26 replies to this topic

[Apoc]

Alright, I would like to know what type of barcose the printed out Ticketmaster tickets use. It can be any of the following types:

EAN-8
EAN-13
ISBN
UPC-A
UPC-E
I2of5
ITF-14
Code 39
Code128


I personally think it is one of the last four. But, I want to make sure beofre I try this out. Can anyone help me out?

[Seal]

If you have a picture of one, I have a special barcode scanner with me that should be able to tell you the type.

[Apoc]

I attached the image

Oh, and I'm looking forward to that vid man! How long until its released?

Attached Files

•  bar.JPG   5.75K   14 downloads

Edited by Apoc, 11 April 2006 - 10:32 PM.

[Seal]

I cleaned up the barcode and scanned it. The machine didn't recognize it.

Attached Files

•  barcode.gif   993bytes   9 downloads

Edited by Seal, 12 April 2006 - 10:10 AM.

[Apoc]

The numbers are printed right below it, I just need to know what style to print the barcode in...

[alktrioguy]

some pics of tix

pic 1 - Anti-Flag @ Theatre of Living Arts on Wednesday Apr 12, 06
pic 2 - Catch 22 @ The Trocadero on Thursday Sept 8, 05
pic 3 - The Toasters @ The Trocadero on Sunday Sept 25, 05

sorry bout pic 3, the ticket got beaten up.... thats what happens when u skank at a show

not sure if info helps at all, but i hope it does

Attached Files

•  IMG_0236.JPG   2MB   33 downloads
•  IMG_0238.JPG   1.81MB   35 downloads
•  IMG_0240.JPG   1.83MB   26 downloads

[Seal]

some pics of tix

pic 1 - Anti-Flag @ Theatre of Living Arts on Wednesday Apr 12, 06
pic 2 - Catch 22 @ The Trocadero on Thursday Sept 8, 05
pic 3 - The Toasters @ The Trocadero on Sunday Sept 25, 05

sorry bout pic 3, the ticket got beaten up.... thats what happens when u skank  at a show

not sure if info helps at all, but i hope it does

It does. The scanner read the barcode correctly, minus the first 2 digits.

In any instance, this is what the machine came up with:
Type: 0x39
Source: SCN1:Interleaved 2 of <-- barcode type
Length: 10

So the correct answer would be: I2of5

Edited by Seal, 16 April 2006 - 10:22 AM.

[alktrioguy]

so what is the use of knowing what type of barcode it is.... more importantly, can this somehow lead to cheap tickets?

[cerealkiller76]

so what is the use of knowing what type of barcode it is.... more importantly, can this somehow lead to cheap tickets?

Well now we know what kind of barcode the scanners are looking for, provided the venue is using scanners for that event.

[alktrioguy]

but the question is what kind of information is stored inside that barcode.... and how could someone make it look authentic

[BrakeDanceJ]

but the question is what kind of information is stored inside that barcode.... and how could someone make it look authentic

I have a telzon scanning device at work and a barcode printer, someone link me to a ticket to decode...

[alktrioguy]

but the question is what kind of information is stored inside that barcode.... and how could someone make it look authentic

I have a telzon scanning device at work and a barcode printer, someone link me to a ticket to decode...

do you work at best buy too?

edit: pics posted up top

Edited by alktrioguy, 16 April 2006 - 08:04 PM.

[Apoc]

This will help to make tickets for concerts that allow you to print the tix off.

[chaostic]

The scanners they used are linked to a network. First a ticket is purchased, and the barcode number created for that ticket is added to the network server's list. Once a ticket is presented and scanned, the number is then not removed but flagged as used. This is why most ticketmaster venues do not allow readmission. Or atleast at the venues around me.

[Strom Carlson]

I used to work for Ticketmaster Corporate, and Chaostic is right. There is no specific information stored in the barcode; it's just a unique identifier for that ticket. The list of valid tickets is downloaded to the venue's local server shortly before the event, and last-minute updates can be pushed as necessary. I seem to recall that if a venue doesn't have a server, then the information can be polled directly from the regional VAX on an as-needed basis.

Interestingly enough, the scanners can be put into an emergency mode where any barcode will work. We were testing this one time, and the system accepted real tickets, used tickets, Safeway cards, packs of gum, and so on.

[alktrioguy]

a 25c pack of gum can get me into a show? well that would be pretty kick ass....

[roothorick]

I used to work for Ticketmaster Corporate, and Chaostic is right.  There is no specific information stored in the barcode; it's just a unique identifier for that ticket.  The list of valid tickets is downloaded to the venue's local server shortly before the event, and last-minute updates can be pushed as necessary.  I seem to recall that if a venue doesn't have a server, then the information can be polled directly from the regional VAX on an as-needed basis.

Interestingly enough, the scanners can be put into an emergency mode where any barcode will work.  We were testing this one time, and the system accepted real tickets, used tickets, Safeway cards, packs of gum, and so on.

I'm interested.

• How (through what physical medium) does the server receive updates? Ethernet, or something proprietary, or is it just plain ol Internet access? Any details on the exact protocol between the central server and the local server?
• Are the last-minute updates pushed to the server or the scanners? And again, exactly how is this communicated?
• How is this emergency mode activated?

[chaostic]

I used to work for Ticketmaster Corporate, and Chaostic is right.  There is no specific information stored in the barcode; it's just a unique identifier for that ticket.  The list of valid tickets is downloaded to the venue's local server shortly before the event, and last-minute updates can be pushed as necessary.  I seem to recall that if a venue doesn't have a server, then the information can be polled directly from the regional VAX on an as-needed basis.

Interestingly enough, the scanners can be put into an emergency mode where any barcode will work.  We were testing this one time, and the system accepted real tickets, used tickets, Safeway cards, packs of gum, and so on.

I'm interested.

• How (through what physical medium) does the server receive updates? Ethernet, or something proprietary, or is it just plain ol Internet access? Any details on the exact protocol between the central server and the local server?
  
• Are the last-minute updates pushed to the server or the scanners? And again, exactly how is this communicated?
  
• How is this emergency mode activated?

1: Ethernet/Internet is the same thing. Which is what it probably uses if not satalite links like most huge retail chains use (Radioshack, Autozone, etc). If you think you can hack into the server and add a new ticket number to it, you should atleast know what ethernet and the internet are.
2: The venue I went to seemed to have wireless scanners, though they could have been the ones that plug into a system port. Either way, the scanners are what need to have the valid ticket list, so it is both the server and the scanner.
3: Probably just a setting in the scanner's operation menu. I don't know exactly, since I didnt even know it existed. The emergency mode seems (in my educated guess) to be used for when a valid ticket that they have verified as valid won't scan. But in that case, they wouldn't need to scan it.

[roothorick]

1: Ethernet/Internet is the same thing. Which is what it probably uses if not satalite links like most huge retail chains use (Radioshack, Autozone, etc). If you think you can hack into the server and add a new ticket number to it, you should atleast know what ethernet and the internet are.

Ethernet != Internet. In fact, very little of the Internet is over traditional Ethernet lines, most of the infrastructure is optical these days. Though, it was a dumbly worded question, so it doesn't matter anyway. I was trying to ask how the central server and local servers communicate (dedicated line? satellite link? Internet? etc.)

2: The venue I went to seemed to have wireless scanners, though they could have been the ones that plug into a system port. Either way, the scanners are what need to have the valid ticket list, so it is both the server and the scanner.
3: Probably just a setting in the scanner's operation menu. I don't know exactly, since I didnt even know it existed. The emergency mode seems (in my educated guess) to be used for when a valid ticket that they have verified as valid won't scan. But in that case, they wouldn't need to scan it.

Wireless scanners could be fun depending on the protocol. You could catcall at people about what show they're about to go see. (This of course at a multi-screen theater where it's not obvious what movie a person is about to go see.) You might even be able to glean people's names and freak them out by calling them by name without "knowing their name". Social exploration is fun.

My guess was the emergency mode is for when the local server stops working for whatever reason. They then have people stand by the scanners and make sure nobody throws a pack of gum on the machine.

Edited by roothorick, 20 April 2006 - 03:46 PM.

[chaostic]

1: Ethernet/Internet is the same thing. Which is what it probably uses if not satalite links like most huge retail chains use (Radioshack, Autozone, etc). If you think you can hack into the server and add a new ticket number to it, you should atleast know what ethernet and the internet are.

Ethernet != Internet. In fact, very little of the Internet is over traditional Ethernet lines, most of the infrastructure is optical these days. Though, it was a dumbly worded question, so it doesn't matter anyway. I was trying to ask how the central server and local servers communicate (dedicated line? satellite link? Internet? etc.)

2: The venue I went to seemed to have wireless scanners, though they could have been the ones that plug into a system port. Either way, the scanners are what need to have the valid ticket list, so it is both the server and the scanner.
3: Probably just a setting in the scanner's operation menu. I don't know exactly, since I didnt even know it existed. The emergency mode seems (in my educated guess) to be used for when a valid ticket that they have verified as valid won't scan. But in that case, they wouldn't need to scan it.

Wireless scanners could be fun depending on the protocol. You could catcall at people about what show they're about to go see. (This of course at a multi-screen theater where it's not obvious what movie a person is about to go see.) You might even be able to glean people's names and freak them out by calling them by name without "knowing their name". Social exploration is fun.

My guess was the emergency mode is for when the local server stops working for whatever reason. They then have people stand by the scanners and make sure nobody throws a pack of gum on the machine.

The scanners I've seen are all handheldscanner gun looking things. If you ever seen one of the inventory scanners at a target and such, thats exactly what they look like.