Cover storys > Content security
Digital TV Europe July/August 2010
tage of that DVR functionality as a way to book and stream content, using the storage a place to cache locally.” In more advanced net- works where there is a greater ability for the network to scale, Silveman says people will be able to pull content from the headend and not do anything locally.
Bridging devices
Conax executive vice-president, products and marketing Geir Bjørndal says that pay-TV content that is secured by a high-security CA system in the broadcast domain can be bridged into a home network environment, where multiple devices from different ven- dors can be used to consume the content. This typically involves bridging the content to a different DRM system that is only used inside the home network. “Content owners will typically define a set of usage rules or licences associated with the content that restricts what the consumer can do with the content with regards to copying, redistribu- tion and output port control,” he explains. “The CA system must control whether release of content into the home network is allowed and securely associate usage licences with the content.” Various DRM systems support the distri- bution of content to multiple devices. Integration with a CA system that usually has a higher degree of security is needed to trans- fer content to household devices such as PCs and mobile phones. Conax is integrating its security solution with the DRM solution from partner TiVo, for example, making it possible to consume content securely on sev- eral different devices. It is also creating a bridge to the Microsoft DRM system. “The key to distributing TV content from a high security environment to a multiple device environment is to implement a DRM
“The expectation is that service providers can extend the reach of their services to non-tra- ditional delivery platforms, on a paid basis.”
Steve Christian, Verimatrix
control system whereby content passed through the high security network can be tagged with the rights to consume the con- tent in the said multi-device environment. Most likely a span of free-to-air content through to premium content that is only available for consumption on the main device will be deployed,” says Bjørndal. A “DRM control” system will also provide secure delivery of content into a DLNA net- work, he adds: “A CA system will then enable use of all DLNA-certified devices in a scenario where content can be distributed from a home gateway that acts as the main DLNA server receiving content from the secure net- work.” The home gateway will typically be an advanced set-top that controls distribution according to the rules defined in the DRM control system. “The most important security requirement is that export of content from a highly secure broadcast environment into a home networking environment is controlled by a high-security CA system,” says Bjørndal. Verimatrix has adopted what it calls a
“cloud-based” strategy of delivering multiple different types of streams to different devices from a common headend. The company’s lat- est platform, VCAS 3, provides security for multi-format adaptive streaming over the internet, while the MultiRights framework delivers multiple forms of content security from a single headed. According to Christian, this is a strategy that appeals to a subset of operators who believe that the home gateway is an expensive option in terms of customer premise equip- ment. “The approach we’re taking is being able to service as many devices as possible from a single headend,” he says. “The format- independent approach is delivered using our VCAS 3 strategy and is a function of being able to protect streams that are delivered using different protocols and file formats.” As part of the adaptive streaming technolo-
Verimatrix’s ViewRight PC player can turn a PC into an IPTV client.
gy development that Verimatrix has carried out, it has added an authentication compo- nent that sits alongside the adaptive stream- ing mechanism. “That enables the registra- tion of devices, from an internet-based set- top, to a PC or to a mobile phone device. You just add them to your account as a subscriber and you have access to all the same services that you would have on your TV. It’s a case of aggregating devices onto a users account,” says Christian. One benefit of this kind of set-up is that it could enable a service provider to offer con- tent to purchase on various devices in a com- pletely transparent way. An obvious way of doing this is to integrate purchasing into existing pay-TV subscriptions – either as a micro-payment to a customer’s existing billing account or bundling services into the subscription. This is an area Irdeto has been moving into. “We spent a lot of time making the underlying security. We’ve also done a lot of work in allowing operators to ingest and publish content to multiplatforms and track where it goes. We’re now turning our inten- tion to the mechanism of authenticated and managing the subscriber through their daily life,” says Wajs. That requires some work on the billing systems in terms of identifying customers using various devices and the packages they’ve subscribed to. “The biggest challenge is creating an environment where a consumer can click and pay in a totally trans- parent way. Unless we do that, we’ll have a struggle to eradicate piracy,” adds Wajs. Ultimately, whatever business models and technology choices pay-TV operators make in regards to using the internet and third-party devices to distribute content from various sources, security vendors are preparing for every eventuality. “Regardless of the source of content, whether its from the open internet or a digital broadcast, content security is about securing access to content by leverag- ing a combination of hardware and software sitting on the CPE, the network and the head- end,” says Viaccess’s Hamdane. ●
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