conax_conax 16/10/2013 06:14 Page 1
ecuring content
delivered over a
variety of networks
to a wide range of
devices is needless to say,
highly complex. From a
security perspective, PCs, the
various smart phones, tablets
and connected TV-platforms
are highly different – each
requiring its individual
tailored security solution.
However, it does not necessarily mean that the operation also has to be highly
complex.
A well designed content security solution provides the operator
with a consistent method of configuring and enforcing business
models and content protection
rules across all devices, to
enable/disable content streaming
to specific platforms based on
content rights, and to add and
remove devices from user
accounts, etc. The key is to create
an abstraction layer between the
device implementations and the
management interfaces. Through
this approach, the complexity of
OTT and multiscreen security has
minimal impact on operator’s
day-to-day operation.
S
Experts at Conax
share their
perspective on
addressing the
complexity of OTT
and multiscreen TV
services for secure
content delivery
these other devices. But we expect
the gap to shrink, in part by
hardware security support being
introduced to the new consumer
devices.
Set-top boxes and consumer
devices alike have the potential to
offer everything from rather poor
to very high content and service
security. So, the question becomes
more a matter of whether the
security level is optimised given
provider is crucial; applying a mix
of software and hardware security
depending on the platform to
deliver highly secure, cost effective and non-intrusive solutions.
Entry of new technologies and standards
The short version is that technology fragmentation drives cost for
the industry as a whole and
increases entry levels and opera-
standard is compromised it affects
all operations deploying the
standard. Also, if a standard is
compromised, updating it is
typically a lengthy process, during
which time affected operations
continue losing revenues.
So, standardising DRMs and
security should be done carefully
and just sufficient to achieve the
purpose. DVB Simulcrypt is a
good example of a successful
OTT AND MULTISCREEN
Content delivery to
multiple devices vs.
Set-top-Box only
A set-top box is a dedicated TVdevice most often managed by the
operator. Such devices are
designed to support content and
service security, while consumer
devices such as TVs and tablets
are not. Consequently, the achievable security level for a set-top
box will be higher than that of
16 Content Security Special
the available resources (such as
available bandwidth for security,
security hardware, operating
system, etc.) - a cost/benefit consideration. It is important to keep
in mind that security should be
non-intrusive and not interfere
with the service quality experienced by consumers, but rather
sustain it by being flexible and
responsive. This is where the
competency of the security
tional cost. Typically for new
industry sectors, it takes some
time before technology matures
and standards start to emerge. We
see this is now happening in the
OTT space, with standards such
as MPEG DASH and HbbTV
gaining traction. That said, standardisation of security is another
issue. Standardising security solutions have some unwanted consequences. For example, when a
security standard, enabling
competition between CAS vendors
and interoperability between
content and devices.
Standards can give the new
momentum to the industry by
enabling interoperability, saving
cost, increasing competition and
choice. MPEG DASH has this
potential. Instead of having many
instances of the same content to
enable different devices, the same