Piksel Guard supports all major DRM
March 4, 2015
Piksel, a global provider of video monetisation software and solutions, has announced the latest release of its multi-DRM software product, Piksel Guard, which now supports all major DRM technologies that online video providers use for their valuable video assets. With this release, Piksel takes a further step towards ensuring that online video providers can maintain the highest level of flexibility possible in today’s rapidly evolving TV landscape.
For service providers, DRM is essential for stemming losses incurred through piracy, estimated to be around $80 billion a year globally (NetNames, 2013). When it comes to protecting content rights in today’s multiscreen world, the rapid release of new browser updates, product firmware updates, and third party add-ons makes flexibility a necessity for service providers. To stay competitive, DRM support must be able to adapt quickly to be as extensive as possible; inactivity in this space is not an option.
To address this issue, Piksel Guard now supports Widevine Modular DRM, in addition to other key DRM technologies, including Microsoft PlayReady, Apple AES-128, and Marlin Broadband– as well as future proofed technologies such as MPEG-DASH and CENC.
“The proliferation of connected devices, the rapid pace of technological change, and the fiercely competitive nature of the web browser market is making navigation of the DRM landscape increasingly complex for content aggregators and distributors across the globe,” said Mark Christie, Chief Technology Officer, Piksel. “DRM is of critical importance to the future of successful pay-TV and content services, and providers need to make sure that they have protection across all the major technologies and devices. The integration of Widevine Modular DRM into Piksel Guard is one of the many ways we’re making our customers’ services as robust and future-proof as possible.”
With Piksel Guard now supporting Widevine, over-the-top content providers will be able to extend their service seamlessly to all devices supporting such technology, notably HTML5 applications on Chrome browsers and on Android devices, at a fraction of the costs that other DRM technologies require.
Brian Baker, Head of Widevine, said, “An OTT business with a DRM strategy that restricts what devices its content can be played on faces an uphill struggle to remain competitive. The integration of our industry-leading technology into the Piksel Guard solution gives its customers peace of mind that their content will be both viewable and protected across an extensive range of devices and platforms, and not vulnerable to unauthorized activity and misuse.”
Currently deployed in several world-class OTT solutions globally, Piksel Guard is offered for on-premises or in-the-cloud installation, as part of a pre-existing OTT solution or as a feature of a bespoke solution built by Piksel. The highly configurable solution allows the use of multiple DRMs to address different devices, and can easily switch between DRMs with minor impacts on existing back-end systems.
Piksel Guard is a key component of the Piksel Palette, Piksel’s modular services-oriented architecture that allows customers to select elements of Piksel’s portfolio for their specific business needs. Flexible and multi-DRM protection is available to customers as part of the full end-to-end online video solution that Piksel builds and manages.