Release groups know how to copy 4k content from Netflix and Amazon
Release groups on torrent sites have started uploading a handful of movies and TV shows from Amazon Video and Netflix in 4k resolution. Until now, it didn’t seem possible to get around the copy protection on the 4k streams, but that probably isn’t the case anymore.
The companies protect their 4k streams with hdcp version 2.2 or higher. Precisely because rips from both Netflix and Amazon have appeared online, it’s quite possible that these versions of video stream copy protection have now been cracked and aren’t files leaked in other ways. Earlier this year, an episode of Breaking Bad also appeared online in 4k, which is originally on Netflix. Back then, the security seemed already cracked, but since then it has been quiet around 4k content on torrent sites. Now, however, a handful of movies and series in 4k from the two services can be found on the sites. The group that put the Breaking Bad episode online in August is also posting 4k content.
According to Torrentfreak’s sources, the crackers managed to circumvent copy protection by exploiting vulnerabilities in the Amazon Fire TV and the Roku 4k. The Fire TV works with the older hdcp 1.4b and the Roku 4k came out in the US in early November, just before the 4k rips appeared online. At this point, however, it’s not entirely clear how the groups get their hands on the 4k content.
Due to their resolution, the video files come out at bit rates of, for example, 32.5Mb/s, according to Torrentfreak. Despite the high bitrate, the image quality is not necessarily very good. For example, anonymous sources from the website report that the episodes of Marvel’s TV series Jessica Jones still don’t look particularly good. Such files may not be worthwhile for torrent site users; the quality does not outweigh the file sizes and the processing power required to play them. An episode of less than an hour is easily larger than 10GB. Ultra-HD Blu-rays, which are expected to appear on the market next year, probably offer a solution.
Screencap from one of the Amazon series (Warning: 13.9MB)