Unlocking The Bootloader On Sony's Xperia Z3 And Z3 Compact Causes Poor Low-Light Camera Perform

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Unlocking The Bootloader On Sony's Xperia Z3 And Z3 Compact Causes Poor Low-Light Camera Performance Thanks To DRM

 

You know those scary warning that show up whenever you unlock the bootloader on a phone? "We can't be held responsible... blah blah... reduced functionality... blah... fiery death... blah blah blah." Sometimes they aren't kidding. Users who have updated the new Xperia Z3 Compact have found that low-light camera performance drops considerably. It turns out to be because of DRM in Sony's image signal processing.

 

When the bootloader is unlocked, the device loses certain DRM security keys. That means you can't purchase content from Sony's storefronts and a few licensed features won't work, but it apparently also means basic features of the phone are negatively affected. A Sony rep has confirmed that some advanced camera algorithms on the new generation of devices like the Z3 and Z3 Compact are protected by DRM. If you unlock the phone, those features stop working. Apparently that causes photos in low-light to be noisier and poorly balanced.

 

This isn't the first time Sony's bootloader unlock has come with some major drawbacks?unlocking past devices could actually break camera functionality (this was technically a bug). There have always been a few proprietary features that stop working, but the difference in image quality this time is allegedly noticeable.

 

Source: Android Police

[Draconian Guppy]

Off topic: Anyone notice how GPE devices have not been anounced for this current generation of flagships

 

On topic: Can someone explain in dumb to me, how the bootloader  affects performance of a sensor :/  too me thats like saying installing linux will degrade performance... (Forgive my ignorance) 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

Can someone explain in dumb to me, how the bootloader  affects performance of a sensor :/

2 sentences from the story

 

 

 

Sony rep has confirmed that some advanced camera algorithms on the new generation of devices like the Z3 and Z3 Compact are protected by DRM.

 

When the bootloader is unlocked, the device loses certain DRM security keys.

 

incredibly stupid IMO

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

When it comes to Android its Nexus all the way :)

[vcfan]

incredibly stupid IMO

they want to protect their ip from being stolen by competitors and KIRF manufacturers

 

but then again, all it takes is an os level root vulnerability and the keys get dumped, because snapdragon security is weak.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

they want to protect their ip from being stolen by competitors and KIRF manufacturers

 

but then again, all it takes is an os level root vulnerability and the keys get dumped, because snapdragon security is weak.

exactly

 

my boot loader is locked on my ZL yet i'm on rooter 4.4.4 & can change roms at will

 

they're wasting their time with it IMO