Abel Descrambled

ALi and Abel ease STB obstacles for low-ARPU pay-TV operators »Low-ARPU operators are typically faced with STBs either being expensive vs. ARPU or of too poor quality. ALi Corp., a high volume manufacturer of System-on-Chip (SoC) for STBs, and Abel DRM Systems, a CAS specialist, now address this dilemma by offering support for Abel CAS in ALi’s STB SoCs pre-reference design. Without relevant expertise, integration of support for CAS is complex and tedious for STB manufacturers. Expertise costs money or time. STB manufacturers who otherwise have good products may be stalled. The result is less flexibility for pay-TV operators.With the CAS support integrated in the reference design, the CAS threshold is reduced significantly. This helps STB manufacturers to launch wider ranges of products including STBs addressing segments so far poorly served – like the low-ARPU or small operators.The targets of the ALi – Abel integration are indeed to enable operators lower cost STB models, lower Minimum-Order-Quantity, consistent STB software quality and wide choice of STBs. Wide choice is not only about cost, it is also about offering the subscribers the features making them join or stay with the operator. STB vendors gain comfort in the stability of the CAS implementation and can allocate more resources to operator specific customizations.“Our initiative is in very good timing with the upcoming digitalization of Indian cable networks. Most cable subscribers take the basic tier only. The low ARPU demands the cost of user placed equipment to be low. On the other hand, the subscribers should still be able to enjoy the benefits of digital TV such as EPG and wider choice of channels and packages, as well as (USB) PVR. The equipment then needs to be of good quality and flexible. This is indeed obtained with the ALi core” says Ole Hansvold, Abel CEO and one of the pioneers of Indian pay-TV to CableQuest.Tony Chang, General Manager of ALi’s International Business Unit, adds “ALi has shipped more than 300 million units of STB chipsets across the world over the past 6 years. We are proficient in providing best-of-breed solutions while maintaining an optimal cost level that is ideal for boosting TV digitalization rate in fast growing regions such as India, South Eastern Asia, Russia, and Latin America. We are glad to have Abel, a CAS vendor specifically targeting low-ARPU and small operators, as our partner to jointly deliver the most attractive STB combination from mpeg2 SD to mpeg4 HD to our target markets including Indian cable Pay-TV operators and similar market segments around the globe. Furthermore, this offer based on pre-reference design allows our STB customers to maximize the development by their R D of valuable differentiation features .” “While necessary for the cable industry to develop, the Indian Government’s directive for digitalization has imposed tough deadlines for many operators” Hansvold continues. “However, as relevant Indian standards are already supported, and with ALi and Abel already having reference installations in India, the ALi – Abel initiative can significantly reduce lead-times for cable operators under time-pressure.” Tuesday, 17 April 2012 14:52

State Micro Technology (SMiT), and Abel complete integration of Abel CAS support in SMiT CAMs »State Micro Technology (SMiT), a world leading supplier of Conditional Access Modules (CAMs), and Abel have completed integration of Abel CAS support in SMiT CAMs.SMiT specializes in CAMs for DVB, and offers a wide range of CAMs supporting all the major CAS and various configurations. SMiT features CAMs with and without protection of the key traffic between the CAM and the CAS security device, typically a smart card. Such protection is part of what is termed Secure silicon, Advanced security or Chipset pairing by various CAS vendors. The SMiT Professional CAMs are a special range of high capacity CAMs for use in cable/broadband head-ends for descrambling of incoming channels. Another range of CAMs are CI+ CAMs. CI+ CAMs not only descramble the incoming channel, they also re-encrypt the content before returning it to the host iDTV or STB. This protects the digital video from being tapped on the way out of the CAM. Some advanced applications are also provided. SMiT CI+ EPG CAM is an innovative CAM with EPG feature, a guide showing the television programme schedule on the host iDTV just with the original iDTV remote controller. SMiT CI+ PVR CAM successfully fulfils time-shifting function and enables viewers to download premium Pay-TV content on flash storage, pause the live broadcasting and watch it later. SMiT CI+ VOD CAM enables operators to provide user friendly interactive VOD service on CI+ compliant iDTV, the content is protected with CI+ technology. Thursday, 01 March 2012 16:12

Pay-TV interoperability is inevitable – and India can position »The question is not if interoperability happens, it is whether it happens via broadcast networks in a way appreciated by consumers or if the Internet takes over the whole show. Mass-carry of TV via the Internet (OTT) is still some time away for India. So, by building on what it already got, the Indian pay-TV industry can be pro-active in preparing convenience for the consumers.‘Convenience’ is rich content selection, low barriers for buying and acceptable prices. But, convenience can’t happen unless the consumer equipment is interoperable. Pay-TV needed to be proprietary In the early years of pay-TV interoperability was not of the agenda of operators. This simply as it was them that had to do the investment in the STBs anyway. Also, no regulatory framework was in place for ensuring that if one operator opened for interoperability, the competitor could refuse to do the same and thereby gain an advantage.The pay-TV system (CAS) needs to be proprietary. However, the device the CAS/DRM security module is included in does not. Quite the contrary, it is possible to both implement solid CAS and equipment interoperability in consumer devices. The times they are changing With TV anytime – TV anywhere, pay-TV is moving from niche to the mainstream. It is no longer only the receive-TV-from-a-broadcast-network scenario represented by the zapper STB. Pay-TV is now just one of several applications of a Internet connected flat-screen, and a newcomer on laptops, tablets and smartphones. A pay-TV operator can not expect to control consumer purchased multi-application devices. The question for the pay-TV operator/content provider rather becomes whether or not to offer the content on the multi-application devices. Device interoperability is a non-issue – it is there.Also, soon the receive-only zapper STB will be obsolete. Why not have a (Internet) connected STB when the price is similar and the content much richer? The receive-only zapper STB will only survive where the operator takes the full cost of it. IDTVs and Connected TVs Flat-screen TVs with integrated tuner and DVB decoder – so called IDTVs – have for a while been outselling decoder-less flat-screens. In some European countries IDTVs have almost 100% market share. The IDTVs feature several tuners enabling the user to choose between cable, terrestrial and satellite operators.Currently IDTVs with Internet connection – so called Connected TV – is on a sharp rising sales trend. The main point of Connected TVs is wider choice of content taken from both the broadcast TV distributors and from the Internet. With this expectation, the users will not accept the device to be stuck with a particular service provider – it needs to be interoperable.Another main point is indeed IDTV/Connected TVs not requiring (operator controlled) STBs. The IDTV/Connected TV shift is driven by the consumer electronics giants who see proprietary elements as an obstacle to business. CI is the solution for IDTVs In Europe where the IDTV concept has developed furthest, the interoperability aspect is solved by the IDTVs featuring the Common Interface (CI) slot. Pay-TV is facilitated by the pay-TV operator promoting a Conditional Access Module (CAM) that is to be plugged in the CI slot.The CAM (and possibly a smart card in the CAM) is performing the CAS security functions otherwise performed by the STB and the smart card.With CI, the user can get CAMs from different operators and in a (relatively) convenient way subscribe to services from several TV distributors – in succession or parallel.With Connected TVs, the CI CAM concept preserves a bridgehead for broadcast TV distributors to deliver pay-TV services. In other words, the Connected TV is not ‘lost’ to Internet – pay-TV can still conveniently be received via broadcast networks. Security – the untouchable argument The proponents of proprietary consumer devices often file ‘security’ as the reason for the consumer devices having to be under the control of the service operator. Content security is a deep technology discussion. However, it is obvious that e.g. the Indian DTH STB interoperability solution with CI combined with smart card based CAS support embedded in the STB not weakens content security. This as the embedded CAS performs its tasks independently of the CI. To visualize, if the signal is to be processed by the embedded CAS, it goes untouched via the CAM in the CI slot, while if the signal is to be processed by CAM in the CI slot, it is untouched by the embedded CAS. How to rescue and at which cost Piracy is the exploitation of a weakness in the content protection chain. Depending on what the particular weakness turns out to be, the remedy will either imply a soft upgrade or a smart card, CAM or even STB replacement.Beyond interoperability, the CI CAM concept is very powerful with respect to ‘replaceable security’: the entire CAS security regime can be replaced through the issuing of new CAMs. For example, a (proprietary STB) software CAS having the ‘root of trust’ compromised or a (proprietary STB) card based CAS having the pairing mechanism broken, will require the IDTVs to be denied pay-TV services or the STBs to be replaced to restore security. With CI, the remedy is to issue a new CAM only, and the consumer can continue using the IDTV or STB. This is cheaper and logistically easier than the alternatives. Upkeep of CI policy benefits all By mandating CI for DTH STBs, India was ahead of time in establishing an interoperable STB platform. Then, in 2003, CI was the only interoperability concept available. Despite some initiatives for others, for example the US Downloadable CAS (DCAS), CI is still the only coherent scheme deployed on a wide scale. By not allowing discontinuities in the CI policy, India has, at least for DTH, a unique opportunity to gain all parties involved: Lower thresholds for becoming a subscriber to pay TV services will on one hand widen the market for operators, on the other increase competition to the benefit of the consumers. By enabling anyone, not only someone to manufacture and sell consumer devices, the ultimate effect of competition is lower prices for the consumer. In turn this increases volume as more people can afford pay-TV devices and services. Recommendations At this stage, it is therefore recommended that India not only preserves the CI policy for DTH STBs, rather takes a further step by mandating CI also for other types of STBs and, in line with Europe, for IDTVs.With such CI basis in place, one can add CI extensions like CI+ for wider applications, and support other form factors like micro-SD card [CEA-2040, CI based on microSD].Glitches in the CI policy may erode this basis for interoperability to the detriment of both consumers and broadcast pay-TV operators. The latter may be side-lined by Internet convenience if the broadcast pay-TV market is split in proprietary fragments. Friday, 19 August 2011 19:26

Unionman STBs now supporting Abel »Established in 1993, as one of the Top-100 Forbes potential enterprises of China, Unionman Technology Co., Ltd is a leading digital STB supplier in R D, manufacturing, marketing and relevant service in DTV fields. Unionman brand products cover DVB Cable, DVB Terrestrial, DVB Satellite, ISDB Terrestrial, IPTV receivers etc. As an innovative and high-tech enterprise, Unionman Technology is an expert in DTV fields and obtains high reputation and credit from providing service and products for hundreds of operators and distributing channels business in Europe, South America, Middle East, Asia and Africa. “Unionman market footprint both in terms of geographies and customer segments matches that of Abel very well. This means Unionman and Abel can offer an excellent quality for money user equipment combination” says Ole Hansvold, Abel CEO. “We at Unionman integrated Abel to best address operators who require a CAS of solid craft yet not representing an overkill in terms of equipment and delivery project. This is already confirmed by several customers going for the Unionman/Abel STBs” says Bora Zhai, Unionman Marketing Director. Saturday, 06 August 2011 18:12

Digitalisation of TV is no longer a perplexing wall of complexity and costs – the technology is now mature and »A lot is going on in digital TV technology. Recent advancements will become wider available in the time to come. This year’s hot technology topic is 3D. Like for HD, we can expect the flat screens to become 3D capable – then after some time transmission starts. However, for most operators HD is tomorrow and 3D the day after tomorrow – today’s challenge is how to go from analogue to digital. This note gives some tips on digitalization. Thursday, 19 May 2011 14:54

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