Yes there is a bit of a buzz here about content security or...

Yes there is a bit of a buzz here about content security or digital rights management.

Asia has long been the region of fakes, pirate copies and knock-offs but studios are refusing to play ball with licencing content where a potential operator shows a lack of intent or a lack of capability to protect released content against pirating in its various forms.

Indonesian content distributors have a reputation in CASBAA circles of having aided new hollywod master copies of new releases finding their way into duplicating back yarders hands for your Bali knock-offs.

In Indonesia the staged release of new movies follows a formula whereby lets say premier partners get it first, then maybe online streamers or secondary theatre chains and then into DVD release and finally free to air broadcasters.

In Bali the first knock-offs you buy will be crappy copies, maybe copied in-cinema by someone with a recording device so you get jittery coverage, people moving in front of the camera etc. A few weeks later the 10k rupiah copy is probably a direct copy from a streaming service or a secondary theatre chain and its looks sweet but may have local subtitling. Thats the piracy version most talked about.

Composite aggregator devices like KODI offer a menu of links to mainly pirate sites for streaming their content and chinese manufactured KODI style devices are being hawked about the place at low cost and are costing studios and operators revenue. These are the ISDs in the talk I am heading into.

Speaking to the main industry players today and some are on the panel in the presentation as well as an interactive session held earlier their take on piracy and securing content as well as cyber security of their platforms.


[BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)]Key info gleaned today so far has been: [/BCOLOR]

1. [BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)] Unicast format has been evaluated as a solution but the industry is not convinced as the security experts as portraying multicast ABR as making a significant impact in the delivery of video content for popular linear services with integrity of instances streamed being able to be achieved.[/BCOLOR]

1. [BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)]The whitelisting/blacklisting of known threat or unsafe IP addresses is a collaborative exercise now being done via a number of commerical solutions via a subscription service.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)] 3. Modern firewalls offer security analysts and tools a thing called Deep Packet Inspection(DPI) which can interrogate if the user’s authentication details don’t align with the firewall pinhole that’s been opened for that instance. The TV2U article appears to reference this but it is a function of security tools and firewalls to enact this capability moreso than the OTT provider. [/BCOLOR]

1. [BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)]A challenge exists around the legal ability to collect metadata and user details for profiling and historical reference or cross checking. User privacy considerations cannot be ignored as consumers are now quite aware and quite concerned about their digital footprints being captured and held without consent and in some jurisdictions contrary to laws. Many operators advise that they are not at present not collecting this user data and as such are wary of adopting data mining measures that may expose them to Big Brother claims. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)]The EU is aggressive aggressive in its social policy settings and objectives in this regard and security authentication processes reliant on held data at this stage are more the province of governments and Intelligence Agencies which enjoy extra legal protections that commercial broadcasters cannot rely on. [/BCOLOR]

1. [BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)]There has been very little mention or endorsement of client side or transport stream forensic watermarking which is baked in the SOC ( system on chip).[/BCOLOR]

1. [BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)]Potential Operators are being encouraged to ensure their platforms such as IVAN meet Hollywood’s MPAA best practices or the move labs content protection standards.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)]Will see what else I find.[/BCOLOR]