+Frank B. Subscriber² Posted October 2, 2014 Subscriber² Share Posted October 2, 2014 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draconian Guppy Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted October 2, 2014 Supervisor Share Posted October 2, 2014 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted October 2, 2014 Subscriber² Share Posted October 2, 2014 When it comes to Android its Nexus all the way :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcfan Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon H Supervisor Posted October 2, 2014 Supervisor Share Posted October 2, 2014 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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