TelcoTV: IPTV content security shakeout ahead, says Verimatrix exec

Verimatrix is working with the OMA Consortium to insure its compliance with its standards to enable interoperability. “A service provider may be using Verimatrix for its set-top box conditional access but may use Microsoft DRM for its mobile handsets,” Oetegenn said. “Multi-rights facilitates the ability to deliver content on multi-platforms.”

At TelcoTV, efforts to extend video to mobile phones were often side-by-side with demos of over-the-top video on a TV, and that’s another area of concern for content security, Oetegenn said.

“We can secure over-the-top content adequately on a set-top box connected to the Internet,” he said. “The challenge there is just that content providers are so fearful of the Internet. The more massive challenge is to deliver over-the-top content to a PC, where you can instantly burn a copy.”

Verimatrix developed its ViewRight system to emulate a set-top box on a PC, and it was demonstrated at TelcoTV at the Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks and Motorola exhibits, Oetegenn said.

“This is a secure PC player product – it’s not something you can accomplish with plug-ins,” Oetegenn said. “It includes authentication, encryption and its own codec.”

The system provides content owners with the peace of mind they need to release their content for PC viewing because it shuts down attempts to copy the video, Oetegenn said.