DVB unveils features of forthcoming DVB-CI Plus specification

Collaborative Effort Proposes New Version of Standards Based Security Solution for Evolving Market

AMSTERDAM — At this year’s IBC, the DVB Project unveils its work incorporating the latest version of CI Plus Extensions (commonly referred to as CI Plus V1.4) into the forthcoming DVB-CI Plus specification. In a collaborative effort with CI Plus LLP, DVB is demonstrating a standards based solution that adds major new features to the CI Plus V1.3 specification. Full backwards compatibility is to be maintained in the new specification.

The new, upcoming DVB-CI Plus standard will enable IPTV to be delivered directly to the television, without the need of a set-top box. It will add a number of features to enable this capability. These new features include: the ability to route high-bandwidth IP streams through the Conditional Access Module (CAM) with the facility for the CAM to control those IP streams; a new Online Service Descriptor Table (OSDT); and support for IP Multicast.

When combining DVB-CI Plus with Open IPTV Forum (OIPF) specifications, a fully standardized solution can be built. This is made possible by taking advantage of the OIPF’s specifications for an HTML-based browser environment, discovery protocols, coding and packaging formats, as well as other elements.

CI Plus V1.4 provides cost-effective support for multi-stream operation within a single Module. This enables the handling of two or more encrypted services on different Transport Streams on a multi-tuner PVR Host. In previous versions this could only be accomplished through the use of additional Host CI Plus interfaces and Modules.

With many Pay TV broadcast and Telco operators delivering TV content over IP, Host devices are increasingly capable of being connected to broadband networks. IP-delivered content increasingly uses the file format known as ISO BMFF (ISO Base Media File Format), and V1.4 supports IP-delivered content such as ISO BMFF in addition to the more familiar Transport Stream. The MPEG-DASH protocol for adaptive bit-rate delivery is supported by Hosts with IP connectivity. The CI Plus interface also includes a mode in which the delivery protocol and content format are supported within the Module, the content being returned to the Host in one of the two supported formats.

There are also extensions for the CI Plus Browser to make use of broadband connectivity, and to enable improvements to the user experience of operator applications using the Browser, such as for VOD and EPGs. In addition, there is improved support for the launching of Applications supported by the Host middleware (e.g., MHP or HbbTV). The Usage Rules Information (URI) has also been extended to support trick-mode control. Lastly, V1.4 addresses Transcoding and Watermarking. V1.3 prohibited any manipulation of the content by the Module beyond decryption. The V1.4 specification relaxes these constraints to enable Modules to include transcoding and/or watermarking functionality.

“DVB’s collaboration with CI Plus LLP is set to provide a specification with advanced features including support for IPTV. It will also add additional security and features to the proven DVB Common Interface Standard that will allow CI Plus compatible consumer electronic devices, such as integrated digital televisions and set-top boxes, access to a wide range of Pay TV services via plug-in CI Plus Modules wherever the CI Plus technology is supported by the local Pay TV provider” commented Peter Siebert, DVB’s Executive Director.