Product category: Networking Hardware
News Release from: Amino Communications
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 28 February 2005

Smart card set to
secure personal video recorder

Amino Communications is to secure its AmiNET500 PVR set-top boxes with the Cypher Virtual SmartCard from Widevine Technologies

Amino Communications, provider of small, low cost, high functionality set-top boxes for IPTV, will begin securing its AmiNET500 PVR set-top boxes with the Cypher Virtual SmartCard from Widevine Technologies, the largest provider of content security solutions to the video over IP market. The AmiNET500 is the first PVR (personal video recorder) for IPTV applications to be fully secured against unauthorised copying of digital content - a critical condition before content can be licensed for use on PVR enabled networks.

The AmiNET500 supports time-shifting, pause and trick-play of live material, instant-record, and instant replay, and scheduled record of up to two streams simultaneously.

The AmiNET500 can also act as a home media server by providing RTSP video streams to one or more other set top boxes.

All content transmitted using the Widevine Virtual SmartCard solution is stored on the disk in its original encrypted form.

Widevine Cypher's Application Level Encryption allows the encryption properties established by the service operator to persist while content is stored on the AmiNET500, or streamed to a secondary device within the home (such as another set top box).

Content is not decrypted until consumed, allowing enforcement and enhancement of the CGMS-A (Content Generation Management System for analogue) robustness rules as they impact digital recorders like the AmiNET500.

'This integration is the industry's first extension of the service domain beyond the initial entry point into the home', stated Glenn Morten, VP of Engineering and CTO of Widevine: 'this will allow the operator to expand their service to any consumer device containing an authorised Cypher Virtual SmartCard'.

The Widevine Virtual SmartCard solution significantly lowers the costs of securing content over video networks while dramatically raising the bar on piracy.

Today, the Virtual SmartCard is being deployed in broadband video projects throughout the world.

The Widevine VOD security solution allows full protection of media throughout its distribution, is non-intrusive, and provides persistent encryption.

The result is the secure storage of VOD titles on media servers, and secure distribution - right up to the point of play-out - without affecting trick play functions.

'As a condition of licensing, content owners frequently mandate that distribution networks implement conditional access and copy protection', said Roy Kirsopp, CEO of Amino Communications.

'By securing our AmiNET500 PVR with the Widevine security technology, our customers will now have the opportunity to obtain the highest quality, most current video content available'.

'To take advantage of PVR capabilities with the content owner's blessing, better security technology is required', said Brian Baker, President and CEO of Widevine Technologies.

'Our technology is designed for this application in that the content is encrypted transparently, which allows seamless operation without heavy interface to the DRM.

In addition, it supports both files-based, or VOD, and live broadcast streams to the PVR'.

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