Your service options when using easyDCP:

Sales support: All questions regarding the products and their features. For example:

Prices for new products
How to purchase
How to update from previous versions, s.o.

Sales support is available for everyone. Please contact: info@easydcp.com

License support: Questions about activation, migration, available updates and upgrades as well as the status of licenses.

All those service are available in your web account www.easyDCP.com at License Status  

License support is available for every customer independent from the service status. Contact: info@easydcp.com

Technical support: Usage and troubleshooting for all easyDCP solutions

Technical support requires a valid service contract for the respective easyDCP software. Please use "Technical Support" option within your web account.

How to manage ...

Service and service extensions:

Each new purchased easyDCP product comes with a valid service contract lasting for 6 months. Within this period, technical service as well as updates for the respective products are included without any payment. 

Once the service is about to expire, customers will be notified by e-mail. It is highly recommended to extends the service extension from minimum of 6 months and will always be appended to the end of the current service-period. If the customer decides for a service subscription the service extendes for another 6 month automatically if the customer has not completed the subscription at the latest 30 days before the end of the last renewal.

In case a customer decided not to prolong the support and no new version of specific software has been released, it is still possible to get back into normal service. Here a service fee of 50% (calculated form the regular service fee) for the period between previous service and the date the client wants to get back into support has to be paid. 

If a new version of specific software has been released during a non-supported period, no prolongation of the (expired) service is possible anymore. New: Here clients have to purchase a onetime fee in order to get the latest version of the easyDCP software. The update price depends on the date when the previous service extension has ended and the date the client purchased the update for his respective easyDCP application. The younger the last license the lower the update fee. Updates comes without automatic prolongation of service extension.

Hint:
Get 10% Discount with automatic Service Prolongation – Service Subscription
Discounted service for active users

Migrations:

Migrating your software to a new hardware or re-activating a license after changing components in your existing hardware is always possible. For further details please check: How can I perform a migration (hardware/operating-system-change)

Important notes:

• Bonus licenses - e.g. a gratuitous license for DaVinci Resolve based on standalone-software purchase - can only be migrated until the standalone version of easyDCP itself has a valid service.  

Major and Minor Updates (eg. Version X.3.X > X.4.X):

Updates will arrive as needed. Estimate between 2 to 6 updates per year.

Customers with valid service (check status in your web account) have free access to updated versions of the software. There is no automatic update procedure and manual integration is required. If the update is a so-called point-release (e.g. 3.2 to 3.3) or a major release (e.g. 3.9 to 4.0) a new license is required. Minor releases (3.3.1 to 3.3.2) do not require a new license. Usually, only a new license for specific easyDCP software must be downloaded and activated. There is no need to update the certificates (signer and /or server) for a software update. Please use the "Request License & Certificate Set" as well as the "Import License & Certificate Set" options within easyDCP since they take care about proper activation of specific software. For your support please check: How do I activate my easyDCP product

Customer without valid service are requested to purchase an update. The update price depends on the date when the previous service extension has ended and the date the client purchased the update for his respective easyDCP application. The younger the last license the lower the update fee. Updates comes without automatic prolongation of service extension. Usually, only a new license for specific easyDCP software must be downloaded and activated. There is no need to update the certificates (signer and/or server) for a software update. Please use the "Request License & Certificate Set" as well as the "Import License & Certificate Set" options within easyDCP since they take care about proper activation of specific software. For your support please check: How do I activate my easyDCP product

Important notes:

• Minor updates (e.g. Version X.X.1 > X.X.2) will be available automatically in your web account. Minor updates usually do not require a new activation. As usual, server- and signer certificates do not need an update.

Upgrade (e.g. easyDCP Creator to easyDCP Creator+):

The upgrade price is calculated using the difference between the existing product and the new product. No additional upgrade-fee is charged. The option "Upgrade" within your web account shows the available and the most cost-effective options for an upgrade.

Upgrades requires up to date of the upgrade provided software and valid service contract. If a service period expired or the initial version is somehow outdated, clients have to renew the service before upgrading. Please see the comments above explaining how to prolong an expired service. 

Bonus licenses:

Bonus licenses are available under certain conditions. Actually bonus licenses for easyDCP Resolve Plugin and easyDCP SAM Rio Plugin will be issued when the following prerequisites are met: easyDCP Bonus licenses for DaVinci Resolve 10/11/12 or easyDCP Bonus licenses for SAM Rio

If your question has not been answered please do not hesitate to send us an e-mail: info@easydcp.com

easyDCP applications require different kinds of certificates

Server Certificates:

Is required to be able to receive KDMs. If a partner wants to send you an encrypted DCP, they will need your public server certificate so that they can issue a DKDM for. 

Signer Certificate:

Will be used to digitally sign content of encrypted DCPs or KDMs. Generally, all DCPs should be digitally signed to ensure that they will be ingested without any problems into a digital cinema server. Only for unencryted DCPs with Interop conformity, a signature is optional.

Which easyDCP application needs which certificates?

How you get your Signer- and Server- certificate?

From easyDCP Player 2.0.X, easyDCP Creator 2.2.X and easyDCP KDM Generator 1.4.15 

During „License & Certificate Request“ and activation via webshop www.easydcp.com Signer- and Server Certificates will be provided in "License & Certificate".

What kind of certificate are required, if at all, depends on the easyDCP application.

Older easyDCP versions

Please use license status on www.easydcp.com: New server certificate/manage certificate

How I can access to my previous Signer- and Server Certificates?

Please use license status on www.easydcp.com: Manage certificates
This option is available for customers with valid service extension

Comments:

• If you update to a newer easyDCP version, previous certificates should be maintained. When filling in a new license & certificate request, you will be prompted to enter the password that protects your current certificate. If the password can be verified, the new request will contain information, that you don´t need a new certificate.
• Server certificates are bound to the hardware via the system hash. If you migrate to another system, you always need new server certificates.
• Signer certificates are bound to a person rather than to a system.  However, each " License and Certificate set" contains a new signer certificate for technical reasons.

Please note: Every "Certificate Request" will be secured with a password specified by you.

You select the password when you fill in the request and will be prompted to enter it again, whey you import the License & Certificate Set and whenever a KDM is accessed. 

The password cannot be recovered!

easyDCP 3.6.0 and above will be activated within the application/preferences.

Please watch our video tutorial or proceed as follows:

1. Download and install the latest installer from your account at www.easyDCP.com license status.
   
        
   
   
2. Select "Preferences (OSX)" or "Options (WINDOWS)" in the installed easyDCP application option "Activation Status" and select "Request License&Certificates"
   
        
   
   
3. Fill out the form according to the instructions displayed and select "Send request". Your license-and-certificate-request will be processed after you log in and have select the license you intend to activate.
   
        
   
        
   
   
4. Then you can download your "License & Certificate" Data Set from your license status and import it with the corresponding easyDCP option "Import License & Certificates"
   
        

Note: This way of activating your easyDCP Product is only available from easyDCP Version 3.6 or higher.

• If you use a easyDCP Creator(+) from 2.2.X, easyDCP Player(+) from 2.0.X and easyDCP KDM Generator(+) from 1.4.1X till easyDCP Version 3.5.8, you find help here.
• If you use an Version below easyDCP Creator(+) 2.2.X, easyDCP Player(+) 2.0.X and easyDCP KDM Generator(+) 1.4.1X, you find help here.
• If you use an easyDCP Resolve Plugin version, you find help here.
• If you use an easyDCP SAM Rio Plugin version, you find help here.

easyDCP introduces a new and important function with easyDCP+ Version 3.4: easyDCP DCP/IMF-Package Validator

The function is integrated in easyDCP Creator+ and easyDCP Player+. Validation can be performed on encrypted and unencrypted files.  

The easyDCP validation check includes:
- Syntax checks of the metadata
- Compliance check of image and sound files
- Review the current and desired DCP / IMF-Package naming convention 

For immediate diagnosis, the easyDCP Validation Report provides a traffic light view with OK, warnings and "red" for errors.
The easyDCP Validation Report also includes a detailed evaluation. It consists of an HTML file, which can also be opened offline with any browser.
This file provides detailed information on the results of the validation and, if applicable, specific notes on the occurrence of warnings and errors.

A sample of DCP validation can be found here:

To perform a validation:

easyDCP Player+

1. Menu: File > Open Package
2. Select the DCP or IMF package to validate and start it in the playlist
3. Menu: Asset > Validate
4. Press "Start"
5. Dialog Box: Select "Open Report" to open the easyDCP Valdiation Report in your browser   

easyDCP Creator+

1. Coose in first dialog: Open Projekt/Package
2. Select the DCP or IMF package to validate and start it in the playlist
3. Menu: Package > Validate
4. Press "Start"
5. Dialog Box: Select "Open Report" to open the easyDCP Valdiation Report in your browser

Remark: 

• Interested parties can test the function in the respective demoversion but detailed hints are hidden.
• Encrypted DCPs can currently be validated with a valid DKDM.

easyDCP Validation Report as proof of quality:

Fraunhofer IIS provided the essential prerequisite for the DCI Compliance Test Plan. With the new easyDCP Validator you get the perfect tool to run the test plan fully automatically. The conclusive easyDCP Validation Report can be attached to DCP delivery or IMF package delivery as a quality and compliance proof. 

easyDCP Validation verifies the following conformities:

• DCP: according to SMPTE ST 429
• IMF-Package: asccorting to SMPTE ST 2067 

as well as other "Common Practice Tests" which have resulted from years of experience. E.g. Digital Cinema Naming Convention, checks of subtitles outside of the area that can be read by the creator.  

easyDCP Creator+ is bundled with a tool called easyDCP KDM Generator. A demo version of easyDCP KDM Generator is included in the easyDCP Creator+ trial version.

easyDCP KDM Generator generates Interop- and SMPTE-compliant KDM files for DCPs created with easyDCP Creator+.

easyDCP KDM Generator has a separate manual that explains the procedure in more detail.

A full commercial version of easyDCP KDM Generator is part of the easyDCP Creator+ product.

Please note: easyDCP KDM Generator is not upgradable to easyDCP KDM Generator+

A Distribution KDM (DKDM) is technically identical to a regular KDM.

The difference is that it targets another mastering station instead of a cinema server.
You can generate a DKDM with easyDCP KDM Generator. The procedure is identical to generating a regular KDM.

The other way around is also possible with easyDCP. Your distributor can generate a DKDM to your easyDCP Player+ or easyDCP Creator+ public certificate (they each have theire own certificate). easyDCP Player+ or easyDCP Creator+ are then able to open the encrypted DCP.

Starting with version easyDCP Player+ 1.3 the DCP can be exported and loaded into easyDCP Creator.

This is explained in the section: I have an existing DCP. Is there a way to import the DCP into easyDCP Creator?".
Please check also: I have an existing DCP. Is there a way to import the DCP into easyDCP Suite?

How to generate KDMs and DKDMs in easyDCP: 

easyDCP KDM Generator(+): see manual section from section 4
easyDCP Creator+: see manual section 5.10 

Customers who own an easyDCP standalone license for easyDCP can receive and use a legacy licenses for previous easyDCP releases free-of-charge on the same hardware.
You will find the option "Other releases" in your license status. 

Following requirements must be met:

• You must have a version 2.0 or higher licensed.
• The legacy license can only be used on same hardware as the easyDCP standalone licenses are issued to.
• Only previous easyDCP versions can be requested.

How to get your easyDCP legacy license:

• Open your license status and click on "Other releases" and download the desired version.
• If it's a recent release of the current easyDCP major release (eg 3.5.5 > 3.5.X), you can continue to use your current license. Download and install the license file as usual.
• If you switch to a version before the current easyDCP major release (eg 3.5.5> 3.4.X), you must activate this easyDCP application. Start the activation and if you meet the requirements (the current easyDCP version is activated on the same hardware), the webshop will offer you an old version license. Download and install the license file as usual.

You can find more information on how you can activate your Application in our FAQs: How do I activate my easyDCP Product?

In fact, this is the major difference between easyDCP KDM Generator and easyDCP KDM Generator+.

While easyDCP KDM Generator can be used to issue KDMs for DCPs created and encrypted by yourself using easyDCP Creator+, easyDCP KDM Generator+ can also be used to generate KDMs for DCP that have been created by a third party mastering station.

Just like easyDCP Player+, easyDCP KDM Generator+ also allows you to export its own public certificate. Provide this certificate containing your public key to the content owner so they can issue a Distribution KDM (DKDM) to your easyDCP KDM Generator+ installation.
You can load this DKDM into easyDCP KDM Generator+ and generate new KDMs for other recipients from it. The new KDMs time windows have to be completely covered by the DKDMs time window.

One easyDCP software license can be installed only on one computer system.

However, if you need to move the easyDCP license to another computer or operating system you can do this easily using Migration function in the web shop:

1. Login in your account at www.easyDCP.com
2. Select license status
3. Select the product you need to migrate
4. Select: "migrate license"
   
   

easyDCP Resolve Plug-In customers can get additional important informations for migration here. 

After the migration is complete you can generate a new license for the new ware system. Please refer to the following FAQ on how to activate your product.

• How to activate my easyDCP product?
• How to activate my easyDCP Resolve Plugin?
• You find a video tutorial easyDCP from V3.6 - Software Activation Tutorial here.

Note:

• There is a limit of one automatic migration in six months. If you require a second migration within the six months period, please inform us via email why it´s necassary.
• Since server certificates are tied to the system hash, they become inaccessible after a migration. New certificates will be automatically created, but all KDMs issued to the old cerificates will no longer be accessible. Please check our FAQ: Server- and Signer- Certificates.

Migration with older Versions: For version easyDCP Creator(+)2.1.X and older, easyDCP Player(+)1.9.X and older, and easyDCP KDM Generator(+)1.47 and older, be prepared to use the new hashcode of your target hardware/software.

Beginning with version 2.1, easyDCP Creator+ is capable of opening encrypted DCPs and using these DCPs as basis for new DCPs. There are basically two ways of providing the keys in order to allow easyDCP Creator+ to decrypt the content for the preview and for generating a new DCP.

If keys are provided by means of a proprietary Fraunhofer Digest file (*.dcpdig), it is assumed that the user generated the content and that he is in charge of the sources used for the original DCP generation. In this case you can alter all properties in easyDCP Creator+, including the deactivation of the encryption or the generation of a new encrypted DCP and Digest file.



If one provides the keys by means of Distribution KDM (or KDM), easyDCP Creator+ does not allow to disable the encryption nor does it generate the Fraunhofer Digest for the new DCP. In order to understand this behavior we have to explain that the Fraunhofer Digest stores the encryption key as plain text on the hard drive. If the Digest-option were not disabled, one could easily open an encrypted DCP together with a (D)KDM, generate a new encrypted DCP and store the encryption keys in plaintext. Since content-owners are very diligent with their content, Fraunhofer IIS decided to disable the option from the beginning.

Since the software does not permit you to generate a Digest, there has to be another way for communicating the encryption keys to another software. Using easyDCP Creator+ version 2.1 or higher this can be done by generating a (D)KDM directly from within easyDCP Creator+. The “Generate DCP…” dialog was extended to offer you to generate KDMs. By design, one (D)KDM will be generated for easyDCP Creator+ itself in order to make sure that one can open the DCP on the same computer using easyDCP Creator+ later. A second (D)KDM can be generated for another software being able to open (D)KDMs, including easyDCP KDM Generator+ and many other 3rd party hard-/and software tools.

Easier & faster KDM creation:

Create KDMs for several cinemas using easyDCP KDM Generator+

Imagine the following situation:

• Your encrypted DCP incl. activation key (easyDCP-Digest / DKDM) has already been completed.
• Now many KDMs are to be generated as a group (e.g., all KDMs for a distribution area) so that they subsequently e.g. can be sent by e-mail to the cinemas.
• Generating should be done quickly as a mass processing, easily and without time-consuming or faulty manual re-sorting.

Tipps:

• Also works in the standard version of the easyDCP KDM Generator.
• Warning: Do not manually change the filename of the server certificates or KDMs as they will not be able to be assigned in the cinema.

To create KDMs sorted by cinema screens in a tree structure, proceed as follows:

1. First sort your server certificates once outside of easyDCP in a tree structure, e.g. by distribution area (here: "Distribution Area 1"):
   
2. Now start the easyDCP KDM Generator +. First, drag the easyDCP Digest or the DKDM into the field "easyDCP Digest / DKDM". Then simply drag the folder that contains the subfolders with the sorted server certificates into the Server Certificates / Folder field:
   
3. Now activate the options "Options> Replicate easyDCP Digest / DKDM Folder Structure" and "Recursive":
   
4. 4. Finally enter the target directory under "KDM Output Folder" and start the mass generation by clicking on "Generate KDM (s)". The KDM Generator now creates all KDMs and places them in the same structure as the server certificates:
   

The KDMs can now be conveniently processed and e.g. be sent by e-mail to the cinemas.

Please note:
This template was created with easyDCP KDM Generator + Version 1.4.411. Previous versions may not yet include this feature, but newer versions may run slightly differently.

easyDCP Creator+ generates a proprietary DCP digest file along with each encrypted DCP.
This digest file contains all track files keys used for the encryption during the DCP creation process. Whenever one wants to generate KDMs, you can load this digest file into a separate tool called easyDCP KDM Generator.

easyDCP KDM Generator is included in each purchase of easyDCP Creator+.
All you need to do is collect your recipient´s public server certificates and put them into a local folder. Use only the "cert.sha256" files. Usually, they have either a *.crt or *.pem suffix.
In easyDCP KDM Generator, you merely need to load the digest file, point to the folder with the server certificates and specify the start and end dates of the KDMs validity period.

Upon clicking the "Generate" button, easyDCP KDM Generator will create KDMs for all server certificates in a single batch job. Please note, that a digest file may contain multiple compositions, but a KDM only ever contains keys for a single composition. Thus, easyDCP KDM Generator will create x KDMs.

For more details, please refer to the http://www.easydcp.com/sync/manuals/easyDCP_KDM_Generator_User_Manual.pdf.

With the free demo editions of the easyDCP standalone programs almost all functionalities of the full versions can be tested. However, there are the following restrictions:

easyDCP Creator

• Visibly burned-in easyDCP™ logo in all frames
• No loading of (D)KDMs (To test encrypted DCPs, please use the proprietary DCP Digest)
• No Supplementals (DCP/IMF)
• No validation report

easyDCP Player

• Reduced quality and muted audio after 15 seconds of playback
• No Export
• No loading of (D)KDMs (To test encrypted DCPs, please use the proprietary DCP Digest from Creator+)
• No validation report

easyDCP KDM Generator

• Maximum KDM validity of 2 days
• No loading of (D)KDMs (To test KDM generation, please use the proprietary DCP digest from easyDCP Creator+)

DKDMs are used for the exchange of encrypted DCPs between postproduction houses. Processing DKDMs needs the same operation and security requirements that are used in the creation and operation of KDMs for the digital cinema.
easyDCP Creator+ enables to encrypt digital cinema content and the standard accessory easyDCP KDM Generator generates KDMs and DKDMs for the transfer of digital cinema content to postproduction houses or cinemas.

For further information please refer to:

• easyDCP Creator+
• easyDCP KDM Generator

For automatic generating and distribution of KDMs the online service KDM Studio is available at www.dcptools.com. 
KDM Studio is developed by the DCPtools Team based on easyDCP KDM Gnerator+.

Unfortunately we cannot issue licenses that are expiring after a few days. To evaluate the software, free trial versions can be downloaded.

The restrictions of the demo versions are:

• easyDCP Creator Demo burns in a visible watermark into each frame.
• easyDCP Player Demo decreases decoding quality and mutes audio after a playback time of 15 seconds.
• easyDCP KDM Generator Demo generates KDMs with a maximum validity period of 48 hours, starting from the time when the KDM is generated.

Tip: You can also generate DCPs and pay on a project basis with easyDCP Publisher.

The generation of personalized signer certificates for certain easyDCP applications is a free service provided by Fraunhofer IIS.

New personalized signer certificates will be issued with every License & Certificate Request during new installation of after migration of the software.

Requirements to get personalized signer certificates issued by Fraunhofer IIS are:

• The email-domain used for your web-account at http://www.easyDCP.com and the requested domain within the License & Certificate Set-request must match.
• Requested domain for validation is not a public address like e. g. gmail.com, t-online.de etc. Blacklist is supported.
• If a comprehensible reason exist that email domain and requested domain cannot match please contact info@easydcp.com 

Different versions of easyDCP can be installed side-by-side

However be aware that the all share the same user application data folder, where state settings, KDMs, server and signer certificate and license are stored.  

The newest easyDCP KDM Generator version 1.4.15 offers a simple support for TDL (Trusted Device List) for e.g. double projection in KDMs.

If a TDL for KDM is required, you only need to import the corresponding projector Certificates in the field " Trusted Device List" available at easyDCP KDM Generator 1.4.15  "Advanced Settings".

Please notice that one can only generate one DKDM when generating a new DCP.

For the generation of many KDM´s easyDCP KDM Generator is still the software of your choice allowing you to generate unlimited KDMs with a simple click.

Usually, on the cinema server manufacturers' FTP servers you can find both the public server certificates and the signature chain that were used to sign the certificates.

If you decide to trust the certificate by examining the signature chain, you only need the server certificate to create a KDM. The server certificate usually has either a *.pem or a *.crt suffix.

easyDCP KDM Generator will accept either, but do not use both.

Furthermore, there may be pairs of certificate and chain that state "mpeg", "sha1" and "sha256".
Like with DCPs, there are SMPTE ("sha256") and Interop ("sha1" / "mpeg") KDMs.

Almost all modern cinema servers prefer SMPTE KDMs - even for Interop DCPs. So mostly the "sha256" version is used.

Only if you surely know your recipient only accepts Interop KDMs, use the "sha1" certificate and remember to check the "Enable Interop mode" option in the easyDCP KDM Generator's options tab.

Please see also: Where can I get the server certificates needed to create the KDMs?

You can download the manual here.

With activated service subscription your service will be prolonged automatically for 6 month 30 days before it expires without any notification to do it manually. The prolongation will be charged to your credit card, its details are stored for this use at our acquirer „Heidelpay“. You will receive an order confirmation and invoice for a successful service prolongation as usual.

Service prolongation via service subscription comes automatically with 10% discount.  

How to setup a Service Subscription?

1. Login at your easyDCP web account
2. Select top menu option „Service Status"
3. Select your preferred license for your service subscription
4. Select your payment method or create a new one. 

Your next automatic prolongation will be shown at „Next Payment“.
A service subscription can be created and removed at any time before a service gets inactive.

What happens if an automatic service prolongation fails?

If payment fails we will keep retrying. After certain fail we will deactivate the service subscription and inform you by email. Your Service Status will be set to manual mode and you will receive the known „Service Notification“.

Reasons for failed payments can be expired validity, insufficient covering of payment amount or general deactivation of your credit card. If possible we will inform you about reason of rejection.

How safe are your Credit Card details?

Your CC details are exclusively stored on servers of our acquierer. These servers are regularly monitored by the CC-companies.

There can be many reasons that subtitles cannot be displayed.

easyDCP Player performs a whole range of checks when it loads the subtiteles.

It will automatically verify that the XML document´s structure meets the specifications and it will also make sure that all characters used in the subtitle document are actually present in the enclosed font file. (Font)

If any potential issues were identified, they will be shown in the log window.

In short, make sure no warnings are raised when the DCP is opened by eayDCP Player.

From now on, you will receive a discount on your service and support fees if you extend the service during the ongoing service period.

This is how it works: Since 2017-01-01 you receive a COUPON code on your bill for your next purchase of service extension. This voucher reduces your costs for the next service renewal of the same license by 10%.

The COUPON code is valid for the respective license from the issue of the invoice until the day on which your existing service expires. The date of the last validity is displayed in the COUPON.

How to use this voucher code:

NOTE: Your ongoing service must still be valid

1. Go to your license status as usual
2. Extend your existing service by at least 6 months.
3. In checkout, the option "ADD COUPON" will be offered.
4. Enter the individual coupon code for this license.

You will automatically receive a discount of 10%. The new service is automatically added to the end of the current service period. The invoice now contains a new COUPON code in order to receive a 10% discount for the next renewal.

Hint: You can spare yourself the manual entry of the voucher code by signing up for a subscription, which automatically extends the service in time. You then receive the discount without entering a COPUON code.

The procedure is different in every country. We can't send you the certificates.

• The best way is to ask the cinema owners directly. They should have current certificates of their projection systems in their screening rooms or tell you the model and serial number.
• Another idea is to contact the server vendors directly.
• If you have the model and serial number, you can contact the manufacturer and ask for access to their database.