgrade/turn-in-your-old-server type of deals in the past. Plus their SR1000 is the only model you can use with their docking cage which Steve mentioned above to continue to use your existing series 1 projector.

[Leo Enticknap]

At around the time the ghost server article came out, GDC came up with a promotion whereby they'd give you a discount on their current model (AFAIK, it was the SX-4000) at the time, if you shipped the server and media block it was to replace back to them, or - I kid you not - sent them a video of it being smashed up. Presumably the idea was to accelerate the retirement from service of older rack servers with HD-SDI media blocks that might have had the same vulnerability.

[Marco Giustini]

I also had to smash things on video to prove it had been smashed, I believe you!

[Barry Floyd]

I didn't get the option to smash the old GDC SX2000-AR servers. If we wanted the "rebate" for upgrading to the SR-1000's, we had to send the whole 80lb server and IMB back to California from Tennessee... and we had to pay for the shipping. By the time we paid the UPS shipping, there wasn't much of a rebate left. Would have done better to sell them to another theatre owner.

[Darin Steffl]

GDC spoke at the vendor intro today at North Central NATO. They said they were blindsided by Paramount but they are looking into things and will provide an update to customers as they learn more. You can tell they were frustrated and felt attacked.

[Steve Guttag]

Yeah, the shipping back the old server, as Barry pointed out, is absurd. It really does negate the rebate by the time you find a box big enough, spend the time packing it up and then play shipping to one of the most expensive zip codes in the USA. Their other option of removing all of the internals exchanges shipping costs for time. It's like a huge penalty for having an old GDC server as a trade-in...if you have another brand, you can skip the packing/shipping.

[Leo Enticknap]

If they let you do it on their FedEx number, that would at least be something. Another option would be to remove the media block card from the server (it wouldn't be difficult to produce a cheat sheet or video showing even someone with almost zero technical knowledge how to do so), and simply ship that.

[Dennis Benjamin]

Email sent out today:

GDC

May 17, 2023 Subject: End of Service Notice on GDC SA-2100 Servers from Paramount Pictures Dear Exhibitor Partner: We are sure you’ve heard the news that Paramount will no longer send KDMs (keys) to GDC SA-2100 media servers after July 1, 2023. It's vital to share accurate information and give you the facts of the matter directly. We were extremely disappointed to learn about this matter but realize that this is a serious situation, and one we are prepared to handle. We want to assure you that we are taking the swiftest and most appropriate action to make sure you can exhibit Paramount motion pictures after July 1. Please check the back of your server to confirm the model is SA-2100. If your server(s) are SA-2100, please contact GDC Customer Service and/or your reseller for an exclusive replacement program for SA-2100, which will offer a new SR-1000 IMB that has the option to support legacy Series 1 projectors. We are fully dedicated to support you under this unexpected situation. It is our sincere hope that after reviewing this exclusive offer you will understand the course we have followed and agree GDC is acting in your long-term interest. We want to sincerely thank you for your support, past and present. Nothing is going to stand in our way of assuring you the capability to provide the best possible moviegoing experience. We have enjoyed serving you in the past and want you to know you can count on our continued support in the coming years. Please do not hesitate to contact us-orders@gdc-tech.com if you have any questions. Yours Sincerely, Annie Wang President GDC Technology (USA), LLC

[Steve Guttag]

If they let you do it on their FedEx number, that would at least be something. Another option would be to remove the media block card from the server (it wouldn't be difficult to produce a cheat sheet or video showing even someone with almost zero technical knowledge how to do so), and simply ship that.

Leo...they don't just want the mediablock...they want ALL of the reusable parts...power supplies (no big deal), RAID CAGE, cards, mother board...etc. They want you to strip it. As I said in my post, they exchange the hassle of finding a big enough box and the weight of the full chassis for your time to strip it down and pack individual pieces.

The only way this is a good deal is if they would send the box to pack the server and a shipping label for the return. Then it wouldn't be a big deal at all and then they can value THEIR cost as to what the parts are worth and the desire to get the SR-1000 sale.