Pay-TV platforms have the upper hand when it comes to the security of premium content distributed in the 4K and HDR formats.
The Impact of MovieLabs’ Enhanced Content Protection Specification on Pay-TV Service Providers, a white paper released by security specialists Nagra and Conax, says the type of certification specified by MovieLabs is already routinely done by some leading pay-TV conditional access providers today.
“When these providers implement their own DRM schemes, they go through the same rigorous testing and certification processes as well,” the report says.
MovieLabs, the joint technology venture of the major Hollywood studios, has aimed to address the rampant piracy of 1080 HD content with a comprehensive set of new security recommendations. Though posed as “recommendations,” the measures are required by studios for pay-TV service providers and other licensees to have access to Enhanced Content.
In answer to the self-certification provided by DRM vendors, MovieLabs has specified a “trusted implementer” requirement under which “the compliance of the system and the robustness of its implementation shall be certified by a combination of third parties and trusted implementers.”
The robust certification process in use by the leading conditional access vendors confirms compliance with hardware security requirements for CA-based security. With the advent of multiscreen services the certification has been extended to all types of devices.