feature digital asset protection
number of global standards initiatives in addition to commercial product offerings. The Open IPTV Forum (OIPF) has adopted Marlin Broadband (Marlin BB) as the fundamental content protection mechanism within its Release 1 and Release 2 sets of end- to-end specifications, which enable multi-vendor interoperability in managed and unmanaged video delivery services. The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), later renamed Ultraviolet, has also adopted Marlin as one of the principal DRM schemes supporting multi-retailer electronic sell through of HD, SD and mobile media products. The OIPF and Ultraviolet have the support of the major CE vendors and content producers in their efforts. Commercial offerings already using Marlin for media services include connected Sony products, such as the PlayStation and Bravia TV ranges, and Philips NetTV products.
The value of a multi-vendor DRM approach
This type of multi-vendor DRM scheme offers several benefits. Although detractors point to the pressing need for accountability and
Maximising the
monetisation of content across a multi- network, multi-screen delivery environment is not without several
challenges, including the issue of managing multiple
digital rights management (DRM) systems.
responsiveness in a market that is highly dynamic to say the least, open DRM standards can go a long way to help enable the type of consumer choice that all digital TV operators are aiming for. Operators are no longer being held hostage by proprietary standards - there is a level playing field for all set-top box vendors and service providers to harness common infrastructure.
It also makes rights management for media transparent to consumers, with freedom to use and transfer purchases across devices. Consumers can now pick and choose from different set top boxes and be assured that there are a variety of different service providers that can send video to the selected box. The open standard allows multiple service operators and multiple STB vendors to participate in that marketplace. For example, the Marlin BB architecture specifies technologies for building copy protection and DRM into consumer devices and services in a manner that is friendly to end-users as well as CE vendors. Marlin technology allows users to acquire content through multiple distribution channels, and to access it on any device that is part of a subscriber’s domain.
In order to accomplish this, Marlin defines both client capabilities and service architecture so that the capabilities of CE devices can be powerfully enhanced by services provided over both local and wide- area networks. This supports the desire of end users to avoid having to ‘book an appointment’ with their living room TV. In short, it enables the mobility lifestyle that users increasingly crave, with time and place independence.
The power of a consortium
The skepticism that surrounds many industry consortiums must be addressed, however. There are many people who believe that in a consortium there are too many players involved to make any significant progress, there is often curiosity surrounding who is pushing their own agenda above the benefit of the group, and skepticism about the consortium’s ability to actually achieve the goals it set out to accomplish. Many operators have argued that a proprietary standard is harder to hack, and that a standard set by
organisations that have a commercial
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