First Media launches Android TV STB with Widevine CAS in Indonesia

Thursday, October 29th, 2020
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World’s First Android TV STB Secured by Google Widevine CAS Integrates Amlogic and TVSTORM Technologies, Available from Indonesia’s Leading Operator: First Media

JAKARTA, Indonesia — ​​Amlogic, a leading fabless semiconductor company, and TVSTORM, a prominent provider of digital media services, today announced First Media’s new 4K Android TV set-top box (STB), powered by Amlogic’s S905X2 system-on-chip (SoC) and TVSTORM’s Widevine CAS based head-end solution. As the world’s first Android TV STB secured by Google Widevine CAS, this cost-efficient platform enables First Media – which is one of the leading cable TV and fixed broadband internet providers in Indonesia, operated by PT Link Net Tbk (LINK) – to secure its content and generate new revenue streams.

This new 4K Android TV STB continues Amlogic and TVSTORM’s history of cooperation in delivering innovative and cost-effective solutions for the new era of streaming media. Amlogic was the first semiconductor company to support Widevine CAS security, announcing in 2018 that its FHD and 4K STB platform solutions were fully compliant with Widevine CAS. TVSTORM was the first middleware company with an end-to-end platform implementing the Widevine CAS security solution on its cutting-edge head-end and client system.

“The streaming industry has seen unprecedented growth this past year as people are spending more time at home. This new STB enables First Media to meet that demand in an affordable way allowing its subscribers to enjoy high-quality 4K content, while ensuring its content is protected,” said James Xie, senior vice president of corporate business strategy at Amlogic. “Amlogic’s S905X2 and the latest S905X4 AV1 solutions combine the latest multimedia technologies with operator-level security capabilities, making it easier for our customers to design STBs with theatre-level home entertainment experiences.”

Amlogic designs high performance Android TV STB silicon solutions for a wide range of service providers and Pay TV operators worldwide, and has deployed more Android TV based solutions than any other silicon vendor. Amlogic is currently working with Google to port Widevine CAS onto the next generation S905X4, which is Amlogic’s latest chip with AV1 decoder capabilities. Amlogic is also a leader in the retail market for a variety 4K video distribution devices including televisions and STBs, and its solutions power many voice assistant devices and smart speaker products.

“TVSTORM provides a range of innovative middleware solutions for the latest smart media services,” said Hoyeon Jang, CEO of TVSTORM. “We look forward to continue working with Amlogic to design Android TV platforms with different digital TV solutions and VOD services pre-integrated for operators, enabling efficient, fast and scalable entry into the market.”

TVSTORM, which specializes in the development and supply of a S/W platform (middleware) for broadcasting and telecom convergence services, offers its Widevine CAS solution with support for both the CAS head-end and client services. The Widevine CAS head-end supports DVB Simulcrypt, allowing a service with Widevine CAS to be deployed in parallel with the existing legacy system, and on-premise or cloud services to be deployed according to the operator’s requirements. The Widevine CAS Client solution is a hardware player solution integrated with Google’s MediaCas Security Level 1. TVSTORM’s middleware provides a range of services including live broadcasting, video on demand (VOD), catch-up, over-the-top (OTT) and Google Android TV services in the new STB.

“First Media was one of the early adopters of Android’s advanced premium TV service platform. This new Android STB, integrated with Widevine CAS, represents another milestone in bringing consumers cutting-edge commercial digital broadcasting services,” said Edward Sanusi, chief technology officer and head of product at PT Link Net Tbk. “Our new platform provides the robust security protection we need, at an accessible price point for our subscribers.”

“Android TV STBs with Widevine CAS offer broadcasters a new low cost method to secure pay-TV content delivery,” said Brian Baker, senior director and head of Widevine at Google. “Working with a technology partner like TVSTORM enables operators to more easily adopt this new technology to streamline playback of digital video services and improve their margins.”