❝ Both [ STB and STB-less ] propositions are complementary and help service providers address different market segments and price points throughout
the subscriber lifecycle .❞
July 2018 DISTRIBUTION 21 evolves to address consumption behaviours
connected TVs and , of course , mobile devices — increasingly , they no longer require STBs .”
Citing the example of the US , where Netflix ’ s subscriber base has already surpassed that of cable TV , O ’ Neill says this is indicative of a growing trend that viewers ’ tastes have changed in favour of OTT . “ In Asia-Pacific , the OTT growth is being fuelled by cable ope rators who have more readily adopted OTT as a partner . Consumers today have plenty of content options , convenience and lower costs with OTT services .”
As a company , Ooyala says it has been at the forefront of shaping the OTT revolution in the past decade , by powering the production , publishing and monetisation of media for major broadcasters and media companies , and offering a platform that has allowed pay-TV operators to grow with OTT .
O ’ Neill says : “ As OTT adoption continues to grow , we have evolved our solution to a single platform — the Ooyala Flex Media Platform — which connects the entire content supply chain for a broadcaster or content owner . To ease the migration process for an STB operator , Ooyala Flex Media Platform supports an extensive list of media file formats and asset packages .
“ The digital video playout solution within the platform provides OTT applications for an operator to launch a service quickly , and to provide a great experience for their consumers across all digital devices .”
In order to be able to offer a “ smooth video streaming experience ” for their viewers , Ooyala advises broadcasters to begin to adopt proven , enterprise-ready cloud solutions . Some key considerations , O ’ Neill lists , include the ability to stream live events , minimise latency in video start-up and loading times , and minimise buffering during playback .
Providing a great user experience and relevant content recommendations are also critical to drive viewer engagement for a cloud-based OTT service , he adds , before concluding : “ As broadcasters deal with complexities in content formats and deliveries , automation can streamline their entire content supply chain , from production to monetisation .”
As for ARRIS , the company is continuing to innovate in the STB space , particularly on voiceenabled devices , as well as more integration between high-quality video and audio experiences . “ We have a strong and rich pedigree in video , and with patents and intellectual property across a range of video-enabling technologies — both in the home and in the network ,” says ARRIS ’ Ho . “ We are the global leaders in STB sales and this requires us to support all modes of delivery that are used in various markets . This ranges from quadrature amplitude modulation ( QAM ) and digital video broadcasting ( DVB ) to IP to hybrid modes , and from multicast to OTT .”
The move to IP and OTT delivery of video , he adds , is also playing into ARRIS ’ strengths , as the company continues to actively help operators make the transition not just in the home , but also
❝ Both [ STB and STB-less ] propositions are complementary and help service providers address different market segments and price points throughout
the subscriber lifecycle .❞
— Hannu Impola , Senior Director ,
Product Marketing , NAGRA
NAGRA ’ s TVkey solution utilises hardware root-of-trust ( TEEs ) in TV systems-onchip ( SoCs ), and implements a secure video path that prevents content stealing .
across the entire network .
To further ensure operators can delivery high-quality , 4K / UHD video in the most efficient way , ARRIS also supports all the latest compression standards , Ho reveals . “ Our leadership in fibre-deep technology , as well as video headend equipment , gives us a unique ability to optimise this entire chain ,” he adds . “ We also continue to invest heavily in the STB space with a strong shift to IP-enabled devices .”
Ho also attributes ARRIS ’ continued success to a new range of products and hybrid STB boxes offering consumers and operators “ considerable choices ” in terms of design , functionality and middleware / user interface options offering a rich user experience . “ We remain bullish about the prospects of video from a global perspective while recognising that the picture continues to evolve in different markets ,” he says .
As a provider of ‘ premium content security ’, NAGRA aims to ensure that ‘ all devices ’ in the market that offer consumption of premium content have a level of security that is second to none , says NAGRA ’ s Impola . “ By providing multiple complementary solutions to service providers , we ensure that they can improve their reach , making sure that both their broadcast and streamed premium content is fully secured on all devices for all commercial scenarios ,” he adds .
Addressing the question regarding the managed versus unmanaged device , and how pay-TV operators now manage a mix of both on their network , NAGRA is continuing to make investments and working with chipset and TV manufacturers , to bring the level of security robustness of smart TVs to the level of managed services , including support for 4K / UHD content distribution .
“ That ’ s the main driver for TVkey utilising hardware rootof-trust ( TEEs ) in TV systems-onchip ( SoCs ), and implementing a secure video path that prevents content stealing ,” says Impola . “ We provide a similar solution for other connected devices — PCs , tablets , smartphones and game consoles — that offer hardware-based security . For devices that don ’ t yet offer a TEE , we supply a software-based secure player solution in our OpenTV Player .”
NAGRA also recognises how managed devices ensure more control over the user experience and security features throughout the full lifecycle of the device . This , he explains , is why the company is continuing to develop security for STBs , including Android TVbased devices — whether pure OTT or hybrid broadcast OTT solutions — to enable compelling
To build on its vast pedigree in ‘ all things TV ’ as the broadcast TV and streaming video industries converge , NAGRA is today catering to an all-IP market , without neglecting its traditional broadcast heritage . user experiences on the big screen . “ We have the widest selection of security-certified STB designs and we are further expanding our line-up by building STB reference designs with the most successful chipset vendors ,” Impola reveals .
And to build on its vast pedigree in ‘ all things TV ’ as the broadcast TV and streaming video industries converge , NAGRA is today catering to an all-IP market , without neglecting its traditional broadcast heritage .
“ We anticipated this shift and started investing in IP-based solutions nearly a decade ago , providing IP streaming security and multi-screen user experience solutions to our customers ,” says Impola .
Currently , NAGRA ’ s content value protection ecosystem encompasses cloud-based services for media asset management ( MAM ) through the Dvnor brand ; conditional access / multi-digital rights management ( DRM ) through the NAGRA and Conax CAS / DRM product lines ; watermarking through the NAGRA Nexguard brand ; and NAGRA anti-piracy services for protecting the entire content production and delivery ecosystem .
The company also delivers packaged , cloud-based and secured OTT solutions such as Conax GO Live and OpenTV Signature Edition , which enable a complete set of linear and ondemand TV services . Crucially , all these solutions make use of the NAGRA Insight data analytics and artificial intelligence ( AI ) platform to maximise the value of data in a connected environment , enabling the digital transformation for NAGRA customers .
Impola concludes : “ Even though they are happening at a slower pace than it might look on the surface , significant changes driven by the second digital transformation of the pay-TV industry are happening .
“ Therefore , we are committed to supporting any legacy broadcast scenarios until the end of their useful lifecycle while guiding operators today in taking their services hybrid or all-IP , or helping operators launch new all-IP propositions .”