MagicGate (MG) is a copy-protection technology introduced by

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

in 1999 as part of the

Secure Digital Music Initiative Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) was a forum formed in late 1998Leonardo ChiariglioneRiding the Media Bits. Opening content protection chiariglione.org, 2003 ostensibly with the purpose of developing technology and rights management systems ...

(SDMI). It works by encrypting the content on the device and using MagicGate chips in both the storage device and the reader to enforce control over how files are copied. MagicGate encryption was introduced with Sony's first

digital audio player A portable media player (PMP) or digital audio player (DAP) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. Normally they refer to small, battery-powered devices ...

s, with the related

OpenMG OpenMG is a digital rights management (DRM) system developed by Sony for managing and protecting digital music data on a personal computer. It was originally designed for audio files in ATRAC3 format; the compliant software, e.g. Sony SonicStag ...

technology being its software counterpart. Since then, the encryption has been rolled out to other Sony devices – it is used in the memory cards of the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

and, , has been introduced into all of Sony's

Memory Stick The Memory Stick is a removable flash memory, flash memory card format, originally launched by Sony in late 1998. In addition to the original Memory Stick, this family includes the Memory Stick PRO, a revision that allows greater maximum storage ...

products. Some devices will only accept Memory Sticks which use MagicGate technology.{{Cite web , date=1999-11-30 , title=Memory cards get skinny , url=https://www.rcrwireless.com/20050822/archived-articles/memory-cards-get-skinny , access-date=2023-04-17 , website=RCR Wireless News , language=en-US All Memory Stick Duo cards equipped with MagicGate can be identified by a notch located on the rear end of the card.

Support

Few (

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...

PC Card PC Card is a technical standard specifying an expansion card interface for laptops and personal digital assistants, PDAs. The PCMCIA originally introduced the 16-bit Industry Standard Architecture, ISA-based PCMCIA Card in 1990, but renamed it to ...

) Memory Stick-compatible memory card readers support secure MagicGate. Although manufacturers list Memory Stick Pro/Pro Duo (MG) compatibility, where MG means MagicGate, they may not support the security portion of MagicGate. This becomes important when purchasing a card reader/writer for use with SonicStage and Sony CONNECT as even Sony itself does not fully support MagicGate on certain readers. Non-MagicGate memory card reader/writers do not show up in SonicStage, with the notable exception of Sony Ericsson phones. Current Sony devices that support MagicGate DRM as of summer 2007: * Most Memory Stick capable Sony VAIO notebooks and desktops *

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

– The PlayStation Portable in service mode will only boot to Memory Sticks with MagicGate enabled *

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...

– Used for verifying memory cards and PSP Emulation *

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

* MSAC-US40 USB Memory Stick Card Reader/Writer *

Current Sony Devices that do not support MagicGate DRM as of summer 2007: * All U.S. Sony Ericsson phones – most Sony Ericsson phones should show up in SonicStage for MP3/ AAC transfer * VGP-MCA10 PCMCIA Card Reader/Writer – does not sport the MagicGate logo * Sony 17 in 1 Card Reader/Writer MRW62E/S1/181 * Sony

AVCHD AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) is a file-based format for the digital recording and playback of high-definition video. It is H.264 and Dolby AC-3 packaged into the MPEG transport stream, with a set of constraints designed around cam ...

camcorders such as HDR-UX5/UX7 Current Sony Devices that do not support MagicGate DRM as of summer 2007, but the support may be possible via future firmware updates: *

Mylo Myles MacInnes (born 10 May 1978), better known by his stage name Mylo, is a Scottish electronic musician and record producer. His 2004 album '' Destroy Rock & Roll'' peaked at number 26 on the UK Albums Chart. He is best known for his 2005 si ...

Personal Communicator – Mylo's 1GB internal memory can be used with SonicStage and supports OpenMG * Sony Reader portable e-reader PRS-500 & PRS-600 – may show up in SonicStage for MP3/AAC transfer.

State of DRM

In March 2009, Sony Electronics announced they were phasing out the Sony CONNECT service in favor of Windows Media Audio & Windows Media DRM, though they have not officially announced plans to continue a Windows Media DRM music service, either. As of June 2009, the future of MagicGate DRM was unknown. MagicGate slots were still a part of the default Vaio configuration as of May 2010.

References

Digital rights management systems

Support

State of DRM

See also

References