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Author For those who unlocked their bootloader
Xajel
Sony Xperia S
Joined: Jun 18, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bahrain
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Posted: 2014-11-13 18:35
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Just a quick question, I know that unlocking the boot loader will delete the DRM keys for ever (unless rooted and backed up without unlocking)

But do the fact that finding a way to root without unlocking is very hard and takes too much time to discover a lot of people unlocked the bootloader just to be able to root

The question is do you regret doing so ? And do you miss anything lost with the unlocking process from Sony's features ?
tranced
LG Nexus 4
Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Santo Domingo, wonDeRland
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Posted: 2014-11-13 18:40
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Not a Sony user, but... coming from Nexus devices, I've not missed a single thing.
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doministry
Sony Xperia Z2
Joined: Apr 13, 2007
Posts: > 500
From: PL
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Posted: 2014-11-13 19:49
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I remember serious issues with pics quality on some Sony's after unlock.
I have no idea how is it now...
a w a r e
Xajel
Sony Xperia S
Joined: Jun 18, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bahrain
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Posted: 2014-11-17 14:54
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@tranced,

The problem is that Sony have some DRM keys in the TA partition, when you unlock the bootloader that partition will be deleted loosing all DRM keys, even if you re-lock the bootloader, the DRM keys will be lost also

The only solution is to backup that TA partition, but you can't do this without root in the first place... and currently it's becoming harder and harder to root with a locked bootloader. not to mention those with carrier locked bootloader ( which can't be unlocked unless after the contract )... in previous devices like Xperia S, Xperia Z, they found away to root without unlocking, so it was possible to backup the TA partition. but now even the Z3 there's no way

@doministry,

exactly, the DRM keys are related to camera features, display and audio enhancements... unlocking will delete these DRM keys making these features inaccessible.


I'm now hesitating on having another Sony device only because of this issue...
tranced
LG Nexus 4
Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Santo Domingo, wonDeRland
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Posted: 2014-11-17 18:55
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Thanks for clarifying this issue. I wasn't aware of that Sony did this to their phones. I cannot tell any comment regarding this issue. I think I'd get a cheap Xperia device later this month or next. Then I'd could say


On 2014-11-17 14:54:10, Xajel wrote:
@tranced,

The problem is that Sony have some DRM keys in the TA partition, when you unlock the bootloader that partition will be deleted loosing all DRM keys, even if you re-lock the bootloader, the DRM keys will be lost also

The only solution is to backup that TA partition, but you can't do this without root in the first place... and currently it's becoming harder and harder to root with a locked bootloader. not to mention those with carrier locked bootloader ( which can't be unlocked unless after the contract )... in previous devices like Xperia S, Xperia Z, they found away to root without unlocking, so it was possible to backup the TA partition. but now even the Z3 there's no way

I jay0726 | (+3, 0) | Clara, Evita, Mimmi & Victoria | My Pics | Do your job!
funkadopest
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Joined: Jan 05, 2006
Posts: 61
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Posted: 2014-11-18 04:34
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I'm now hesitating on having another Sony device only because of this issue...



most people that unlock their bootloader do so because they install custom kernels and/or roms, so they don't really care about DRM as there is no point really to unlock just for root with stock rom...

I'm sure an exploit will be found soon or later to root with the locked bootloader as long as you are on Kitkat still... because as soon as Lollipop kicks in, rooting locked might be a thing of the past since codes have changed and the only way to root is at the kernel level which means that you have to unlock your bootloader to install a custom kernel...so rooting on a carrier branded phone won't be impossible since they all mostly don't allow to unlock....

There is an AOSP 5.0 beta version that is almost ready for the Z3 right now, since thanks to Jerpelea (a long time super mod)that is now working for Sony and he made the Sony kernel sources available (so devs can cook some custom roms)

An AOSP rom when ready will be like having a Google Play Edition of the Z3 and in 5.0 the camera shoot in RAW mode, so you can post-process your files anyway to make them look as you please...

All that said I do like Sony stock roms...I just really like to root for xposed mostly to customize to my licking as I never really been a fan of custom roms or pure vanilla android...

Anyway rooting the way we were accustomed to might become a thing of the past on all android phones soon though!

Here is a good read from Chainfire about rooting 5.0 and why it might be a pain and on a brighter note he also rooted it here
Xajel
Sony Xperia S
Joined: Jun 18, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bahrain
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Posted: 2014-11-19 07:49
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I know that, but I'm only interested in root, I only installed third party ROM's on my old Xperia S after 3 years of having it, and only because for testing.. the main phone is always on stock ROM's

I love Sony for their great design, quality and features...

but now it's becoming harder and harder to find an exploit to root an Xperia without unlocking.. specially now with Android 5.0

I know Sony must protect their property IP and I respect that, but not in this way, I mean there's other ways of handling DRM's, look how HTC is doing it...

If unlocking will not remove Xperia features then it's okay...
gayannr
Xperia Mini Pro Black
Joined: Jun 23, 2008
Posts: 499
From: Sri Lanka
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Posted: 2014-11-20 06:25
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Guys. You can root without unlocking the boot loader. Use TowelRoot. I used it on my Xperia SP (4.3) and LG G Pad 7 (4.4)
Xajel
Sony Xperia S
Joined: Jun 18, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Bahrain
PM
Posted: 2014-11-20 06:37
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On 2014-11-20 06:25:01, gayannr wrote:
Guys. You can root without unlocking the boot loader. Use TowelRoot. I used it on my Xperia SP (4.3) and LG G Pad 7 (4.4)



It doesn't work on newer devices, like Z3 series
tranced
LG Nexus 4
Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Santo Domingo, wonDeRland
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Posted: 2015-01-04 02:14
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I think you will like to give a read to this, Xajel.

If you unlocked your bootloader on a recent Sony Xperia device, you probably know that the potential loss of warranty is not the only disadvantage you have to accept.
Another fairly hidden issue is related to various proprietary features such as the X-Reality color mangement, BIONZ image processor and the active noise cancelling techniques.

Once you decide to unlock your bootloader the process also removes a piece of data referred to as the DRM keys. These are tied to various services (such as streaming video and the like) offered by Sony but also are also required for the features mentioned above to work properly. Put simple, once the keys are gone, you’ll face issues such as decreased low light camera image quality or the lack of the X-Reality mode.


Read it all...
I jay0726 | (+3, 0) | Clara, Evita, Mimmi & Victoria | My Pics | Do your job!
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