Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum (ISDCF)

Inter-Society was founded in 1978 for the purpose of fostering inter-active dialogue and joint projects among distribution, exhibition and trade organizations. The Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum (ISDCF) is a sub-group of the Inter-Society, providing the industry with a forum where issues related to launch of digital cinema can be discussed.

More information on these organizations can be found at Inter-Society and ISDCF.

ISDCF has produced important documents related to the development of digital cinema, the most important of which are posted here for wide dissemination.

Distribution Formats SMPTE DCP and Interop DCP - Including Accessibility

The ISDCF SMPTE DCP Transition Review provides a reference for those seeking a specification of SMPTE DCP standards and Interop DCP requirements. This document includes the specifications for packaging accessibility content for both SMPTE DCP and Interop DCP. It also specifies the CSP/RPL protocol that enables 3rd-party closed caption systems to communicate with digital cinema servers.

The ISCDF Interop Audio Channel Recommendation describes the recommended audio channel assignment for Interop DCPs. Note that this specification requires accessibility audio channels HI and VI-N to be distributed on channels 7 and 8. This dictates how cinemas are wired, and, accordingly, imparts direction to SMPTE DCP-capable products to route HI and VI-N audio to media block outputs 7 and 8.

CSP/RPL Best Practice for Closed Caption Transmission

CSP/RPL is the protocol defined by standards SMPTE 430-10 and 430-11. The protocol synchronizes the auxilliary closed caption server and transfers the closed caption files from the main server to the aux server. This draft document outlines best practice for use of the protocol in closed caption systems. As a draft, it is subject to change.

Notes on the implementation of CSP-RPL v5.pdf

Security Key Management

Fox has undertaken a comprehensive and public effort to define web-based methods for security key management in digital cinema. Fox's FLM-X method for an improved FLM and its communication method is fully described at http://flm.foxpico.com/ (username: isdcf password: isdcf).

A more recent draft specification from Fox, shown below, describes a clever method for automating the pull of KDMS by the digital cinema server. Also listed is a recommended practice for KDM formulations for Interop and SMPTE DCPs.

Facility Identifiers

Facility Identifiers were once proposed to ID theatre sites. Implementing common identifiers around the world, however, is a monumental task. Fox's TKR process hopes to eliminate any reliance on such identifiers. But the URN namespace scheme is shown below, anyway, for historical purposes.

2010-11-11 Cinema Facility Identifier.pdf

Key Delivery Message (KDM) Naming Convention

KDMs arrive in theatres from many sources, typically by email. Theatre operators have a difficult time sorting and identifying the emails and files that are sent. The KDM Naming Convention is the recommended naming scheme for ZIP files containing KDMs, and for the KDM filename itself. It is based on the many of the name types used in the Digital Cinema Naming Convention (see below). No further work has taken place on this scheme. The KDM Naming Convention is described at kdmNamingConvention.com.

Digital Cinema Content Naming Convention

The content name displayed by digital cinema servers can become confusing when trailers or other movie versions have the same name as the movie version to be shown. The Digital Cinema Naming Convention was created to address this problem. The Digital Cinema Naming Convention is described at DigitalCinemaNamingConvention.com.

NIST Security Standards

Digital cinema security, per the DCI specification, relies on a series of NIST standards that, due to their complexity and nature, are perpetually in amendment. NIST documents that affect digital cinema are listed below.

NIST Miscellaneous and Special Publications

SP 800-131A Transitions: Recommendation for Transitioning the Use of Cryptographic Algorithms and Key Lengths (Jan 2011)
Received Comments on SP 800-131 (as originally published May 2010. Scroll to end for comment from DCI)
DISCUSSION PAPER: The Transitioning of Cryptographic Algorithms and Key Sizes (from FIPS 186-2 to FIPS 186-3)
SP 800-107 Recommendation for Applications Using Approved Hash Algorithms (February 2009)
SP 800-57 Recommendation for Key Mangement Part 1 (March 2007)
SP 800-57 Recommendation for Key Mangement Part 2 (November 2002)
SP 800-57 Recommendation for Key Mangement Part 3 (December 2009)
FIPS-180-2 Secure Hash Standard (SHS) (August 2002)
FIPS-180-3 Secure Hash Standard (SHS) (October 2008)
FIPS-186-2 Digital Signature Standard (January 2000)
FIPS-186-3 Digital Signature Standard (June 2009)

FIPS 140-2

FIPS 140-2 Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules
FIPS 140-2 Annex A (January 4, 2011)
FIPS 140-2 Annex B (June 14, 2007)
FIPS 140-2 Annex C (November 24, 2010)
FIPS 140-2 Annex D (January 4, 2011)
Implementation Guide for FIPS 140-2 (December 23, 2010)

FIPS 140-3

FIPS-140-3 DRAFT Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules (Revised Draft September 11, 2009)