A consortium made up of satellite communications equipment specialist Global Invacom Group Limited (Global Invacom) and satellite operator Avanti Communications, with the support of ESA under ARTES 5.2, and Microsoft Corporation, are presenting an innovative end-to-end solution at IBC 2015. It integrates satellite broadcast TV and broadband, which can deliver to a home environment ubiquitously over standard IP enabled networks, such as Ethernet or WiFi.
The home platform, via usage of the SAT>IP protocol, enables the end user to enjoy up to eight live streaming channels and satellite multicast Push Video-on-Demand (VoD) services with the option of integrating multiple satellite sources. The content can be clear or encrypted, with the satellite broadband providing a reliable connection for content playback authorization and interactivity to complete the user experience.
A key focus of the project is to enhance current satellite broadcast TV over IP technologies, by providing content protection and access to encrypted and Free-to-Air satellite TV platforms. This is done by using Microsoft’s PlayReady as Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution, allowing decryption at application level and securing the content inside the home network.
The access to media and broadcast content will be possible via apps on mobile devices, smart TV and other connected devices in the home. In addition, the platform provides the possibility of safe storage for VoD content with the addition of a standard USB hard drive. This service can provide more flexibility than a set-top box (STB) approach for media consumption and allows connected devices to share all available resources in the home environment.
Dietmar Schmitt, Head of Technologies and Products Division at TIA said: “We are pleased to see the exciting outcome of this project that we have supported through ARTES 5.1 and the positive impact expected on the satellite broadcasting industry.” Nader Alagha, the technical lead of the project at ESA added: “This project has successfully demonstrated several innovative features complementing conventional satellite broadcasting services.”
Original announcement: Global Invacom Partners With Avanti Communications In Demonstration Of Satellite Broadcast TV Over IP Networks With Content Encryption
