Monday, March 30, 2015

Major International Deployment of Ultra HD Services Relies on Alticast’s AltiProtect Conditional Access Solution for Security


South Korea’s CJ Hellovision is Latest Service Provider to Launch Ultra HD Services

Alticast, a global partner for the delivery of media entertainment, has been selected to provide the security for the ambitious rollout of Ultra High Definition (Ultra HD) video services by CJ Hellovision, South Korea’s largest cable television operator which now offers both live and on-demand Ultra HD programming to all of its more than 4.3 million subscribers. 


The key to the secure delivery of CJ Hellovision’s Ultra HD programming is the deployment of Alticast’s AltiProtect conditional access system (CAS) using the Alticast Download and Exchange framework (XCAS).  The deployment began in November 2014 when CJ Hellovision rolled out new set-top boxes (STBs) and smart TVs using AltiProtect.  The company is also remotely swapping the legacy CAS on its previously deployed HD STBs to AltiProtect and this process is slated to be complete in April.

“Ensuring the security of our Ultra HD services is a major concern and the reason we selected Alticast to supply the critical conditional access component,” said Hong-Ik Kim, Smart Engineering Team Manager at CJ Hellovision.  “Their AltiProtect CAS not only ensures that our Ultra HD programming is delivered securely, its outstanding performance, interoperability and security allow us to easily expand our multiscreen services to new devices.”

“This deployment of Ultra HD is the latest example of CJ Hellovision’s history of constant innovation and validation of the AltiProtect solution and its capabilities,” said Mansoo Han, Chief Marketing Officer of Alticast.  “Securing content continues to be a critical concern for service providers worldwide as they offer Ultra HD and other services to an ever increasing array of devices inside and outside the home.  Our AltiProtect solution specifically addresses service providers’ most demanding security requirements on both STBs and consumer-owned devices.”

Alticast’s proven AltiProtect CAS solution enables service providers to ensure their programming content is securely delivered and viewed only by authorized subscribers.  Proven in major deployments, AltiProtect is currently installed on millions of STBs deployed by multiple cable operators worldwide and is ideal for both legacy STBs and next-generation devices that are based on either hardware-enabled security (e.g. CableCARD) or non-hardware security.  Complementing AltiProtect is the AltiProtect Downloadable and Exchangeable framework (XCAS), which allows operators to seamlessly and remotely swap CAS systems.  This reduces costs by eliminating truck rolls and preserving investments in legacy STBs while also speeding the introduction of new devices.

About CJ Hellovision
CJ Hellovision is South Korea’s largest multiple systems operator (MSO) and provides its more than 4.3 million subscribers with a full suite of broadband data, voice and video services, including hundreds of channels of live and on-demand programming.  More information is available at http://eng.cjhellovision.com/


Monday, March 16, 2015

DSTAC


In  January, Charter Communications announced the selection of two device suppliers for its "World Box" STB that support downloadable conditional access. Progress is also being made on the government policy level with the initiation of Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee or DSTAC. A Second FCC meeting is coming up on March 24, 2015 (assuming no winter storm). The objective for the meeting is shown below.

From FCC web site:



"In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice advises interested persons that the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC or Commission) Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee (DSTAC) will hold a meeting on March 24, 2015. At the meeting, the Current Commercial Requirements Working Group and the Technology and Preferred Architectures Working Group will present their findings, the Advisory Committee will consider establishing more working groups, and the committee will discuss any other topics related to the DSTAC's work that may arise."

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Alticast Shows Cable Operators how to use the RDK to Deliver New, Multiscreen Services at Cable Congress 2015


Alticast Demonstrates its Comprehensive RDK-based Solutions and Services

Amsterdam – March 4, 2015 – Alticast, a global partner for the delivery of media entertainment, will show European cable operators attending the upcoming Cable Congress trade show how to take advantage of the Reference Design Kit (RDK) to deliver new services.  The demonstrations will take place throughout the show (March 11-13) at The Square conference center in Brussels, Belgium at stand 17.

“Now that the RDK supports the popular European Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) standard it is far more applicable to the European cable market and Cable Congress is the ideal venue for us to demonstrate the potential of the RDK to operators throughout the continent,” said Tiaan Schutte, Alticast’s President for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).   “As one of the first vendors to get behind the RDK effort, Alticast has built a tremendous amount of experience with the RDK and our comprehensive suite of RDK-based tools and services can enable European cable operators and cable equipment vendors to take maximum advantage of the RDK.”

Alticast’s key Cable Congress 2015 demonstrations will include:

·          Alticast’s RDK solutions which include modular and customizable Application Framework building blocks (TVRUA) and User Interface components (AltiView) that support standard industry interfaces (HbbTV, OIPF, HTML5/CSS, Java Script/DLNA). These optional solutions enable operators to supplement or fulfill the operator platform with all of the components necessary for a robust and versatile RDK solution.

·          Alticast’s collaborative development environment for RDK code integration is a Cloud-based solution that enables system-on-a-chip (SoC) vendors, open software providers, multi-system operator (MSOs) and system integrators to utilize a single workflow and release structure for RDK code development.

·          Alticast’s Cloud UI application provides a thin client/server model for delivering the user experience to all devices in the home. This architecture reduces demands on the STB processor and memory by pre-processing the UI in the Cloud, enabling cable operators to use ‘thin client’ STBs.  Operators can take advantage of Alticast’s Cloud UI to deploy new user experiences (UX) much quicker. It also provides the opportunity to present a variety of UX in a household, for example a child-based, a sports or a movie experience.


Media and other parties interested in meeting with Alticast executives at Cable Congress 2015 should contact alticast@mobilitypr.com to schedule a time.