Technology Part 2
Q6. HOW DO WE IMPROVE CONSUMER TAKE-UP OF DIGITAL TV?
Digital take-up is vastly improved when high-value content such as high-definition (HD) is available on free-to-air (FTA) TV. HD improves the quality and take-up of digital TV. Increased adoption is possible when content is not pirated or redistributed without permission. Moreover, it is not uncommon that redirected content has its advertisements stripped out. Quality may also be significantly discernable from the original. The digital TV transition depends on the availability of high-value content, particularly HD.
Q7. WHY CAN’T CONSUMERS DO WHAT THEY LIKE WITH FTA DIGITAL TV?
FTA TV is also known as Over-the-Air TV. It is not “free” as advertisers pay for the content. When content is abundantly pirated, FTA TV runs a risk of moving to more secure channels such as pay-TV. Ultimately, consumers lose out when high-value content moves away from broadcast TV. For more information, see Technology Initiatives Booklet 2007.
Q8. WHAT IS DVB-CPCM AND WHY IS THAT HELPFUL TO CONSUMERS?
Digital Video Broadcast-Content Protection Copy Management (DVB-CPCM) is a home-networking standard which allows devices and content to interact in the home environment. This way, one can copy or move content from one device to another in legal ways, and consumers may do many interesting things with content in the future.
The purpose of the system is to enable consumers to manage content (and accompanying rights). For example, the consumer may wish to set up remote access equipment to watch TV while traveling (and to watch TV as in their own physical home set-up.)
DVB-CPCM particularly addresses new technological issues such as place shifting, space shifting, and other older conveniences such as time shifting. Content and accompanying rights can be managed according to each business offer. Over time, it will be important to enable new and interesting consumer conveniences.
There are many home-networking technical standards. The DVB-CPCM is only one such standard among others. However, it is a ready-made model for regions such as ASEAN that have picked up DVB as its terrestrial broadcast standard. The standard has a signaling element which protects free-to-air (FTA) content from being illegally redistributed.
The CPCM was designed by the DVB Group, which has a membership of over 300 members from various sectors, including government, industry and academic. It is a truly neutral standard belonging to the global community.
Q9. WHAT CAN GO VERNMENTS DO TO PROTECT FREE-TO-AIR (FTA) TV?
As a start, standards organizations for digital broadcast should incorporate basic signaling incorporated into the Service Information (SI) for terrestrial digital broadcast. Such signaling (also known as a Redistribution Control Trigger) will alert set-top boxes to recognize that content may not be redistributed over the Internet1. This basic recognition for FTA rights over the broadcast will better prepare devices to respond to rights information and new services in future.
In addition, simple solutions such as outputs of devices can be given due recognition. Outputs of such settop boxes should be protected at the same time that rights information is signaled. All high-resolution content may be served by digital outputs with accompanying protections. For more information, please see MPAA Technical Recommendations (TR). Simple solutions exist, for example:
- All digital output of devices shall have High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).
- All analog output of devices shall carry Standard Definition (SD) only.
The above may apply to set-top boxes, TVs, digital video recorders, DVD players, and so on. For other such standards, see www.contentprotection.net website.
Q10. WHAT IS THE STATUS OF BLU-RAY AND HD DVD?
Recently some companies adopted Blu-ray internationally as the main packaged media standard. This fact does not preclude the viability of HD DVD for certain film producers, companies, markets or uses. Similarly, it does not preclude the use of any other standard with relevant content protection, to be adopted elsewhere. It is certainly not the end of the format war, especially since newer formats will continue to arise in future.
Content owners prefer standards that have content protection in place. In fact, in any standard, content protection and a license document should be in place. For example, the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) content-protection technology is accompanied by a license document.
For organizations seeking ways to distribute content via some packaged media, the most important aspect is that content protection needs to be in that mix. Often that will include a license document governing the rights of parties.