Project Canvas has said it will adopt the Marlin DRM solution developed jointly by Intertrust, Panasonic, Phillips, Samsung and Sony. The system will be made available to suppliers of premium content as well as those seeking to implement a subscription or download model.
In a statement, Project Canvas stressed that as an open platform, providers could choose to make content available with either no protection at all, or adopt transport encryption, file encryption, device authentication, or digital rights management (DRM).
“Project Canvas has worked hard to account for the needs of all industry participants and ensure a rich and diverse TV viewing experience for consumers. We have also considered the submissions of key industry participants into the BBC Trust approval process,” said Anthony Rose, chief technology officer, Project Canvas.
Our content protection requirements have to cater for the widest possible number of content providers, including giving reassurance to those looking to support pay per view and subscription access to film. The industry is looking for a fully supported DRM solution, and Marlin will give content providers the best option at launch. Marlin is based on open standards, is already widely supported and is being increasingly deployed by the industry.”
Project Canvas reached its solution following widespread industry consultation. Marlin is referenced in Release 1 of the Open IPTV Forum specifications and as such has the potential to be widely adopted as a part of internet-connected TV device deployments worldwide.
The Publication of the Project Canvas Content Protection requirements are in addition to technical documents released to the Digital TV Group on June 30. Two further batches will be released on July 30 and August 19. In addition, details on Software Development Kits, Trade Mark Licenses and Retail Training Materials will be made available on the Project Canvas web site by end July.