IBC 2011 – AMSTERDAM. Manufacturers will probably have to meet the cost of software updates for connected TVs, according Metin Salt, VP of engineering at Vestel.However, they will also see this an opportunity to establish a relationship with, and thereby provide a better service to, the consumer.
Speaking in a discussion on connected TV and content protection organised by AEPOC and Intellect, hosted by Eutelsat, he added that Vestel is now making deals with content owners, “which is a new world for us.”
What is more, Vestel is also being transformed from a hardware into a software company. Sylvain Audigier, broadcasting, innovation and new technology director at TF1, meanwhile revealed that the broadcaster has opted for not one but two DRMs and aims to have them embedded by the spring of next year.
He also spoke about the many advantages of HbbTV for TF1, which include one workflow for all devices; not having to sign a contract with each manufacturer; and taking control of the consumer when they press the Red Button.
Brain Lenz, director of product development at BSkyB, said that while the Sky Go service launched on the iPad and iPhone, using NDS DRM, in the knowledge that Apple is a closed system, it will be more difficult to do so on Android as “there is no reliable secure content distribution that has been solidified.”
He added that Sky currently regards tablets and consoles as “more of a target” than connected TVs, which only have the Sky News app.
Christine Maury-Panis, executive VP and general counsel, Viaccess, meanwhile said that the company plans to leverage over 20 years experience in the pay-TV sector to become the provider of end-to-end security in the new connected TV space.
