DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 REPORT OF WORKING GROUP 4 TO DSTAC Introduction Working Group 4 (WG4) was formed out of the larger DSTAC to address the topic of device platforms, variability, and interfaces. Guidance Description (Part I) The working group will identify existing devices and technologies that receive MVPD and OTT service, such as DVRs, HDTVs, personal computers, tablets in home, connected mobile devices, take- and-go mobile devices, etc., and identify the salient differences important to implementation of the non-security elements of a system to promote the competitive availability of such devices based on downloadable security. (Part II) For each category of existing device identified above, the working group will identify a system comprising minimum standards, protocols, and information other than security elements to enable competitive availability of devices that receive MVPD services. (Part III) The working group may identify alternative systems as appropriate to promote the availability of different categories of navigation devices, consistent with the Commission’s instruction to recommend an approach that would allow consumer electronics manufactures to build devices with competitive interfaces and an approach under which MVPDs would maintain control of the user interface. Product The working group will deliver and present its findings to the full DSTAC. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 2 Table of Contents Part I: Existing Devices and Technologies ................................................................................................ 6 Section I: Devices that receive MVPD or OTT service ........................................................................... 6 Section II: Technologies (Network) that enable the reception of MVPD or OTT service ...................... 6 Operator Network Technologies........................................................................................................... 6 Home Network Technologies .............................................................................................................. 27 Section III: Technologies (Functional) that enable the reception of MVPD or OTT service: ............ 36 Gateways and MVPD Provided Devices and Environments................................................................ 36 Application on Retail Device ............................................................................................................... 38 Standalone Retail Devices ................................................................................................................... 40 Section IV: Technologies that enable the reception of MVPD or OTT service: ................................. 41 Google Fiber IPTV System Overview ................................................................................................... 41 Slingbox ............................................................................................................................................... 42 Mediaroom ......................................................................................................................................... 42 Section V: OTT Services .................................................................................................................... 42 Section VI: Essential Customer Experiences ..................................................................................... 43 PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................................. 43 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 43 END-USER Precondition: ..................................................................................................................... 44 USE CASE #1 - Tuning and Viewing a Linear Channel ......................................................................... 44 USE CASE #2 - Viewing On-Demand Content ...................................................................................... 54 USE CASE #3 - Tuning and Viewing Pay Per View (PPV) events .......................................................... 55 USE CASE #4 - Navigation .................................................................................................................... 56 USE CASE #5 - Recording Linear Content ............................................................................................ 57 USE CASE #6 - Remote Management by Consumer ........................................................................... 57 USE CASE #7 - Set-Top Box set-up ...................................................................................................... 58 USE CASE #8 - Customer Support and Remote Management by Service Provider ............................ 59 USE CASE #9 - Installation and Provisioning ....................................................................................... 59 USE CASE #10 - Device Operation Requirements ............................................................................... 60 USE CASE #11 – User Authentication .................................................................................................. 61 USE CASE #12 – Renewability (DELETED DURING DELIBERATIONS) ................................................... 62 DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 3 USE CASE #13 - Cloud VOD Delivery ................................................................................................... 62 USE CASE #14 - Cloud Live Streaming ................................................................................................. 63 USE CASE #15 – Cloud DVR Recording and Streaming ........................................................................ 63 USE CASE #16 - Cloud Content Downloading for Mobile Devices ...................................................... 64 Part II: Systems that Enable Competitive Availability of Devices ........................................................... 66 Section I: SAT-IP .................................................................................................................................. 66 Description .......................................................................................................................................... 66 Protocols ............................................................................................................................................. 66 Security ............................................................................................................................................... 66 Information ......................................................................................................................................... 66 Section II: CableCARD .......................................................................................................................... 67 Description .......................................................................................................................................... 67 Standards ............................................................................................................................................ 68 Information ......................................................................................................................................... 68 Applicable Devices .............................................................................................................................. 68 Section III: DRI and OpenCable interfaces (and specifications) ........................................................ 69 Description .......................................................................................................................................... 69 Protocols ............................................................................................................................................. 69 Security ............................................................................................................................................... 69 Information ......................................................................................................................................... 70 Applicable Devices .............................................................................................................................. 70 Section IV: Android/iOS Store Device Architectures from DEVELOPER Point of View ..................... 70 Standards ............................................................................................................................................ 72 Protocols ............................................................................................................................................. 73 Information ......................................................................................................................................... 74 Applicable Devices .............................................................................................................................. 78 Section V: VidiPath ........................................................................................................................... 78 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 79 VidiPath Deployment Scenarios .......................................................................................................... 91 Standards ............................................................................................................................................ 93 Protocols ............................................................................................................................................. 94 DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 4 Information ......................................................................................................................................... 94 Applicable Devices .............................................................................................................................. 95 Section VI: W3C HTML5 Web Browser.............................................................................................. 95 World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Standards ................................................................................. 98 Protocols ............................................................................................................................................. 99 Information ......................................................................................................................................... 99 Applicable Devices .............................................................................................................................. 99 Section VII: RVU™ ............................................................................................................................... 99 Standards .......................................................................................................................................... 100 Protocols ........................................................................................................................................... 100 Information ....................................................................................................................................... 101 Applicable Devices ............................................................................................................................ 101 Section VIII: Passage .......................................................................................................................... 101 Description ........................................................................................................................................ 101 Passage Headend Encoding .............................................................................................................. 102 Passage Technology .......................................................................................................................... 103 System Architecture .......................................................................................................................... 105 Managing Bandwidth ........................................................................................................................ 105 Implementations ............................................................................................................................... 106 Security ............................................................................................................................................. 106 Protocols ........................................................................................................................................... 106 Part III: Alternative Systems that Enable New Categories of Navigation Devices ................................. 107 Section I: “Competitive Navigation” System..................................................................................... 107 Competitive Navigation Device Executive Summary ........................................................................ 107 Diversity in Direct Connection Delivery Networks ............................................................................ 109 Migration to IP Delivery Underway .................................................................................................. 110 Limitations of Architectures Thus Far ............................................................................................... 111 Limitations Where User Experience Is Too Closely Controlled ......................................................... 112 Interfaces Necessary to Enable Competitive Interoperability .......................................................... 113 Physical Interconnection and Basic Networking ............................................................................... 115 Service Discovery Interface ............................................................................................................... 116 DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 5 Entitlement Information Interface .................................................................................................... 119 Content Delivery Interface ................................................................................................................ 120 Use Case Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 122 Closing and Summary ........................................................................................................................ 126 Section II: “Application-Based Service with Operator Provided User-Interface” System ................. 127 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 127 Device Specific Apps ......................................................................................................................... 130 HTML5 Web Apps ............................................................................................................................. 135 DLNA VidiPath™ ................................................................................................................................ 138 RVU™ ................................................................................................................................................. 139 Virtual Joey ........................................................................................................................................ 139 Sling Media Technology Clients ........................................................................................................ 140 Use Cases Supported ........................................................................................................................ 140 Section III: Implementation Analysis .............................................................................................. 144 Evaluation of “Competitive Navigation” System Proposal by Proponents of Application-Based Service ............................................................................................................................................... 144 Evaluation of “Application-Based Service with MVPD UI” (“Apps Approach”) by Proponents of Application-Based Service ................................................................................................................. 166 Passage to Facilitate Transition to All DRM Approach ...................................................................... 174 Policy Analysis by Content Providers ................................................................................................ 177 Evaluation of Both Proposals by Proponents of “Competitive Navigation” Proposal ...................... 178 Part IV: Appendix A: Survey of Existing Devices .................................................................................... 201 DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 6 Part I: Existing Devices and Technologies “The working group will identify existing devices and technologies that receive MVPD and OTT service, such as DVRs, HDTVs, personal computers, tablets in home, connected mobile devices, take-and-go mobile devices, etc., and identify the salient differences important to implementation of the non- security elements of a system to promote the competitive availability of such devices based on downloadable security.” As most members generally understand the functionality of the devices listed in Part I, it is expected that information would be provided as to how the devices discover and receive content. As content is coming in on different input ports and through different applications running on the devices, the mechanisms for each are detailed. Various points have been captured in the table in Appendix A: Survey of Existing Devices. Section I: Devices that receive MVPD or OTT service The table in Appendix A serves as a reference for retail and MVPD devices that will interact with content distribution networks, and provides basic descriptions of their functionality. Many of these devices will function as receivers for MVPD/OTT content, and it is important to understand their differences and capabilities for the purpose of establishing standards for the reception and control of video content. All of these devices may connect through disparate network architectures such that protocols for device management and stream management need to be considered and how these devices receive and display content. Section II: Technologies (Network) that enable the reception of MVPD or OTT service Discussion of important features of specific technologies Operator Network Technologies SUMMARY As noted in WG2 Report Section III starting on page 3 [45], there is variation in current video providers’ distribution technologies and platforms. Across all service providers, an approach that has developed for delivering video service to customer owned devices is through “apps.” Diversity of Access Network Technologies As noted in WG2 Report in Section III starting on page 4 [45], the larger US Cable operators and Verizon mostly use one or both of two the two primary CAS (Conditional Access Systems) vendors, and all support CableCARD for limited services. Both US Cable and Verizon use Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) for broadcast signals while over Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) or B/GPON (Broadband- /Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Networks) fiber networks. Verizon adds hybrid QAM/IP for on-demand content and two-way services. Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) also has two major variants for transport DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 7 and CAS. AT&T uses IP unicast and multicast over DSL or B/GPON fiber, with a Digital Rights Management (DRM) approach instead of CAS. Diversity Of Customer Equipment Installation, Provisioning, And Configuration Methods Error! Reference source not found. The diversity of network technologies across and within MVPDs is associated with a diversity of Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) installation, provisioning, and configuration methods. Table 1 - Diversity of MVPD Customer Premise EquipmentTable 1 shows the equipment necessary for network termination at the premise, the CPE deployed for the Pay TV service and the technologies used for in- home distribution of the service. MVPD Network Termination Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) In-Home Distribution Cable Coax & RFoG Optical Network Termination (ONT) DVR & Non-DVR set-tops, DTA and Cloud Based systems IPTV Set tops Cable RF & MoCA Wi-Fi Satellite Out Door Unit (ODU) – Satellite Dish Low noise block down- converter (LNB ) Multiswitch (RF switching unit) Genie Server (DVR) & Genie Mini clients Hopper (DVR) & Joey clients 802.11 & MoCA MoCA Wi-Fi Telco VDSL Modem or Gateway B/GPON Optical Network Termination (ONT) DVR & Non-DVR IPTV set- tops 802.11 Cable RF & MoCA Wi-Fi Google Fiber TV GPON Optical Network Termination (ONT) Network Box, Storage Box, TV Box 802.11 & MoCA Table 1 - Diversity of MVPD Customer Premise Equipment Cable networks are typically terminated at the house at the point of entry with coax cabling. In some instances cable networks use RF over Glass (RFoG), an analog RF fiber to the premise technology. The DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 8 RFoG Optical Network Termination (ONT) converts the optical RF to an electrical RF signal over coax permitting the use of traditional cable QAM based CPE. Cable systems make use of both DVR and non- DVR set-top boxes that receive broadcast signals and use MoCA technology to link them together for a whole home DVR solution. Satellite networks terminate in Out Door Units (ODU) satellite dishes. Low Noise Block down-converters shift the satellite signals to a frequency band that can be switched by a Multiswitch unit and distributed via coax cables to the various satellite CPE. Satellite systems make use of both DVR and non-DVR set- tops and use both MoCA and 802.11 Wi-Fi for distribution in the home for a whole home DVR solution. The satellite MVPDs also have client software available in some LG, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba TVs that allow them to access services through their home network either using RVU or Virtual Joey technology. Telco networks are typically either traditional telephone twisted-pair copper or B/GPON FTTP networks. In the case of twisted-pair, the network is terminated by a VDSL modem or gateway in an IPTV solution making use of both DVR and non-DVR IPTV set-tops and use 802.11 Wi-Fi for distribution in the home for a whole home DVR solution. Twisted-pair networks also need a filter installed to block the VDSL signal from telephones in the home. In the case of fiber networks, the network is terminated in an ONT and, in the case of FiOS, the optical RF spectrum is converted to electrical RF spectrum and distributed over coax, similar to the cable RFOG case. Fiber networks may use either Hybrid IP/QAM based set-tops (DVR and non-DVR) and MoCA for distribution in the home for a whole home DVR solution or the same IPTV based set-tops and 802.11 Wi-Fi distribution as in the twisted-pair case. In Hybrid IP/QAM based set-tops, each set-top box includes two interfaces: an interface to the overlay wavelength for linear services and certain control signaling; and an IP interface for IP VOD, widgets, guide data, gaming, and certain control plane signaling. All of these are integrated into a single service within the set-top box. While all MVPDs would like for consumers to be able to self-install the necessary equipment to receive the MVPD service, this is not always a practical option for a number of reasons. First, if this is the first time a customer has subscribed to an MVPD service, it may be necessary to install the necessary network termination equipment, whether this is a cable drop, a fiber drop and an ONT, a VDSL modem/gateway and filters, or a satellite ODU, LNB, and Multiswitch. In addition to this, it may be necessary to wire the home with coax cable to distribute the signal from the point of entry to the various rooms in which service is desired. Even if the home has been previously wired for cable service, the need to insure that signal levels are appropriate or alignment of the satellite ODU is correct is still required. Provisioning of set-top boxes also varies across and within MVPDs. There are two basic kinds of provisioning necessary in an MVPD system. The first is network provisioning so that the set-tops are properly connected to the network and can communicate properly. The second is provisioning of entitlements so that subscribers can access the services to which they are subscribed. Network provisioning is typically specific to the type of network and CAS system deployed, while provisioning of entitlements is exclusively the domain of the CAS system deployed. Configuration methods are also specific to the type of network and CAS system deployed. Common Approaches to Retail Devices As noted in WG2 Report in Section VI starting on page 12 [45], for some service providers an approach for delivering video service to customer owned devices is through service provider authored or authorized “apps.” DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 9 MVPDs are remarkably similar in their approach to supporting retail devices, following the successful model that OTT video distributors such as Netflix, Hulu, and others use. Cable Technologies and Architectures [46] Cable systems have evolved over the decades since the first cable systems in 1940s. Most cable operators have upgraded their networks to two-way, Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC). However, this evolution was not uniform across the United States and there is diversity across cable operators. Figure 33 shows the typical HFC cable network architecture. Figure 1 - Typical Cable System Network Architecture Cable system architectures reflect fundamental differences dating from the original design goals based on different vendors and different owners. The General Instrument (now ARRIS) design was tailored primarily for the more rural and less clustered systems owned by Tele-Communications, Inc., with a focus on increased channel capacity, minimized head-end cost, and centralized set-top control and authorization. The Scientific-Atlanta (now Cisco) design was tailored primarily for the more urban and clustered systems primarily owned by Time Warner Cable, with a focus on two-way interactive services such as Video-on-Demand (VoD), the ability to add applications and services to set-top boxes over time, and local control and authorization. Thus, even though there are some shared elements, such as MPEG- 2 video compression, there are fundamental differences in technologies for CAS, controllers, the out-of- band (OOB) communications channels used for command and control of the set-top box, network transports, QAM modulation, video codecs, core ciphers, advanced system information such as network configuration, session management, operating system, processor instruction set, interactive services, billing systems, applications necessary for presentation of services and in the set-top boxes. Error! Reference source not found. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 10 The respective design objectives resulted in proprietary systems that had different system architectures and network configurations, as well as different CAS systems, as described above. Despite these different design goals there were also a significant number of common elements: ? The GI and SA systems used MPEG-2 video compression and Dolby® AC-3 audio compression [6][7]. ? Both systems have added support for MPEG-4/AVC in the intervening years [8]. ? Both systems used QAM modulation for transmission of MPEG-2 transport streams carrying the audio/video signal [9]. ? Both systems used variants of Data Encryption Standard (DES-64) [10] encryption as the working cipher for their CA systems and in particular both were capable of supporting the SCTE 52 2008 DES-CBC variant [11]. ? Both systems used a common Service Information format to communicate channel line-up information [12]. However, because of the different design goals, there were many proprietary components remaining in each system. The proprietary aspects of the two systems largely lay in following areas: ? The CAS system (DigiCipher™ II in the case of GI and PowerKey™ in the case of SA) used to control subscriber entitlements and manage access to digital channels. ? Their out-of-band (OOB) communications channels used for command and control of the set-top box: o GI’s system implemented the DigiCipher II OOB utilizing an MPEG structure for transporting OOB messaging downstream, standardized as ANSI/SCTE 55-1 2009 [13]. The GI OOB channel provided 2Mbps downstream bandwidth and 256Kbps upstream bandwidth through an Aloha, polled communication protocol. o SA’s system implemented a DAVIC based OOB utilizing an ATM/IP structure for transporting OOB messaging downstream, standardized as ANSI/SCTE 55-2 2009 [14]. The SA OOB channel provided 1.5 Mbps bandwidth in both the downstream and upstream using a real- time, two-way protocol. ? Operating system (OS) and processor instruction set: o GI’s system initially implemented a proprietary kernel on a Motorola 6800 processor instruction set. o SA’s system initially implemented the PowerTV™ OS on a Sun SPARC™ processor instruction set. o Subsequently, both system providers have introduced other OS (e.g. Linux) and processor instruction sets (e.g. MIPS). ? Network control architecture in support of interactive applications, such as VoD and Switched Digital Video (SDV): o GI’s network control architecture lacked the concept of an interactive session manager, requiring third-parties to provide this component when integrating session-based services, such as VoD. o Interactive network functions such as Switched Digital Video have been implemented using external controller platforms, available from 3rd parties or directly from ARRIS (Vertasent and BigBand implemented the most commonly deployed SDV controllers, and were subsequently acquired by ARRIS). DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 11 o SA’s network control architecture implemented an interactive session manager, supporting DSM-CC User-to-Network commands [5] for support of dynamic MPEG transport sessions. ? Electronic Program Guide (EPG) application and EPG metadata format. Integration of interactive service components, such as a VoD application and corresponding video streaming servers, required tight integration with either GI or SA’s network. This resulted in pair-wise integrations between VoD vendors, set-top applications vendors, and the digital video systems providers. Existing cable systems have now evolved in ways that vary widely from the legacy system architectures that were just described. One major difference is the use of the Common Scrambling Algorithm (CSA) in some systems, rather than core ciphers based on DES. In addition, many systems incorporated content delivery components from multiple vendors, which has led to much more diversity in session control, bandwidth management, maintenance, commercial insertion, VOD and other critical system hardware and software. To attempt to address the issue of interoperability across cable systems, CableLabs developed a set of specifications under the OpenCable program Error! Reference source not found.. These specifications isolate the proprietary system specific aspects of these systems into separable components. The systems specific aspects fall into two general categories: ? Hardware – These included, the core hardware components of the CA system (working cipher and key hierarchy) and the key components of the OOB communications network (e.g. forward error correction and MAC layer processing) ? Software – These included, Operating System (OS) and applications (both cable operator specific and potentially third-party applications) Figure 2 - OpenCable/tru2way Interface DiagramFigure 2 provides a block diagram identifying the key interfaces in the OpenCable architecture. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 12 Figure 2 - OpenCable/tru2way Interface Diagram The four interfaces specified by OpenCable: ? The Network Interface – This is the interface that connects to the cable network at the consumer’s home and is specified as part of the OpenCable Host Specification [30]. ? The Consumer Interfaces – These are the interfaces that connect to the consumer’s TV or other entertainment devices (e.g. HDMI, component analog, composite analog, etc.) and are also specified as part of the OpenCable Host Specification Error! Reference source not found.. ? The Conditional Access Interface – This is the interface to the system-specific CA and OOB channel and is specified in the CableCARD™ Specifications. ? The Application Interface – These are the Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that applications use to perform the desired functions using the Host and CableCARD components and are specified by the Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP) specification [23]. In this architecture, an OpenCable Host device is enabled to connect to the cable network by providing a hardware component, the CableCARD, which is specific to the proprietary system deployed in that cable network. Originally, this would be either a GI or SA CableCARD; however other CA systems, such as NDS and Conax, have been added to this list over time. The CableCARD cryptographically binds to the Host for security and copy protection purposes and instructs the Host how to acquire the OOB communications channel, register on the network, and receive the OOB command and control signals appropriate for the CA system. The Host is then able to acquire the list of applications, for example the EPG, which are supported on the cable system, securely download them if necessary, and begin execution. The CableCARD is the hardware module in the OpenCable system that achieves this isolation through a physical encapsulation of the cryptographic CA component and some portions of the OOB communications channel. The CableCARD by necessity had to be a separable or removable module that DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 13 could be delivered independently from the Host device. In practice, the local cable operator provides the CableCARD. The only commonality the two proprietary OOB channels have is the use of QPSK modulation; they differed in the frequency band and bandwidth, the Forward Error Correction (FEC), the framing, and the transport protocol used. Consequently, the QPSK front-end (modulation and demodulation) was placed in the OpenCable Host and all of the higher layers of the proprietary OOB communications protocol stack were placed in the CableCARD. Raw QPSK symbols and their timing passed across the PCMCIA interface through the use of redefined pins in the physical interface. The CableCARD is responsible for instructing the Host what mode of operation the system requires. OpenCable also enabled the cable operator to migrate the proprietary messaging carried on these proprietary OOB channels to a standard two-way communications channel, such as Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS®). This was accomplished through the DOCSIS Set-top Gateway (DSG) with the appropriate modifications to the CableCARD Error! Reference source not found.. Since DOCSIS provides an efficient two-way IP connection for devices, the DSG specification focused on extending the DOCSIS specification to perform two key functions: ? Encapsulate the downstream proprietary messaging in an IP transport using a broadcast or multicast transmission so that all set-tops could access it concurrently. ? Provide a one-way mode of operation so that the set-top could continue to function in a one-way mode in cases of network disruption. EIA-679 Part B [17] only permitted the decryption and processing of a single MPEG Multi-Program Transport Stream (MPTS), equivalent to a single set-top tuner. The original CableCARD specification followed this model with single stream mode, or S-Mode, of operation. As Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), picture-in-picture, and other multi-tuner features were developed, it was realized that the original S-Mode CableCARD had inadequate bandwidth for these features. It would require multiple S- Mode CableCARDs to provide this capability and could not grow to support multi-tuner gateway scenarios. Subsequently, the M-Mode (or Multi-stream mode) CableCARD specification was developed and has its origin in SCTE 28 Error! Reference source not found.. M-Mode provides the higher transport data throughput rates that are required to support features, such as multiple-tuner Hosts, Hosts with DVRs, and Hosts with picture-in-picture capability as described in DSTAC Working Group 2 Report #1 Error! Reference source not found.. Satellite Technologies and Architectures [52] As was summarized in DSTAC Working Group 2 Report #1 [45], there are two primary Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) providers in the United States, DISH and DirecTV. While they use similar technologies and architectures to deliver the DBS portion of their service, there are still sufficient differences in the two systems as to prevent a set-top box designed for one system from working on the network of the other. Figure 3 shows the general DBS architecture for distribution of the television signal from program source to the subscriber’s home. The video programming is distributed from the program source via satellite (indicated by “a” in the diagram) or fiber (indicated by “c” in the diagram) to the satellite up-link facility where it may be re-encoded, multiplexed, and encrypted for transmission via the DBS satellite to the DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 14 subscriber’s home. Local Receive Facilities (LRF) or Local Collection Facilities (LCF) are used to receive programming from local broadcast stations (indicated by “b” in the diagram), where these channels are then decoded, re-encoded, multiplexed, and transmitted via satellite or fiber to the satellite up-link facility. In some instances, an antenna at the subscriber’s home receives local broadcast stations directly (indicated by “d” in the diagram). Figure 3 - DBS Architecture – Satellite to Home Distribution Path Multiple satellites are used in each system to carry the diversity of programming offered by each provider. The Out Door Units (ODUs) and Low Noise Block (LNB) down-converters receive the satellite signals and down-convert the signal to a lower frequency for distribution over coax cable throughout the subscriber’s home. Because there are multiple satellite signals received by the ODU and LNB and there are potentially multiple tuners and/or set-tops in the home, a Multiswitch unit is used to switch the specific signal source to the requesting tuner. The two operators’ systems differ in a number of respects, including: ? The number and location of up-link facilities ? The orbital positions of the satellites used by each ? The satellite frequency plans used ? The Out Door Units (ODUs), Low Noise Block (LNB) down-converters, and Multiswitch units used ? The Conditional Access Systems (CAS) used ? The whole home DVR architectures and technologies used DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 15 Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the number and location of the uplink facilities for the two DBS providers. As can be seen the number and location of uplink facilities differs significantly. Figure 4 - DIRECTV Uplink Facilities DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 16 Figure 5 - DISH Uplink Facilities The orbital positions for the two providers differ and this directly affects the orientation of the satellite dish and configuration of the ODU, LNB, and Multiswitch at the subscriber’s home. The orbital positions for the two providers currently are: ? DirecTV – 99W, 101W, 103W as well as 110W, 119W & 95W ? DISH – Eastern US Arc – 61.5W, 72.7W, 77W, Western US Arc – 110W, 119W, 129W and shared 118.7W The satellite frequency plans of the two providers differ as well. This impacts the configuration of the LNB and Multiswitch at the subscriber’s home, as well as the implementation of the Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD) or set-top box. Figure 6 and Figure 7 show the respective satellite and in-home frequency plans of the two providers. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 17 Figure 6 - DIRECTV Frequency Plan DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 18 Figure 7 - DISH Frequency Plan DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 19 The ODUs and LNBs differ depending on the DBS operator and type of service being provided. For example, the current DirecTV ODUs include: an 18” Round (SD only), an 18x20” Triple-Sat (SD only), or a Slimline ODU (HD) which can be used with a Slimline-3 or a Slimline-5 LNB. The LNBs also differ in their powering. DISH LNBs are typically powered by one set-top in the home, while all DirecTV and some DISH LNBs have a dedicated external power supply. The Multiswitch unit allows a set-top to select between the multiple input signals received by the LNB. Because LNBs receive signals from multiple satellite transponders, it is necessary to switch the input signal for the requested channel to the requesting set-top tuner. The set-top sends a signal to the Multiswitch unit identifying the desired input and the Multiswitch unit switches the input signal onto the coax cable to the requesting set-top. The two DBS providers differ in their implementations of their respective Multiswitch units. The control signaling between the two systems differs. Specifically, DIRECTV uses a Pulse-Width Modulated (PWM) control scheme; with simple 3-byte messages to identify desired input port, which does not strictly conform to the DiSEqC (Digital Satellite Equipment Control) standard. DISH uses system based on and conforming to DiSEqC but extending the standard with additional commands. There are Single Wire Multiswitch units, which allow multiple, independent set-tops to share a single coaxial cable and multi- wire switch units that use separate coax cables for each set-top. Set-tops, Multiswitch units, ODUs and LNBs from the two providers do not interoperate. The DIRECTV set-top boxes receive SD satellite signals using the 130-byte “DSS” transport format, while DISH uses the 188-byte MPEG transport format for its SD satellite signals. Both MVPDs use MPEG transport format for HD satellite signals. The two DBS providers utilize Digital Video Recorders (DVR) in the home to deliver a more interactive and personalized experience to subscribers: each have proprietary implementations that leverage MVPD-controlled content storage to deliver features including VOD and targeted Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI). Each implementation “pushes” VOD and DAI content through the DBS broadcast system to pre-allocated storage areas of the DVR. As an example of use of this capability, the two providers jointly offer targeted DAI that was used during the 2014 election cycle by local and national candidates to reach their constituents. Each proprietary implementation required the providers to modify the headend transport and video stream encoding to offer seamless merging of broadcast and from-DVR content. The set-top boxes from both providers offer common television outputs (e.g. analog component and composite, digital HDMI), but have deployed non- interoperable approaches for IP-networked outputs. Software updates to set-top boxes happen independently on each DBS system as new features of the service are released, and typically range in frequency from quarterly for legacy devices to more than once per month for newly deployed set-top boxes or critical bug fixes. The two DBS providers also differ in the CAS and DRM solutions used in their respective DBS systems. DirecTV uses NDS CAS/DRM systems and DISH uses Nagra CAS/DRM systems. Both providers support additional DRM systems for their internet-delivered services. While both DBS providers use a client-server architecture and MoCA for in-home distribution of their whole home DVR solutions, they differ in their specific implementations. Figure 8 and Figure 9 show the two whole home DVR server-client solutions. DirecTV uses the RVU Remote User Interface technology, which has been integrated into a number of retail televisions (see rvualliance.org/products). Like other MVPDs, both providers participate in the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) and make use of some DLNA protocols in their whole home DVR solutions. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 20 Figure 8 - DIRECTV Server-Client Architecture DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 21 Figure 9 - DISH Server-Client Architecture DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 22 Telco Technologies and Architectures Telephone companies have used a number of different technologies and architectures for delivery of their MVPD service. Some have partnered with satellite providers to deliver an MVPD service, others have deployed fiber with an RF overlay network, and others have deployed IPTV systems over VDSL and fiber networks. This section covers the systems deployed by AT&T and Verizon. AT&T and Verizon have taken different approaches to deploying an MVPD service. AT&T largely leveraged its twisted pair network using VDSL technology to deliver an IP-based TV service. AT&T has also deployed an FTTP PON network to carry this IPTV service. Verizon deployed a PON fiber network (FiOS) from the start, but chose to leverage cable technology to deliver its MVPD service to the point that they also make use of CableCARD in their set-top boxes as well as in support of retail devices. To accomplish this, Verizon used a separate wavelength to carry an RF spectrum with broadcast TV channels. The two-way PON network is used to carry two-way services, including VoD. This is sometimes referred to as a Hybrid QAM/IP implementation, as QAM is used to carry the broadcast channels and IP is used to carry VoD services. AT&T Technologies and Architectures [43] In 2004 SBC/AT&T participated in the Microsoft IPTV Early Adopters Program (EAP). The IPTV Mediaroom system was designed as an application platform to support the IPTV service and evolution of service features. The platform is now owned and maintained by Ericsson. AT&T offers this service over both copper (VDSL) and Fiber (FTTP) networks. The service is based on an all Internet Protocol (IP) delivery for Linear/Live, and VOD. The system encompasses a number of proprietary features such as Instant Channel Change (ICC), Multiview, and a large number of interactive applications, an EPG, search engine, recommendations, integrated service features such a caller-ID on the TV, etc. Applications such as Multiview are integrated within the Mediaroom software client. AT&T is a licensee of the Mediaroom proprietary IPTV system and additional implementation details has to be obtained directly through Ericsson. The Microsoft Mediaroom DRM is used for content protection on AT&T U-verse STBs with an embedded secure SOC. U-verse is offered to third party devices such as smart phones (iOS, Android), tablets, PCs and laptops through AT&T U-verse applications. PlayReady DRM is used for content protection on these devices. Figure 10 is a diagram of the AT&T U-verse Architecture. U-verse content is acquired and gathered at a central location, the Super Hub Office (SHO), for national linear channels and VOD assets. Linear content is encoded to AT&T’s unique specifications and distributed via multicast from the SHO to Video Hub Offices (VHOs). The content is then multicast to the end user, when requested. Local channels are acquired locally and encoded to AT&T’s unique specifications at the VHOs. VOD assets are encoded to AT&T’s unique specifications and transported to the SHO1. From there they are distributed to the VHOs via multicast, and stored locally at the VHOs. The assets are then streamed from the VHOs to the end user via unicast, when requested. Linear channels are encoded using H.264 video compression and Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) converted to AC-3 by the STB or AAC audio, and contained within an MPEG-2 transport stream. When ingested into Mediaroom, the channels are encrypted and encapsulated as RTP streams via the Acquisition Servers (A- 1 Note that AT&T does not use the CableLabs encoding specifications to encode content. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 23 servers), and distributed via multicast to the local VHOs. Linear channels are also acquired by a Distribution Server (D-server), which is at the VHO and used for instant channel change. When a user switches to a live channel, a proprietary ICC enables a fast channel change implementation. Figure 10 - AT&T U-verse Architecture VOD assets are encoded using H.264 video and AC-3 audio, and contained within an MPEG-2 transport stream. When ingested into Mediaroom, the assets are encrypted, encapsulated as an RTP stream, then distributed and stored at the local VHOs on VOD Servers (V-servers). When initiated by the user, VOD assets are streamed from the VHO V-servers to the user’s receiver over HTTP. The U-verse Mediaroom DRM is used to enforce license restrictions from content agreements and provides overall content protection. The DRM is based on 128-bit AES and 2048-bit RSA encryption. Linear content is encrypted either at the SHO, or at the local VHO (for local channels). The encrypted channels are distributed to the end user’s STB where they are decrypted using an embedded secure SOC. VOD assets are encrypted at the SHO after being acquired from the content provider. The encrypted assets are then distributed through the network and only decrypted once it is streamed to the end user’s STB. Content outputs are also protected via HDCP, CGMS-A, and Macrovision. The output controls are implemented through the client application. AT&T U-verse is also available online at uverse.com, and on tablets and smart phones via the U-verse mobile application. Uverse.com offers a web site where users can login and view services. Some content flows through an internal process and other content is hosted directly through third parties like Hulu, Turner, etc. Content is protected via PlayReady DRM. The U-verse mobile app for phones and tablets are developed internally and content is encoded and hosted using a third party. Content is protected via PlayReady DRM. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 24 New updated U-verse Mediaroom software is pushed to U-verse STBs at least twice a year: offering new features, improved performance, security and protocol system updates and updated user experience. AT&T is planning to deploy 4K and HEVC, more advanced STBs to provide more value-added services to U-verse customers. Access bandwidth is improving with the provisioning of more bandwidth over VDSL and the deployment of more fiber (GigaPower). AT&T will be deploying more advanced Wi-Fi technologies (i.e. 802.11ac) for both video and data distribution and expanding U-verse applications to reach more and more third-party devices, and offering more interactive applications. Verizon Technologies and Architectures [44] Verizon took an alternate approach to AT&T by deploying a FTTP network known as FiOS. The Verizon FiOS network is a Passive Optical Network (PON) either B-PON or G-PON with the addition of an “overlay” wavelength (1550nm) to transmit broadcast video over RF. VOD is distributed over IP using data/voice wavelengths (1490nm & 1310nm). Figure 11 shows the Optical Spectrum on the PON network based on ITU G.98x PON standards. Figure 12 provides a diagram of the FiOS access network showing the B/G-PON OLT for two-way voice, data, and VoD traffic, the Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) used to inject the broadcast RF on the fiber, and the ONT at the customer premise. This diagram also shows the optical wavelengths used for the FiOS service. This architecture provides full support for both cable style RF video as well as emerging IPTV video technologies. Moving the VOD traffic to the B/G-PON IP network freed up RF spectrum for broadcast HDTV growth and provides greater scale as demand for voice, data, and VoD increases. The network protocols used on the B/G-PON network are ATM AAL1&2 for Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) and ATM AAL5 for Broadband Internet and VoD. Figure 11 - ITU G.98x PON Optical Spectrum DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 25 Figure 12 - Verizon FiOS Access Network Figure 13 shows the high-level Verizon architecture. Content is received at two Super Head Ends (SHE) for purposes of redundancy. A Long Haul Network (LHN) is used for the National Video Distribution Network to carry the video traffic from a SHE to multiple Video Hub Offices (VHO), each of which serves a major metropolitan or franchise area. The Metro Video Distribution Network distributes the video traffic from a VHO to multiple Video Serving Offices (VSO) where it is then distributed over the PON access network to the customer premise. This diagram also shows which network protocols used at which points in the overall architecture. Figure 14 shows the FiOS Hybrid QAM/IP set-top box and dual networks over which it connects to the VSO. First, there is the one-way overlay interface that carries broadcast video using 256 QAM and MPEG-2 Transport Streams (TS). In addition, there are two OOB downstream channels to support multiple encryption systems: SCTE-55-1 for the MediaCipher CAS system and SCTE-55-2 for the PowerKey CAS system, similar to that used by most US Cable operators after fiber termination. These OOB channels carry System Information (SI), Entitlement Management Messages (EMM) and other control plane signaling for box control and configuration. The IP Interface carries VOD content, duplicates some of the OOB signaling and carries additional application data including widgets, guide data, and gaming traffic. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 26 Figure 13 - Verizon FiOS High-Level Architecture Figure 14- Verizon FiOS Dual-Network Hybrid STB Architecture DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 27 The Verizon FiOS system uses both MediaCipher and PowerKey CAS systems in all markets via a Simulcrypt compliant architecture. All channels and VOD are encrypted using the DVB Common Scrambling Algorithm (CSA) cipher. The system also fully supports the CableCARD interface with different CableCARDs provided for MediaCipher and PowerKey. To support CableCARD it was necessary to support the distribution of required Uni-Directional Cable Service information such as System Information and EMMs via the RF OOB channel. However for non-uni-directional services the IP network is used instead. See WG2 report section III D [45]. In order to support simulcrypt, the FiOS headends comply with the DVB Simulcrypt standard. In the FiOS simulcrypt implementation, the MediaCipher CAS has the sole Code Word Generator (CWG) function. Simulcrypt also increased the complexity of the system. Both the Mediacipher and PowerKey CAS systems are accessing the same commonly encrypted version of the content. In addition, many other channels and VoD content are available through alternate IP communications channels. Verizon supports retail devices such as Smart Phones, Tablets, Smart-TVs, and Gaming Platforms. Non- FiOS access networks make use of DRM rather than CAS for content protection. The DRM solutions are based on 128 bit AES CBC cipher. Direct-to-Home (DTH) Satellite Dish (small dish) For customers in northern Alaska, the DBS satellite geometry coupled with the usual 1m dish does not provide enough signal strength for reliable operation. They will use larger dishes. Further, although the service delivered to customers in Alaska and Hawaii is comparable to the service delivered to the continental 48 states, the specific transponders and orbital locations used for delivery are likely to be different. Over-the-Air Network Antenna Tuners (ATSC) DBS receivers will commonly include ATSC tuners for local channel reception. The receiver integrates any off-air channels with DBS-carried HD and SD versions of the same. Home Network Technologies Home Networking Overview AT&T U-verse supports both wired and wireless home networking for video distribution. In homes with structured wiring/Ethernet cable wiring (i.e. CAT-5 wiring), the Residential Gateway (RG) and STBs are connected using the available structured wiring. If structured wiring is not available, AT&T is using HPNA over coax for wired video distribution. AT&T is also offering a Wireless STBs (WSTBs) and a dedicated Wireless Access Point (WAP) using the 802.11n Wi-Fi technology for video distribution. Figure 15 shows an example of home networking diagram. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 28 Figure 15 - Example Home Network Typically, VDSL is terminated at the RG using a coaxial cable or a twisted pair copper cable. Content is distributed to wired STBs via either HPNA over coax, or standard Ethernet cables, or wireless networks. In terms of Access network technology, AT&T is offering broadband services over both copper and fiber to the home networks. For the U-verse copper-based customers, AT&T is using VDSL speeds of up to 100Mbps and for fiber-based customers, AT&T is offering broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps. Wireless Network Connectivity Over the last decade wireless performance has improved exponentially as a result of technologies and features such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Transmit Beamforming (TxBF) and availability of additional spectrum. A number of wireless vendors are working on optimizing Wi-Fi silicon for in- home high definition video streaming. Figure 16 shows some of the current in home wireless technologies. Figure 16 - Current in Home Wireless Technologies Both 802.11ac and 802.11n claim enough capacity to support in-home video streaming. Many Wi-Fi products, including 802.11n, support Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), digital Beamforming and operations in 5GHz spectrum. These technologies promise greater reliability and even better DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 29 performance than legacy Wi-Fi technologies. These technologies are application agnostic and allow operators to use device and service discovery technologies defined in DLNA. Tunnel Direct Link Setup (TDLS) and Wi-Fi Direct are efficient methods for video streaming between two Wi-Fi clients. MSOs should consider these technologies for in-home video streaming if the cable video source (e.g. cable video gateway) in the home can be configured as a Wi-Fi client. The service discovery methods defined in Digital Life Living Alliance (DLNA) can be used while the TDLS clients are connected through an AP. A new Wi-Fi Direct Application Service Platform (ASP) to advertise and discover cable video services is required before Wi-Fi Direct can be used for in-home cable video streaming. Miracast uses TDLS or Wi-Fi Direct as underlying transport. Unlike TDLS and Wi-Fi Direct, Miracast also defines application specific procedures such as content security methods and media streaming protocols to support screen mirroring and video streaming between two Wi-Fi clients. Miracast currently does not require support for High Definition video streaming using MPEG-2. Use of Wi-Fi for in-home video streaming introduces a number of factors that influence the design of home network architecture. Some of these factors are: • Does the customer subscribe to both video and Internet services from the same of different service provider? ? • Is the video source (e.g. video gateway) connected to the home network LAN using wired or wireless network? ? • Are there separate IP networks in the home for video and data services? ?An architecture using separate Wireless LAN for video and data can result in confusion for the customer since a device connected to the Wi-Fi AP for video services will not be able to access data services without first disconnecting from the video Wi-Fi network, and then connecting to the data Wi-Fi network. ? WiGig (802.11ad) supports data rate up to 7 Gbps using 60 GHz frequency band. The indoor coverage range for WiGig is about 10 meters, which is good for communication between two devices in the same or next room. 802.11ac versus 802.11n 802.11ac delivers higher throughput than 802.11n, as a result of the support for 80 MHz channels and 256 QAM. This advantage is more obvious when Wi-Fi clients are at close range to the Wi-Fi AP. The throughput performance of the two technologies is comparable at long range (e.g., < -70 dBm RSSI). While either 802.11n or 802.11ac can be used for video streaming, 802.11ac is the current generation Wi-Fi technology, and it supports some features that were not part of the 802.11n standard. Table 2 below provides a highlight of some of the differences between 802.11n and 802.11ac. Features 802.11n 802.11ac Frequency Band 2.4 or 5 GHz 5 GHz only Channel Bandwidth 20, 40 MHz 20, 40, 80, 160, 80+80 MHz Modulation & Coding 64 QAM 256 QAM DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 30 Features 802.11n 802.11ac Scheme Spatial Streams Up to 4 Up to 8 Transmit Beamforming Optional Standardized Max Throughput 600 Mbps 3.2 Gbps MU-MIMO No Yes Availability Available for some time now First generation available now Table 2 - Comparison 802.11n and 802.11ac features In addition to the features in Table 2, 802.11ac also includes support for features such as Dynamic Bandwidth Management, which can be very handy in mitigating interference and improving spectral efficiency. This feature allows an AP to dynamically choose channel bandwidth to each client on a frame- to-frame basis. The first generation 802.11ac products support only 20, 40 and 80 MHz channel bandwidth. The current FCC spectrum rules do not allow for a 160 MHz channel. Channel bandwidth of 80 MHz+80 MHz and 160 MHz are expected in the second-generation 802.11ac products. Support for MU-MIMO and Dynamic Bandwidth Management are also expected in the second-generation 802.11ac products. AT&T is deploying a dedicated video Wireless AP (WAP) that is based on 4x4 802.11n. The video WAP is strictly used for video distribution to wireless standalone STBs that are based on 802.11n Wi-Fi standard. TUNNEL DIRECT LINK SETUP (TDLS) TDLS allows network-connected client devices to create a secure, direct link to transfer data more efficiently. The client devices first establish a control channel between them through the AP. The control channel is then used to negotiate parameters (e.g., channel) for the direct link. APs are not required to support any new functionality for two TDLS compliant devices to negotiate a direct link. TDLS offers multiple benefits, including efficient data transmission between client devices by removing the AP from the communication link. Use of direct communication channel also allows the client to negotiate capabilities independent of the AP. For example, clients can choose a wider channel, efficient modulation scheme, security and channel that are more suitable for direct link between the client devices. TDLS devices, communicating with each other over a direct link, are also allowed to maintain full access to the Wi-Fi network simultaneously, which for example, allows the client device to stream video to another device in the home over the direct link; and at the same time allow user to surf Internet via connectivity to the AP. If the TDLS direct link is switched to another channel, the stations periodically switch back to the home channel to maintain connectivity with the Wi-Fi network. The WFA has certified multiple products for TDLS, including Broadcom and Marvel. TDLS is based on IEEE 802.11z, and is one of the optional features of Miracast (Wi-Fi Display). DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 31 WI-FI DIRECT Wi-Fi Direct allows Wi-Fi client devices to connect directly without use of an AP. Unlike TDLS, Wi-Fi client devices are not required to be connected to an AP to establish a Wi-Fi Direct link. Wi-Fi Direct also includes support for device and service discovery. Wi-Fi Direct devices can establish a one-to-one connection, or a group of several Wi-Fi Direct devices can connect simultaneously. Wi-Fi Direct offers multiple benefits, including ease of use and immediate utility and enables applications such as printing by establishing a peer to peer connection between the Wi-Fi Direct enabled printer and client device, content sharing between two Wi-Fi Direct enabled devices, and displaying content from one Wi-Fi Direct device to another without requiring any Wi-Fi network infrastructure. Wi-Fi Direct certifies products, which implement technology defined in the WFA Peer-to-Peer Technical Specification. The WFA has certified multiple products for Wi-Fi Direct. As of 2012, there are over 1100 Wi-Fi Direct certified products. Wi-Fi Direct is the core transport mechanism for Miracast (Wi-Fi Display). MIRACAST Miracast provides seamless display of content between devices using Wi-Fi Direct as the transport mechanism. Miracast also includes optional support TDLS as a transport mechanism. The key features supported in Miracast include device and service discovery, connection establishment and management, security and content protection, and content transmission optimization. Similar to Wi-Fi Direct and TDLS, Miracast is client functionality and does not require updates to AP devices. Primary use cases for Miracast are screen mirroring and video streaming. Miracast certifies products, which implement technology defined in the Wi-Fi Display Technical Specification. As of this writing many devices (e.g., Smart phones) have been certified for Miracast. WIRELESS GIGABIT (WIGIG) WiGig was originally developed in WiGig Alliance. In 2013, WiGig Alliance and Wi-Fi Alliance united, consolidating WiGig technology and certification development in Wi-Fi Alliance. The WiGig technology offers short-range multi-gigabit connections for wide variety of applications including video, audio and data. The following is a list of applications that WFA is focusing on: • WiGig Display Extension ? • WiGig Serial Extension ? • WiGig Bus Extension ? • WiGig SD Extension The WiGig technology is the basis of IEEE 802.11ad amendment and supports Beamforming and data rates up to 7 Gbps in 60 GHz frequency band. Many WiGig products are also expected to support Wi-Fi, along with mechanisms for smooth handovers from 60 GHz to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band. The indoor coverage range is about 10 meters, which is adequate for communication between two devices in the same or next room. ?A number of vendors, including Atheros, Marvell and Broadcom, Dell, Intel, DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 32 Panasonic and Samsung are working with the WFA in the development of technology and certification testing program. The WFA currently expects to launch WiGig certification program in 2016.? Ethernet Network Connectivity Some MVPD provided STB also have wired Ethernet connectivity. All U-verse STBs are equipped with a Fast Ethernet connector enabling the 10/100-base fast Ethernet home networking. This enables consumers with Ethernet wired homes to directly connect the STBs to the network termination units or RGs inside the home without the need for extensive rewiring or setup of high-fidelity wireless networks. Bluetooth Increasingly Bluetooth networking is being utilized by many CE devices and applications to extend their functionality to support new features and capabilities. These include (among others) remote controls, game controllers, and audio streamers. ZigBee® RF4CE Remote Control Specification Traditionally, remote controls for set-top boxes and CE devices have made use of InfraRed (IR) protocols that have relied on line of sight between the remote control and the device itself. Increasingly, these devices have been installed in entertainment centers or equipment closets that preclude line of sight use by IR remote controls. As a result the use of RF protocols like ZigBee RF4CE are being used in remote controls for set-top boxes. The cable industry has adopted a profile of RF4CE that is published by CableLabs2. HPNA Network Connectivity AT&T is using the HPNA V3 over Coax that is based on the ITU G.9954-2006 standard. HPNA operates in the 12-44 MHz frequency band and offers a data throughput of up to 320 Mbps. The HPNA technology also supports Quality of Service (QoS), Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) with 8 priority queues. The technology also supports dynamic bandwidth allocation and coexists with VDSL. MoCA 2.0 Technology Overview Used for whole-home DVR, IP networking (IPVOD, CAS call-home for PPV/VOD purchase reporting, diagnostics, application data, diagnostics), software download and client control Please refer to http://www.mocalliance.org/ for more information. A typical in-home coaxial cable architecture consists of a tree-and-branch network topology using RF splitters and coaxial RG-6 or RG-59 cables. The multimedia signal enters the home via an Optical Network Unit (ONU) or via Cable gateway, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) gateway, or via a satellite dish. Multimedia content is distributed to each room in the home using the in-home coaxial network. The home must support multiple simultaneous HDTV, SDTV, audio, data, voice-over IP, gaming, and other multimedia usages both from the broadcast network and from the in-home DVR or storage devices. Each wired room and device may be either, or both, a source or sink of multimedia content both to and 2 Cable Profile for the ZigBee® RF4CE Remote Control Specification, OC-SP-RF4CE-I01-120924, September 24, 2012. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 33 from multiple simultaneous entertainment devices in the home. Although the in-home coax is a relatively static channel, the presence of coaxial splitters creates a highly dispersive multipath channel that can cause significant echoes in addition to high signal attenuation when communicating between various networking devices. The in-home coaxial network connectivity must provide a reliable room-to-room, peer-to-peer, full- mesh connectivity among all sources and sinks in the home. In order to support at least three simultaneous HDTV and SDTV multimedia streams, the in-home network is required to have at least 60 Mb/s, and in many cases greater than 100 Mb/s data throughput with low packet error rate and low average latency. These network performance requirements, adopted by MoCA, must be satisfied when other services are added or when a neighbor or a family member runs services in the home. The initial MoCA technology using the existing in-home coaxial cables was based on the MoCA 1.1 standard ratified in 2007. It uses bit-loaded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation with 224 subcarriers in a 50 MHz channel. Bit-loaded OFDM was selected for MoCA because it is robust against static or slowly changing multipath and optimizes the modulation between every pair of devices. When bit loading, each MoCA device probes the channel between itself and every other MoCA device in the network and selects the modulation on each of the 224 subcarriers based on the probe results: the better the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on a subcarrier, the higher the modulation assigned to that subcarrier. MoCA 1.1 uses a maximum subcarrier modulation of 256 QAM. Since the MoCA PHY layer adapts each link between node pairs independently, the channel capacity can be different between different nodes, as well as between the forward and reverse directions of the same node. The bit-loading parameters for a particular path are called a PHY profile. It enables a maximum PHY rate of 275 Mbps, and network throughput rate of 175 Mbps at low Packet Error Rate (PER ? 10-5) and low average one-way latency (? 3.5 milliseconds) in defined frequency bands from 475 MHz to 1550 MHz. The latest MoCA 2.0 standard, which was ratified in June 2010, includes the following key features: ? Increased channel bandwidth from 50 MHz to 100 MHz (225 MHz) for bonded channels with increased maximum modulation density from 256-QAM to 1024-QAM ? Forward-Error-Correction (FEC) was changed from Reed-Solomon (RS) to Quasi-Cyclic (QC)-LDPC ? Expanded MoCA channel plan from 400 MHz to 1675 MHz in defined frequency bands to support bonded channels operation, and two simultaneous independent networks ? Total MAC network throughput of 430 Mbps, and 860 Mbps with a bonded-channel in a 16-node network ? Full backward interoperability with MoCA 1.1 devices ? Turbo-mode for two-node network with network throughput > 1 Gbps ? Using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) for Reservation Requests (RRs) from each MoCA device to the NC ? Four new power states (‘Active’, ‘Idle’, ‘Standby’, ‘Sleep’) for energy savings were defined ? New multicast Parameterized QoS (PQoS) flows with reduced one-way average latency ? Enhanced link privacy using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in Cipher-Block Chaining (CBC) mode using 128-bit AES key length Table 3 summarizes the MoCA 2.0 PHY and Medium Access Control (MAC) layer key parameters. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 34 PARAMETER NAME PARAMETER VALUE NOTES Bandwidth 100 MHz, 225 MHz (bonded channels) Modulation Type OFDM Modulation Density BPSK up to 1024-QAM Subcarrier Spacing 195.3125 kHz Cyclic Prefix 0.2 to 1.28 µs In increments of 0.2 µs for data FEC QC-LDPC with code rate 39/46 LDPC = Low-Density Parity Code Maximum PHY Rate (theoretical) 733 Mbps, 1466 Mbps (bonded channels) Maximum MAC Rate 430 Mbps, 860 Mbps (w/bonded channel) Medium Access Control (MAC) TDD Scheduled MAC with Tx opportunities by NC QoS Contention-free service with low- latency multicast flows Network Management SNMP MIBs for MoCA 1.1 TR-069 support for MoCA 1.1 Maximum Network Size 16 adapters Power Save ‘Active, ‘Idle’, ‘Standby’, and ‘Sleep’ modes Security 128-bit AES encryption in CBC mode Two sets of static and dynamic keys for data encryption CBC = Cipher Block Chaining Table 3 - Summary of MoCA 2.0 PHY and MAC Layer Parameters Figure 17- MoCA 2.0 Extended Band D Frequency Plan DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 35 MoCA 2.0 PHY layer operates in defined frequency bands from 400 MHz to 1675 MHz. Figure 17 shows the MoCA 2.0 Extended band D (ExD) frequency plan, which is used by most of the Cable operators in North America. Band D defined for MoCA 1.1 devices was extended from 1125 MHz to 1675 MHz, introducing two D sub-bands (D-low and D-high) so that two independent MoCA 2.0 networks can be supported. The MoCA 2.0 channels (100 MHz) are centered on a 25 MHz grid, and can be tuned in 25 MHz increments. Bonded channels (225 MHz) consist of 100 MHz primary and secondary channels centered on the 25 MHz grid with a 25 MHz gap between them. The ExD frequency plan supports mix- mode operation with MoCA 2.0 and MoCA 1.1 devices. Other frequency bands include Band E (400 MHz to 700 MHz) and band F (650 MHz to 875 MHz) used primarily by the satellite operators. In some use cases, when a higher MAC throughput is required, MoCA 2.0 added a turbo mode support in a two-node network. In this network nodes may eliminate some MAC overhead in order to maximize the MAC throughput. The MAC throughput in a turbo mode is required to be > 500 Mbps using a 100 MHz channel, and > 1 Gbps using bonded-channels. The MAC layer uses Time-Division-Duplexing (TDD) scheme where all the nodes on the network transmit on the same frequency, but at different time slots or transmit opportunities. All the transmit opportunities are coordinated by a single node called the Network Coordinator (NC). The NC is dynamically selected from all the nodes in the network based on which node has the best broadcast bitloading capability. The NC broadcasts to all the nodes a Media Access Plan (MAP) message approximately every 1ms, defining when each node can transmit in the upcoming time period called a MAP cycle. Thus, the NC ensures that there is no contention for the allocated transmit opportunities. During each MAP cycle, the MoCA nodes are given the opportunity to send RRs to the NC. The NC responds to all the RRs it receives in the MAP cycle by granting time slots in the next MAP cycle to as many transmissions it can. These transmission grants are sent in the next MAP message. Thus, the nodes ‘know’ when they should send and receive data during the upcoming MAP cycle. The MoCA 1.1 network throughput is reduced as the MoCA network expands from two nodes to more nodes due to increased overhead since the NC must schedule additional RRs, which reduces transmission time. This issue was addressed by MoCA 2.0 using OFDMA, allowing eight nodes simultaneously to send their RRs to the NC where each node is transmitting its RR on a different set of subcarriers. Not only does this reduce the overhead for the RRs, but also it reduces latency by allowing a MoCA 2.0 NC to grant RR opportunities to all the nodes every MAP cycle.3 MoCA defines two methods to protect video traffic from other type of traffic on the in-home coaxial network. In the first method, video is sent as prioritized traffic based on the VLAN tag. Thus, the MoCA device will provide preference to video streams with high MoCA priority compared with low-priority or untagged traffic. The second method is to send video streams using Parameterized Quality of Service (PQoS). A traffic flow with specific Traffic Specification (TSPEC) parameters is configured based on link metrics of the flow. Once the PQoS flow is admitted to the network, its bandwidth is guaranteed to be transported across the network. MoCA 2.0 defines additional TSPEC parameters for greater flow control such as maximum latency, classification rule, in-order packet delivery and retransmission. Energy efficiency of consumer products, particularly Set-Top Boxes (STBs) and networking devices is an important requirement. U.S. Federal government and the European Commission have initiatives to regulate the maximum allowed energy consumption of STBs and networking devices.4 To address this 3 A. Monk, R. Lee, and Y. Hebron, “The Multimedia over Coax Alliance,” Proceedings of the IEEE vol.101 (2013). 4 European Commission, ICT Codes of Conduct – Please see DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 36 issue, MoCA 2.0 defined four power states as shown in Table 4, allowing the MoCA node under the control of its host processor to move in and out of low-power states in coordination with other MoCA devices in the network. In addition, the MoCA 2.0 specifies the rules for transitioning the MoCA device from active state to any other power states, and from the other power states back to the active state. POWER MODE POWER MODE NAME DESCRIPTION M0 Active Normal operation of the MoCA interface; full power consumption. M1 Idle MoCA interface is unable to transmit data traffic, but can receive broadcast and unicast traffic; fast wake-up time. M2 Standby MoCA interface is unable to transmit data traffic, but can receive broadcast traffic; slower wake-up time. M3 Sleep MoCA interface is disconnected from the network. Table 4 - MoCA 2.0 Power Mode Names and Description MoCA 1.1 uses 56-bit Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption for data traffic. The privacy of MoCA 2.0 was upgraded to 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption in Cipher Block Chaining mode. Two sets of static and dynamic keys are used for data encryption. In addition, each MoCA device has a programmable password, which is used for distinguishing between MoCA networks either in the same home or adjacent homes. HomePlug AV and other powerline transmissions Used for IP networking (IPVOD, CAS call-home for PPV/VOD purchase reporting, application data, and diagnostics). Please refer to http://www.homeplug.org/ for more information. Section III: Technologies (Functional) that enable the reception of MVPD or OTT service: These are usage of devices technologies from above as applied to MVPD or OTT service reception. Gateways and MVPD Provided Devices and Environments Home Network Video and Internet Gateways (includes Residential Gateway) Key components and features of the Residential Gateway (RG) are: ? xDSL Modem: terminates single-pair and/or bonded-pair copper connections. The modem detects the appropriate xDSL profile automatically and connects customers to the correct VDSL profile. ? Support for local network connectivity: ? Wired: Ethernet, HPNA, MoCA http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/energyefficiency/html/standby_initiative_main.htm DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 37 ? Wireless: 2.4GHz 802.11n, 5GHz 802.11ac ? Supports integrated VoIP ? TR-069 Compliant, Integrated Firewall, NAT/PAT support, Diagnostics support ? Supports Ad Insertion (Also see DBS section above) o AT&T currently implements multiple levels of ad insertion into MediaRoom compliant streams. This includes National, VHO, and Zoned insertion. Zoned ad insertion takes place on the RG using a proprietary protocol and mechanism developed with RG vendors. Targeted ad insertion (currently in development) will take place using in-home MediaRoom DVR and STBs – again using proprietary protocols and mechanisms developed by the middleware vendor. ? Provides Battery backup for the VoIP service ? Provides broadband internet access ? May optionally support DVR capabilities ? Other key interfaces are: o DSL Modem, Gigabit Ethernet WAN, HPNA V3.1 Coax port, up to 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports o 5GHz, 802.11 ac, 4x4 MIMO Wi-Fi, 2.4GHz 802.11n MIMO Wi-Fi o 2 VoIP lines o USB host support Standalone STBs AT&T is offering standalone wired and wireless STBs to U-verse customers. The U-verse standalone STBs are designed with a dedicated video System on Chip (SoC) with a secure core to support identification, authentication, and provisioning of services as well as Digital Right Management security system that is used for content security and protection. All of AT&T U-verse STBs are HD capable STBs and the U-verse content is encoded using the H.264/AC3/DD+ compression standards. Some of the key components of the standalone non-DVR U-verse STBs are: ? Dedicated DRAM ? Application Flash ? Boot ROM (or Secure Flash) ? 10/100 Ethernet Port bridged with HPNA – Internal Ethernet switch ? HPNA V3 ? USB 2.0 port ? Composite, Component, S-Video, HDMI, Optical TOSLINK Audio outputs ? Infra-Red (IR) Remote Control ? Status LEDs DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 38 Digital Video Recorder AT&T is offering a local Digital Video Recorder (DVR) STB with up to 1TB of HDD. Other features of the DVR STB hardware are similar to the standalone non-DVR STBs. In conjunction with the Mediaroom client software application, AT&T is using the DVR STB to offer Total Home DVR (THDVR) and Remote Pause Buffer services. The THDVR service enables customers to record and playback multiple HD channels (up to 6-record and 3 Playback) simultaneously. Customers can initiate recording sessions and playback of recorded content from any STBs within the home. In addition, the Mediaroom software along with the DVR STB, enables pausing of live TV as well as the use of trick modes on live streams from any STBs within the home. These features are based on proprietary implementations of THDVR and Remote Pause Buffer in the Mediaroom software that is licensed by AT&T. The DVR also supports the storage of ad assets and serving of these assets to other STBs within the home. See DBS section for information on DVR use in DBS systems. Cloud or Network DVRs MVPD’s offer a Network/Multi-Room Digital Video Recording (MR-DVR) platform. Cablevision’s system uses the existing STB within the home with no HDD. Other features of the MR-DVR STB are similar to the standalone DVR STBs without a pause buffer. This cloud service becomes a total Multi-Room Home DVR solution. This service enables customers to record and playback multiple HD channels (up to 15- recordings) simultaneously. Customers can initiate recording sessions and playback of recorded content from any STBs within the home. These features are based on proprietary implementations of MR-DVR based on VOD protocols. The MR-DVR system also supports the storage of ad assets and serving of these assets to other STBs within the home. Mediaroom Applications Software The Mediaroom application software is a proprietary IPTV application software licensed by AT&T for the U-verse service. The IPTV Mediaroom system was designed as an application platform to support the IPTV services and evolution of service features. The platform is now owned and maintained by Ericsson. The U-verse IPTV service is based on an all Internet Protocol (IP) delivery for Linear/Live and VOD. The service also encompasses a large number proprietary features and value-added services such as Instant Channel Change (ICC), Multiview, and a large number of interactive applications. The Microsoft Mediaroom DRM is used for content protection on AT&T U-verse STBs with an embedded secure SOC. U-verse is offered to third party devices such as smart phones (iOS, Android), tablets, PCs and laptops through AT&T U-verse applications. PlayReady DRM is used for content protection on these devices. Key implementation details of the AT&T U-verse IPTV features are confidential/proprietary. Application on Retail Device Apple iOS Applications deployed to the Apple App Store for operation on iOS devices are written against an Apple- provided iOS SDK. These applications may incorporate code written in any of a number of languages, but Objective-C and HTML5 are historically the most common. Video applications in the iOS context are modal, though this may be changing somewhat in iOS 9. This means that content-provider library DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 39 discovery, search, and browsing are typically executed in the user-interface context of the application. Developer deployment of applications and application updates is generally managed via the Apple App Store for everyday users. Applications are submitted to Apple for review and distribution. Google Android Android device applications may be delivered to a device by a number of means ranging from side- loading (direct installation) to various application stores (e.g. Amazon appstore, Samsung Galaxy Apps, etc.), the Google Play store being the most popular. In the case of the Google Play store, applications are submitted to the store and made available at the discretion of the application developer. Google may remove application availability if an application is found to be malicious or otherwise harmful. Video applications distributed on the Google Play store may be modal and isolated, as with iOS applications, but this is not the only mechanism for browsing integration. Instead, Android applications may expose their video programming via software interfaces that allow for system-integrated browsing, searching, discovery, and selection. Amazon’s Fire TV provides similar functionality for 3rd party applications, allowing for integrated browsing, search, and discovery. Playback in both cases is handled by the 3rd party’s application, but this integration between the 1st party browsing UI and 3rd party video playback UI does not require any service-specific user action. “Android TV” branded devices incorporate a local federated search mechanism whereby catalog search queries can optionally satisfied by included and downloaded applications. This mechanism allows applications to provide search “plug-ins” to give unified search results to users on these devices. Smart TV With a number of available Smart TV platforms (e.g. Android TV, WebOS, Tizen, Yahoo! Connected TV, Google TV, Google Cast), the approaches for application distribution and content discovery and playback are varied. Approaches to distribution and display range from generally open to curated to closed. Generally open systems (e.g. Android TV) provide APIs and distribution mechanisms that allow for distribution control but remain largely unrestricted by their platform vendors, resorting to application restriction, for example, in cases of user harm. More curated Smart TV platforms (e.g. LG’s WebOS) provide APIs and distribution mechanisms but require platform vendor approval (typically after extensive testing and validation) before an application may be made available for use. Further restriction is possible, leaving platform APIs and distribution mechanisms restricted by explicit agreement between platform and service vendors. At present, this group is not aware of any Smart TV platforms still using this approach to application distribution. HTML5 with EME HTML5 with EME encompasses a wide range of use cases for content discovery, search, navigation, and playback, as HTML5 with EME is merely a technology stack allowing for host-based provisioning DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 40 negotiation. Though HTML5 “applications” may be delivered in a number of ways, the most common approach is to receive the code and content in a browser context while interacting with a server. PC-based ”Native” applications Personal computer-based streaming applications from individual service providers are more rare. Some, like Kodi and Boxee exist, but these are 3rd party aggregation applications often built without direct input from service providers. SlingTV supports a PC/Mac client, and PC/Mac clients exist for MVPDs and retail devices using SlingBox technology for streaming. As such, service support is inconsistent. We can look to music navigation applications (e.g. WinAmp, iTunes, Songbird, Amazon MP3) as a possible design example, but there are many distinct differences, including local library collection, high title count, and short title (track) duration. Instead, video services are more commonly deployed to computers via HTML with either EME or embedded plug-in viewing mechanisms (e.g. Flash, Silverlight). Standalone Retail Devices HDTV What can be called an HDTV ranges in function from a dumb monitor to a display-integrated computer. HDTV devices generally incorporate external digital, analog, and tuner inputs, and HDTV endpoint devices may incorporate other interfaces such as USB, TOSLINK (for audio), CableCARD (on legacy HDTVs), Ethernet, WiFi, etc. Generally, HDTV devices may receive MVPD content via tuning unencrypted channels (e.g. ClearQAM, however not all cable providers have ClearQAM channels). “Smart TV” HDTV devices may also access video content over WiFi, Ethernet, or local storage connections. DVR Retail DVR devices vary greatly in functional characteristics and feature-sets, but a common feature among these devices is the inclusion of the ability to record programming programmatically, typically, but not necessarily, without the use of removable linear media such as videocassette or DVD+/-R. DVR systems leverage hard disk drive (HDD) and/or other local storage devices to record and retain video programs. Retail devices may be bound by regulation (e.g. Copy Control Information) with regards to this fundamental behavior. Additionally, DVR devices may include “trick play” functionality such as pause of live TV and may integrate other functionality (e.g. Netflix on TiVo devices). Furthermore, DVR functionality may be included as a functional feature in other devices (e.g. Microsoft Windows Media Center). Portable media storage Portable media storage devices (e.g. SD Cards, external Hard Disk Drives) may be used to store video content for later playback. These devices can be connected via a number of interfaces, the most common being USB. Content stored on these devices may be cryptographically “keyed” to be decodable on a single device or limited group of devices. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 41 Section IV: Technologies that enable the reception of MVPD or OTT service: This section provides information about specific technologies that enable the reception of MVPD or OTT service. Google Fiber IPTV System Overview Summary This outlines the various components of the Google Fiber IPTV service. It’s purpose is to explain how we may operate differently than other MVPDs and also to explain how it’s service could be adapted to work with a market for 3rd party retail navigation devices. Overall, Google Fiber operates like most MVPDs do with regards to having installers, CSRs, headends, content ingestion/transcoding/distribution and in home STBs. Linear TV Feeds Linear TV channels are sent out over IPTV multicast (UDP multicast). The channels use H264 video encoding and either MPEG or Dolby Digital audio encoding. The transport layer is a single program MPEG2 Transport Stream. They carry multiple audio tracks when present. Closed captioning and AFD information is also retained in these streams. Retransmitted local broadcast channels are sent without encryption. All other channels are encrypted using Widevine with EMM/ECM data present in the stream. Households that do not subscribe to the TV service have the IPTV multicast signal blocked at the network level. Video on Demand Google Fiber has all types of VOD content; free, subscription based and transactional. VOD content is served over HTTP and encrypted using Widevine. The streaming format is specific to the Widevine VOD implementation that is used. We also provide VOD content served over the DASH protocol [40]; which is currently utilized by our mobile/tablet clients and will likely transition to this protocol for all VOD streaming in the near future. VOD streamed via DASH supports playback using standard EME. Metadata Metadata relating to the program guide information and VOD content is delivered via HTTP to the clients. This data also contains the mappings of logical TV channels to their actual multicast IP:port. It comes down as a compressed BLOB of data which is a delta of the information from the last retrieval. It is also possible to download the full set of information, which is what occurs for a newly provisioned STB. The data is in a proprietary format. Imagery associated with the metadata has URLs specified in the metadata so those images can be retrieved for presentation in the user interface. Content Authorization A secure HTTP RPC service is provided for clients to retrieve information relating to content authorization and subscribed channels. Connection to this service requires validation of security certificates in a bi-directional manner (i.e. SSL where both client & server certificates are validated). This service provides the information on what specific channel lineup the device should be using (so it can then request the proper metadata). It also provides a list of all the devices in the home that our whole home DVR storage box is allowed to communicate with. It also lists all of the channels that the user is authorized for viewing. The DRM components in the client also connect to this same service in order to obtain the data they need in order to enable decryption of the subscribed linear TV channels and DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 42 authorized/purchased VOD content and know the output protection rules associated with that content. (NOTE: These are not the actual encryption keys, but keys that in conjunction with the DRM secrets loaded into the device along with the ECM/EMM information in the MPEG stream allows it to generate the decryption keys for the content. Keys are rotated on a regular basis for the linear TV channels.) Emergency Alert EAS information is sent out over an IPTV multicast feed and contains all the information the device would need in order to properly respond to an EAS/EAN event. Monitoring & Logging Device logs are uploaded regularly to Google servers for analysis and processing. We use the TR-069 protocol for management, provisioning, remote configuration and other types of data collection. Slingbox The Slingbox is a TV placeshifting device that allows users to watch their live TV or DVR content anywhere via an IP connection. It is able to connect to virtually any MVPD’s STB. Connections are only 1-1, meaning a single session per Slingbox. Please refer to http://www.slingbox.com/ for more information. Mediaroom In order for a third party to implement the Mediaroom features, they need to license the Mediaroom platform. The following provides a high level overview of the two key features: ICC: instant channel change is achieved by a combination of TCP and UDP IP traffic for a specific channel and detailed implementation of ICC is confidential. RUDP: Resilient UDP is another technology used by Microsoft to provide reliability. This is also a proprietary Microsoft technology. Section V: OTT Services Some OTT services have different applications on different platforms. Table 5 describes the operation of each application for the discovery and reception of content on a sample set of OTT services. This table is not intended to be comprehensive or a survey of all current OTT services. Discovery Reception Content Type Content source Business model(s) Ad support Amazon In-app and platform search and browse Streaming and Download Long Form TV and Film 3rd party (studio) and 1st party Rent, Sale, and subscription Content promo only Netflix In-app and platform search and browse Streaming Long Form TV and Film 3rd party (studio) and 1st party Subscription No DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 43 Hulu In-app and platform search and browse Streaming Long Form TV and Film 3rd party (studio), regional exclusive, and 1st party Ad-supported (always) and subscription Yes YouTube In-app and platform search and browse Streaming Originally Short Form, now unlimited Largely 3rd party sourced (user submission) with some 1st party content Ad supported and (pending) subscription Yes SlingTV In-app and platform search and browse Streaming Live Programming Broadcaster/channel Subscription with optional add-ons, VOD, and C3 (subscription inclusive) In-band with live content Table 5 - Sample OTT Service ca. Summer 2015 Section VI: Essential Customer Experiences Include messaging and protocols that enable these experiences during analysis. PURPOSE Through a series of Use Cases, specify the content subscription service elements that are currently available and used by the market. INTRODUCTION These Use Cases serve to identify and describe the current service features that an end-subscriber (consumer) may gain access to when they have a subscription to a content service. Examples of a content subscription service would be a subscription to a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD) or an Over-The-Top (OTT) service. The dissemination of these services can be transmitted through a series of paths, such as cable, satellite or via an Internet connection or a combination thereof. It is important to note that these subscriptions are governed by agreements made among several parties. Users traditionally enter into agreements with the content subscription service. Content subscription service providers typically enter into multiple agreements, including with content providers, advertisers, metadata providers, CAS and DRM vendors, OEM set-top box manufacturers, and others. Third party manufacturers currently enter into, and are bound by, specific licenses (such as DFAST) and/or specific business arrangements, and regulatory and legal requirements. This group of agreements governs the content ecosystem that is currently accessed by the subscriber. The following Uses Cases take into account these agreements. Outlining and categorizing virtually every service feature available aids in the identification of the salient differences amongst the categories and service offerings. Some of the devices reviewed by the DSTAC Working Group support only some use cases or only some features within a use case. The report DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 44 analyzes the features and use cases that are or should be supported. That analysis may assist in evaluating alternative systems and features that are or should be baseline requirements for service providers and device manufactures, as well as the evaluation of platforms or devices in the marketplace that are able to satisfy these Use Cases. It should also be noted that these Uses Cases may change over time. The purpose of this document is to relay Use Cases based on current market availability. END-USER Precondition: In each of these use cases, the consumer already has a subscription with an MVPD or OTT provider. USE CASE #1 - Tuning and Viewing a Linear Channel USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case covers when a subscriber tunes to a new channel using channel up/down, direct channel entry, or from other navigation (the linear and on-demand navigation use case is covered below). TRANSMISSION METHODS While an MVPD device must only support the transmission methods for the MVPD’s network, a retail device for this use case should be able to support methods for transmission of linear channels, including: TRANSMISSION METHOD ACTIVE EXAMPLE Analog There are a small amount of Cable operators in the country who still transmit some channels using analog transmission methods. QAM broadcast Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is the standard for broadcast of digital video on cable networks today. In the United States, the QAM standard used is ANSI/SCTE 07, 2000: Digital Video Transmission Standard for Cable Television. QPSK DVB-S Quadra-phase Shift Keying (QPSK) is a modulation system used in DNBS broadcast systems. DVB-S is an advanced coding system defined by DVB. QPSK DSS broadcast See International Telecommunications Union, Recommendation ITU-R BO.1516, 2001, "Digital multiprogramme television systems for use by satellite operating in the 11/12 GHz frequency range, System B" DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 45 TRANSMISSION METHOD ACTIVE EXAMPLE DVB-S2 broadcast DVB-S2 is an advanced coding system defined by DVB. See “Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) User guidelines for the second generation system for Broadcasting, Interactive Services, News Gathering and other broadband satellite applications (DVB- S2), ETSI TR 102 376, V1.1.1, February 2005.” QPSK and 8-PSK Turbo broadcast 8-way-phase Shift keying 8-PSK Multicast User Datagram Protocol (UDP) See Google Fiber section for example. Multicast Real-Time Protocol (RTP with custom adaptation layer) over UDP See AT&T section above for usage example. Unicast RTP (with custom adaptation layer) over UDP The U-verse TV system uses unicast RTP based messages to deliver instant channel change video payload to the client. When booted, each STB receives a listing of video session assignments to a specific Distribution server (D-Server) from the D-Server cluster. The Payload is delivered vis Unicast RTP over UDP by the D-Server. The RTP adaptation fields contain information that identifies various real-time events such as Blackout markers and tables, Random Access Points (RAP) among others. In addition to this, the D-Server may add event specific markers to the RTP extension for a specific request. The unicast RTP delivery is also used for delivering error correction payloads for lost or corrupted packets as part of the resilient UDP (RUDP) mechanism. QAM switched digital video (SDV) Switched Digital Video (SDV) for QAM networks is a method of implementing IP multicast using broadcast QAM transport DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 46 TRANSMISSION METHOD ACTIVE EXAMPLE rather than IP. This permits only those broadcast channels in a service group that are being watched to be transmitted to that service group. Those channels which are not being watched in a service group are not transmitted and thus save bandwidth enabling more channels to be carried in the same amount of bandwidth as a purely broadcast system. The two-way out-of-band channel used on the particular system provides the two-way communication path necessary for a set-top to request a particular SDV channel using a proprietary protocol. NACK-Oriented Reliable Multicast (NORM) Transport Protocol NORM is an IETF RFC for a protocol that can provide end-to-end reliable transport of video streams over generic IP multicast routing and forwarding services. CableLabs recently issued several specifications that use NORM for transport of Adaptive Bit-Rate video streams over IP multicast. The relevant specifications are: ? IP Multicast Server – Client Interface Specification, OC-SP-MS-EMCI, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. ? IP Multicast Controller-Server Interface Specification, OC-SP-MC-MSI, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. ? IP Multicast Controller-Client Interface Specification, OC-SP-MC-EMCI, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. IETF RFC 5740, NACK-Oriented Reliable Multicast (NORM) Transport Protocol, November 2009. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 47 As some MVPDs transition to converged IP networks, new transmission methods will be introduced and some transmission methods will be deprecated. Examples of IP streaming include HLS [38] and DASH [40]. CODEC SUPPORT While an MVPD device must only support the codecs used by the MVPD’s network, a retail device for this use case should support audio and video codecs, including: ? MPEG-2 [6] (Note that DBS systems will typically use GOP structures lasting multiple seconds.) ? MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 ? HEVC/H.265 ? MPEG-1 Audio ? Dolby AC3 ? Dolby Digital Plus ? AAC ? AAC Plus The following table lists examples of codecs and how they are currently being used by the listed entities. MVPD Transport Control Channel Video Codec Cable ? QAM/MPEG-2 TS ? QAM/MPEG-2 TS ? QAM/MPEG-2 TS ? QAM/MPEG-2 TS ? QAM/MPEG-2 TS ? QAM/MPEG-2 TS ? SCTE-55-1 ? SCTE-55-1/DOCSIS ? DOCSIS ? SCTE-55-2/DOCSIS ? In-Band ? Generic IP ? MPEG-2/AVC ? MPEG-2/AVC ? MPEG-2/AVC ? MPEG-2/AVC ? MPEG-2/AVC ? MPEG-2/AVC Satellite ? QPSK/DSS TS, DVB-S2/MPEG-2 TS ? (QPSK, DVB-S, 8-PSK Turbo)/MPEG-2 TS ? In-Band ? In-Band ? MPEG-2/AVC ? MPEG-2/AVC Off-Air ? 8-VSB/MPEG-2 TS N/A Telco ? Multicast/Unicast-IP/VDSL/FTTP ? QAM/MPEG-2 TS & IP/BPON or IP/GPON ? IP/VDSL/FTTP ? SCTE-55-1/SCTE- 55-2 ? AVC ? MPEG-2/AVC Google Fiber TV ? IP/GPON/MPEG-2 TS ? IP/GPON ? AVC Table 6 - Transport, Control, And Codec Support NOTE: A earlier version of this table was cited within the DSTAC Working Group 2 report Error! Reference source not found. (as “Table 1 Currently Deployed CAS Systems”) and was described as a summary of known, deployed CAS systems, each of which has its own unique licensing and trust infrastructure, along with the associated core ciphers, transports, control channels, and video codecs in use. As new video and audio codecs are introduced, MVPDs will take advantage of them. Over time some codecs will be deprecated. In instances where a separate decoder is used these aforementioned codecs may not be called upon for use. For example, a gateway device might not have an HDMI output, and DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 48 therefore have no decoders on board. The device with the decoder would be the end point client device, such as a tablet or RUI client. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 49 IMAGE QUALITY While an MVPD device must only support the picture resolutions and formats used on the MVPD’s network, a retail device for this use case should be capable of supporting common picture resolutions and formats, including: ? SD 480i/480p ? HD 720p (30 and 60 fps) ? HD 1080i ? HD 1080p (24 and 30 fps) ? 4K and UltraHD (High Dynamic Range (HDR), Wide Color Gamut, deep pixel depth) ? 3D frame compatible (Side-by-side, Top-and-Bottom, Interlace) As new picture resolutions and formats are introduced, MVPDs will take advantage of them. Over time some resolutions and formats will be deprecated. Because content may be decoded to various resolutions and refresh rates, devices displaying content to different target resolutions and rates should be capable of spatially and temporally resampling supplied content to maintain spatial and temporal consistency. Example algorithms include, but are not limited to, nearest-neighbor, bilinear, Lanczos. Normative References: ? ARIB STD-B56, “UHDTV System Parameters for Programme Production” STREAM MANAGEMENT (Resource Allocation) Stream management is the allocation of stream resources within a defined network. Where necessary, a device for this use case must support the concurrent stream management required to limit the number of concurrent streams that a subscriber can receive and/or view. Stream management is also used to manage the number of simultaneous ingress and egress streams for THDVR. The device shall limit streams to be consistent with the number of authorized access points. Note that stream management is not limited to solely HD and SD streams. Stream management is necessary when addressing access network bandwidth limitations, tuner limitations (in particular in the case of satellite) or fraud prevention (credential or password sharing). SYSTEM ACTIVE EXAMPLE AT&T U-Verse Stream management used by Mediaroom is a proprietary implementation that manages the number concurrent WAN streams (coming to the home) and DVR record and playback streams. This feature is part of the Mediaroom application software running on the STBs. DBS DBS receivers typically have limited numbers of tuners that are distributed among DVR recordings, attached displays, and network displays. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 50 SYSTEM ACTIVE EXAMPLE Management of tuner resources is a task for the main server in a DBS installation. CableCARD CableCARD supports 6 concurrent programs with 120Mbit maximum bandwidth. Table 7 - Examples of Stream Management SWITCHED DIGITAL VIDEO Switched Digital Video (SDV) allows an MVPD to make efficient use of bandwidth by only broadcasting those channels that are currently being watched within a given area, e.g., a node, or neighborhood. This allows the MVDP to use the reclaimed bandwidth for other services, including higher data speeds. The network looks for tell-tale signs of viewer inactivity, asks the viewer if he or she is still watching, and recovers the channel if there is no response. The exact SDV techniques vary by vendor, but they rely upon SDV client software in the customer device or a tuning adapter as well as two way communication. For SDV to work within retail devices without the requirement of an external MVPD-specific tuning adapter, all current implementations would need to be ported and a predictable software client would need to be present in the retail device. These solutions would need to be tested for operability and for functional tuning performance across MVPDs, and room would need to be left for the implementations to continue to evolve and improve. If there is no client to communicate viewing status upstream, there is no recovery of bandwidth, and SDV would fail in its essential purpose of opening bandwidth for more channels, more high-definition, faster broadband and more advanced services. See below for high level overview of SDV. External tuning adapters are used by some UDCPs to receive SDV. Figure 18- Switched and Non Switched Video Some of the key elements of SDV are: DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 51 ? Dynamic channel mapping information identifying the current channels being transmitted into a service group and their tuning information. ? Tuning requirements (methods). ? Keep-alive messages, indicating that a channel is still being watched. ? Time-outs, indicating that a channel may potentially no longer being viewed based on the lack of viewer activity via the remote control. ? Customer notifications (e.g., tear-down of channel), to insure that the viewer is in fact no longer watching the channel, before actually taking down the channel. APPLICATIONS Applications provide additional information or access to additional services, as selected by or subscribed to, by the User. A device with the ability to support integrated or program synchronous applications, should ensure that integrated applications or applications associated with the tuned channel, are presented and accessible to the User. Currently, some technologies used are Widgets, Enhanced TV (EBIF) [37], and MediaRoom. Other proprietary applications, such as those related to OTT services, may also be supported by the device. Examples of integrated or program synchronous applications include: ? Headlines ticker ? Instant local weather ? Sports scores and statistics ? Shop by remote ? Bookmarking ads ? Social networks (Twitter, IM, SMS, etc.) ? Mosaic channels ? Telescoping ? Auto-tune HD ? “Mix” channels (mosaic of multiple channels / camera angles) ? Set timers (e.g. for future sport events or tune to current events) ? Communication service compatibility o Voicemail, CallerID requires integration with telephone networks o May be used for home automation and home security networks ADVERTISING Advertising messaging, when part of a service, should not be deliberately filtered out. The following advertising models must be supported: ? Local insertion of broadcast advertising into linear television ? Local insertion of zoned or targeted advertising into linear television i) Must receive if delivered from network ii) Must securely store & delete in device and insert if managed by the device ? Interactive Request For Information (RFI) ? Telescoping to on-demand advertising ? Must honor and be compliant with advertising rules, such as: i) Rules about ads in conjunction with a network’s video ii) Rules preventing interference, substitution or removal of ads DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 52 iii) Limitations on web links when programming is directed to children iv) Rules about the inclusion of advertisements, promotions, sponsorships, and/or overlays that are displayed, in or around, a network’s video window (linear & VOD) while the guide experience is engaged. v) Support for availability windows (e.g., C3 or Post-C3 ad loads) ? Ad measurement and reporting i) Report back the display of an ad for frequency limits or analytics of reach of the ad campaign ? Protection of ad boundaries, especially as it relates to substitute programming or downstream devices ? Ad asset storage and lifecycle management ? Integration with Ad Decision Management (ADM) and Ad Decision Systems (ADS) ? Honor C+3, C+7, etc. ad insertion rules for DVR content playback This use case also requires support for an audit trail to validate that the advertising has been presented as relayed. DEVICE REQUIREMENTS 1) A device must ensure that blackouts are supported. a. Content delivered to the device (e.g., from satellite or cable distribution hub or IPTV super hub office) must be blacked out if not authorized (e.g., in-home vs. out-of- home, in-market vs. out-of-market, in-region vs. out-of-region, domestic vs. international). b. Customer notifications, including messaging, signaling & placement (e.g., notifying customers of blackout restrictions or alternate programming requirements). 2) A device must support parental control. a. Content delivered to the device must not be tuned or must not be presented if restricted by Parental Control (PIN setting and resetting both via device and through customer support, PIN enabling and disabling, PIN entry). b. Adult title blocks. c. Requirements: §§ 624(d)(2) and 640, 47 U.S.C. §§ 544(d)(2) and 560 d. Supporting standards: CEA-608, CEA-708, CEA-766. 3) A device should support Alternative Content. a. The device must receive and insert appropriate content as alternate to regional blackouts (sports, network non-duplication, syndicated exclusivity) or other programming rights restrictions (e.g., in-home vs. out-of-home). b. Customer notifications, including messaging, signaling & placement. c. Advertising substitutions to accommodate content and channel ratings. 4) The device must support messaging and redirection for unauthorized channels. 5) The device must enforce copy control, image constraint, and selectable outputs control as indicated by CCI or on-demand applications. 6) The device must enforce copy count limitations. 7) The device must enforce pass-through/regeneration of copy control information on outputs (e.g., CGMS-a, APS). 8) The device must enforce/allow transit, delay/latency and round-trip time restrictions beyond those defined by standards such as DTCP or HDCP. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 53 9) The device must not deliberately filter out watermarks (video, audio, other). Watermarks, in this case, are forensic markers embedded into a piece of content to permit after-the-fact detection of the source of security breaches. 10) The device must enforce geo-filtering and geo-fencing requirements & restrictions beyond blackouts (e.g., alternate programming). a. E.g., restrictions/requirement for what can be displayed in common areas, commercial/university properties 11) The device should support and must tolerate the presence of Active Format Descriptor (AFD) signaling (e.g., letterbox, center-cut an HD signal to fit SD presentation). a. Normative references: CEA-805, ATSC (A/65, A/81), SMPTE AFD. 12) The device must support transcoding or down-res’ing restrictions or requirements (e.g., minimum encoding bitrates/quality). 13) The device should support the feature of HD channel preferred. a. When the subscriber tunes to a simulcast SD channel the device suggests tuning to the HD version, or does so automatically if configured accordingly. AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT Audience measurement is the ability to report back viewing metrics based on anonymized census-level audience data derived from set-tops. This is a non-intrusive service. Current audience measurement techniques enable MVPDs to measure audiences for channels and when viewers tune in and tune out. This helps to determine which programs are most popular, how many people watch a program to its conclusion, what viewership to report to advertisers, which programs and channels to carry, how to optimize programming to meet changing viewer demand, and how to sell advertising that underwrites the programming and networks provider to consumers. Examples include: Audience measurement of long tail and small market programming; Audience measurement to allow ad buyers to buy advertising in specific dayparts and networks; DBS delivery of targeted ads based on household characteristics; Consumer-packaged-goods companies measuring ROI by correlating campaigns with lift in sales. PLAYBACK This use case requires the activation of trick play capability of live TV, e.g. pause, fast forward, and rewind, each at multiple speeds and may be enacted through the following methods: ? Time shift buffer ? Using local DVR ? Using network DVR Pause and Resume are currently available and traditional features. The device and system should support pausing content on one device and resuming from another device. INSTANT CHANNEL CHANGE Some MVPD devices support Instant Channel Change (ICC), a feature that minimizes or eliminates channel change latency, depending on the MVPD’s network. A retail device for this use case should support and include a variety of different methods of implementing ICC, including: ? IPTV – multicast and unicast RTP/UDP/IP ? QAM SDV ? Broadband tuners and demodulators DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 54 ? Opportunistic device caching ? Pre-decoding of adjacent channels, with associated stream count limitations enforced. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS There are a number of regulatory requirements for this use case. A device should support all service provider and device regulatory requirements, as obligated by law. Examples of regulations include: ? Safety and interference requirements. ? Emergency Information o Emergency Alert System (EAS) local and regional. Receives EAS on all channels. Supports force tune and text crawls with audio replacement. o Emergency Information: When emergency information is conveyed visually during non- newscasts (such as in on-screen crawl), the secondary audio stream must be used to convey such emergency information aurally, preempting any other use of SAP, such as DVS or foreign-language. ? Accessibility Access (e.g., top-level vs. lower-level; ease of access) ? Advanced Communications Services (ACS), such as two way electronic messaging services (e.g., real-time text and video chat applications), must be accessible to and usable by persons who are blind or have limited vision o On July 1, 2016, the waiver of the ACS requirement is set to expire. The waiver includes IP-TVs, IP-Digital Video Players (DVPs), and Set-Top-Boxes leased by cable operators. ? Nielsen o Audio watermark pass-through o ID3 tag pass-through and/or regeneration ? Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act ? Pass-through of VBI (analog) (e.g., V-Chip, CC, VITC, etc.) and regeneration of digital counterpart. Normative References: ? Accessibility: 47 C.F.R. Parts 14, 79; SMPTE ST 2052-1-2010, Timed Text Format (SMPTE-TT) ? CALM: 47 CFR §76.607; ATSC Recommended Practice (RP) A/85 ? EAS: 47 C.F.R. Part 11 ? Nielsen: 47 C.F.R. §§76.62; Carriage of Digital Broadcast Signals, 16 FCC Rcd 2598 ¶ 61 (2001). ? Privacy: 47 U.S.C. §§ 338(i), 551 ? Pass-through & V-Chip: 47 U.S.C. § 534(b)(3); 47 C.F.R. §§76.62; 76.606; ATSC A/65 PSIP standard; Carriage of Digital Broadcast Signals, 16 FCC Rcd 2598 ¶ 61 (2001); Second Periodic Review of the Commission’s Rules and Policies Affecting the Conversion to Digital Television, 19 FCC Rcd 18279, ¶¶ 154-159 (2004). ? Parental control: §§ 624(d)(2) and 640, 47 U.S.C. §§ 544(d)(2) and 560 USE CASE #2 - Viewing On-Demand Content USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case incorporates the features laid out within the Linear Content Use Case. This use case also covers the multiple forms of on-demand content consumption, examples include: DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 55 ? Transactional VoD (rental transaction, including purchase screen) ? Subscription VoD (premium subscription content, authorization only) ? Free VoD (non-premium content, no authorization or purchase screen) ? Electronic Sell Through (EST, purchase screen on first viewing only, authorization only on subsequent viewing) ? Start Over™ (similar to subscription VoD, but contextual) ? Look Back™ (similar to subscription VoD) ? Purchase PIN (PIN setting and resetting both on TV and through customer support, PIN enabling and disabling, PIN entry) ? Device meets trick play requirements, e.g. disables FF with OD content (typically during advertisements), per content provider condition, disable skip (e.g., 30-second skip) for full assets or intra-asset. ? 3rd party devices may purchase and display VOD from MVPD and OTT services via 2-way agreements. ? 3rd party devices may support a purchase of MVPD provided content. In satellite systems, each of these can furthermore be implemented via a priori staging of content on local DVR storage. Devices interacting with DBS systems must accept catalog information from the attached DBS gateway – depending on download history and broadband connectivity, any particular DBS gateway will have unique sets of VOD content available. The variations in content and viewing window will include variations of resolution (1080p/3-D/UHD/HD (1080i & 720p)/SD, etc.) and pricing. USE CASE #3 - Tuning and Viewing Pay Per View (PPV) events USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case incorporates the features laid out within the Linear Content Use Case. This use case covers the purchase and viewing of PPV events including the following PPV features: ? Free preview window – period of time subscriber can view PPV event without paying. ? Purchase window – period of time subscriber can purchase the PPV event. ? Cancellation window – period of time during which subscriber can cancel the purchase of the PPV event ? Secure purchase credits and purchase limits – In general, PPV event purchases are done on a store and forward basis, purchases are stored securely, set-tops are provisioned with limits on the number or amount of purchases that can be made before the purchases are collected ? User interface required to present time remaining in preview, purchase, and cancellation windows, as well as the transaction and when the purchase limit is exceeded, including messaging capabilities (e.g., call-in numbers, contact information) ? Purchase PIN (PIN setting and resetting both on TV and through customer support, PIN enabling and disabling, PIN entry) ? Auditing and reporting ? Devices interacting with DBS systems must accept guide data from the attached DBS gateway – accurate guide data is available for in-home use. The variations in content will include variations of resolution (1080p/3-D/UHD/HD (1080i & 720p)/SD, etc.) and pricing. ? Limited time recording of PPV events on 3rd party devices may be supported. ? 3rd party devices must support a purchase UI controlled by the MVPD system. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 56 USE CASE #4 - Navigation USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case covers the broad range of methods for navigating linear and on-demand content. Regardless of the method, the navigation must respect the content provider’s license agreements about channel placement and neighborhoods. There is a significant effort that goes into the navigation to optimize consumer satisfaction and make it easy to use / enjoy features of the service. There are many different methods of navigating linear and on-demand content that should be considered, some examples include: ? Provide a familiar or similar interface across the multiple devices consumers use to access the service ? Grid guide ? Cloud based guide variants / RUI ? Talking guide ? Emergency Information settings & accessibility ? Closed Captioning settings & accessibility ? Channel presentation in required neighborhoods (e.g., news channels) and channel assignments (e.g., broadcaster carriage on channel) ? Favorite channels, recent tuning history, bookmarks, etc. ? Recent tuning history across devices ? Mosaics & associated navigation ? Cover art ? Channel logos ? Thumbnails ? Search – including both locally-based and network-based ? Network-branded points of entry, e.g. content provider requires that their on-demand content be accessible through a network-branded folder labeled “Disney” or “HBO” rather than just being commingled with other on-demand content ? Multiple guide view…genre, by network ? Devices interacting with DBS systems must accept guide data from the attached DBS gateway – accurate guide data is available for in-home use. Variations between particular homes will include blackout and local channel availability, and will require a generated guide to accurately reflect conditions in any particular subscriber’s home. ? Both HD and SD versions of channels may be available with otherwise identical service and event information. Standardized table structures may not distinguish between 3-D, UHD, HD and SD versions. ? Recommendations from user profile across devices ? Recommendations from what’s trending or popular in neighborhood ? Trick play – fast forward and/or rewind, at multiple speeds, skip chaptering, etc. ? Navigating and Billing for VOD including: o Verification of purchase o Offer of multiple options (e.g., rent or EST) o Integration with billing system/account management o Record customer purchases ? Search, including: DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 57 o Voice control via remote o Voice control smart phone, tablet or similar device ? Whole Home capabilities: o Ability to advertise services to the home network o Ability to discover services on the home network Multiple features above may be combined in the navigation functions. USE CASE #5 - Recording Linear Content USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case includes all of the features of the Linear Content Use Case and also covers the recording of linear content via Digital Video Recording (DVR) capabilities. If recording rights are available for a particular channel or event, then also see linear tuning use case for additional features. There are a number of implementations that should be considered: ? Record on local hard disk drive ? Record on whole home DVR and supporting home network protocols ? Record on Remote Pause Buffer (Pausing Live TV from any STBs within the house) ? Record on Network or Remote Storage DVR (similar to subscription VoD, but on a per subscriber basis, with associated database and navigation) ? Time-shift-buffering and limitations (e.g., restricted to 30 minutes) ? Record timers based on: o Content type: first time airing, reruns ? Content removal incited by the timed recording. o Content can be expunged based on settings related to number of recordings to keep, priority, etc. ? Record on mobile device, side car recording ? Move recorded content onto an authorized device(s) o A “move” removes the content from the source device. No copies are to be made in a “move” scenario. To support accessibility requirements and choices made during playback, 3rd party devices must preserve all audio streams and associated metadata at the time of initial recording. Recording rights may differ on a channel and/or event basis. Recording rights may change over time and should be verified at the time of recording. USE CASE #6 - Remote Management by Consumer USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case covers management functions available to the subscriber remotely or on a network- connected mobile device. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 58 RELATED REQUIREMENTS Management of Tuning Management of the service by the subscriber remotely, including by the primary display and by a network-connected mobile or second screen device: ? DVR scheduling ? Content search ? Remote control ? Parental controls, including device restrictions (e.g., by channel, rating, time-of-day, etc.) ? Management of some DBS gateways may require security certificates available from the MVPD. Management of Account Management of the account by the subscriber remotely, including by the primary display and by a network-connected mobile or second screen device: ? Account management, pay your bill via integration with billing system ? Subscription management – ability to upgrade or downgrade service packages on-screen with remote, requires access to service catalog and integration with the billing system ? Self-help customer service support items (e.g. schedule a service call or appointment) ? Subscriber Account Management may be supported on standard HTML5 web browsers that are connected to an MVPD’s internet site. ? Account and password information should not be cached by an unsecure device or in unsecured/unencrypted storage. USE CASE #7 - Set-Top Box set-up USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case covers how a subscriber can set-up a number of preferences for the operation of their set- top box, including: ? Menu Preferences, such as changing the background darkness level and auto-tuning to HD channels, overscan of image, on-screen overlays and their positioning. ? Device Settings o Closed captioning o Audio settings o Light brightness of your set-top box o Inactivity standby options o Nightly reset time o EPG preferences (size, favorite channel list) o Remote control setup for 3rd party devices (TV, A/V receiver) o Audio output format and volume leveling settings o Control of HDMI-CEC for 3rd party devices (TV, AV Receiver) o Output video resolution to TV: ? SD 480i ? ED 480p ? HD 720p DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 59 ? HD 1080i ? HD 1080p ? UHD 2160p ? Parental Controls, see above ? PIN Controls, see above ? Accessibility (e.g., Closed Captioning, audio track selection, etc. – see above) ? Many settings and options will only be available through the MVPD device UI. Management of Device Management of the device settings by the subscriber, including by the primary display and by a network-connected mobile or second screen device: ? Captioning ? Language selection ? Energy management ? Remote management and other tasks may require access to the video output or UI pages generated by an MVPD device. USE CASE #8 - Customer Support and Remote Management by Service Provider USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case covers customer support and remote management features provided by the MVPD. ? Remote diagnostics ? On-screen diagnostics ? Ability to disable a device and display a notification (e.g. Call your service provider) ? Backup of set-top box configuration in the network (e.g. preserves DVR scheduling, configuration preferences, etc.) ? Unified remote control experience ? Reporting back on statistics like signal level, device temperature and crash reports ? Software updates ? Some MVPD devices may save device and user settings in associated remote control devices. ? CSR support will require the subscriber to access the MVPD’s device UI and may require access to raw video output of the MVPD device. USE CASE #9 - Installation and Provisioning USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case should describe the installation and provisioning of the service and customer premise equipment necessary to receive the service. This use case should cover the range of installation from self-install to professional install, and should include home networking setup of multiple display devices (retail and MVPD/OTT) in the home. This use case includes functionality to verify the quality of an installation (e.g. correct orientation of a satellite dish) prior to allowing authorization of services. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 60 ? Ensure pre-requisites for service have been met by customer – i.e. network access setup and configuration, Wireless network, home wiring, etc. ? If Ethernet over Coax technologies (i.e. HPNA or MoCA) are used, coaxial home wiring should be tested before installing STBs to ensure proper network connectivity and throughput ? When wireless home networking is used, installers should verify rate, reach, Wi-Fi interference to ensure high quality of service over Wi-Fi ? Secure Register with unique Consumer Device ID with backend systems to receive service authentication and access data ? Ensure that customers are correctly provisioned for the services/packages they sign up for ? During installation verify the following: o Service is up and running o Remote control functions properly o All services features (i.e. ICC, THDVR, etc…) and interactive applications are operational ? Some in-home network technologies will not interoperate with more than one MVPD present. Parallel wiring may be required. DBS-RELATED REQUIREMENTS DBS systems need to be able to: ? identify the customer’s satellite matrix (which satellites are visible, and how to connect and tune to them through a multiswitch), ? connect to “slim” clients within the house, ? prompt for STB authorization requests (e.g.,. call for authorization), ? Configure STB remote to control TVs, A/V Receivers, DVD/Blu-ray players that may be connected to the system, universal remote setup, and configuration of IR-Blasters for control of VCRs. ? Professional installation of service will require access to the video output (HDMI, Component, composite) of provided gateway device. ? MVPD provided devices will require access to DBS broadcast to download current device software. USE CASE #10 - Device Operation Requirements USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case covers additional features that normally run in the background, and are generally part of maintenance, security, and efficiency interests. Such interests place requirements on the device, for example: Software Updates Software updates for retail devices are typically the responsibility of the device manufacturer, while software updates for MVPD provided devices are typically the responsibility of the MVPD. There are some instances, for example DOCSIS cable modems purchased at retail, in which the cable operator may assume responsibility for software updates to insure that network interoperability is maintained. Methods by which software updates are disseminated and secured for retail devices is also typically determined by the retail device manufacturer. Frequently, software updates for retail devices are disseminated over the Internet, which assures two-way communication and permits validation of the DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 61 receipt and successful, secure installation of the software update on the retail device. Methods by which software updates are disseminated and secured by MVPDs are specific to the MVPD, as well as performed over the MVPD’s network. CableLabs specifies a secure software download mechanism as part of the DOCSIS and PacketCable (VoIP) specifications. Secure software download is tested as part of the certification of these devices. Privacy and security ? Device secured against unauthorized access ? System requires court process for access by government ? Device must have required registered certificates for encrypted communications with backend systems. ? Device must comport to FCC and FTC rules on privacy. ? May need to access raw video output during countermeasure checks. Energy Efficiency requirements (Voluntary Agreement for set-top boxes) Including configurability of sleep timers, inactivity & turn-off notifications Meet consumers’ expectations of how well hardware and software should work together (i.e. performance requirements) USE CASE #11 – User Authentication USE CASE DESCRIPTION This use case covers the minimum requirements a device must comport to in order to authorize transmission of content to an approved device. In order for a device to receive specified content, the User and Device must abide by the following: ? Per the Precondition, the User has a subscription to a content service. ? The content service subscription authorizes connection to the content being accessed (e.g. conditional access). ? The device must abide by the rules invoked by the content usage and security settings. Examples include: o Permissions ? Subscription will conform to region settings (neighborhoods, blackouts) and service settings (entitlements). ? Device Authorization Access ? Content or application enforces applicable usage restrictions ? Rights Management o Devices are required to track current version of DRM and security updates. ? Currently these updates are managed by the device and/or service provider network. In the event the conditional access permissions do not align, then the User should see a notification message about this incompatibility and content will not be sent to the device. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 62 USE CASE #12 – Renewability (DELETED DURING DELIBERATIONS) USE CASE #13 - Cloud VOD Delivery Pre-Condition: Subscriber has access to the same or similar VOD content that is available through the primary Home Gateway or STB that the MVPD provides to the home subscriber. USE CASE DESCRIPTION This Use Case reviews the elements related to delivering content from a remote access, or cloud source to a supported device. This is described in WG2 Report Part VI [45]. To support this use case a device should provide one or more of the following: 1. An App platform that provides support for multiple App developers including video distributors, examples include: iOS, Android, Android TV, Tizen, WebOS, Yahoo Widgets, Xbox, and PlayStation. The robustness of the App platform may affect what content is available to devices that are supported by the the App platform. 2. An HTML5 based platform that supports Media Source Extensions (MSE) [57] and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) [58] with one or more Content Decryption Modules (CDM). As with the App platform, the robustness of the implementation may affect what content is available to devices that support HTML5 MSE/EME. 3. A DLNA VidiPath compliant client that can connect to an MVPD VidiPath server. SERVICE DESCRIPTION A Cloud VOD library typically also includes expanded VOD, such as look back content or episodic content from previous weeks of a programmatic series. There may be different servers handling the home VOD compared to the Cloud VOD media assets, thus not all content in the Cloud is offered at home and vice versa. Most implementations of Cloud VOD from MVPDs are growing to be a superset of the home use case for VOD. Divisions of titles tend to be categorized in areas such as: ? Free ? Genre-based ? Network specific ? Premium Subscription ? Event-driven titles. As Pay TV operators deploy HTML5 based UI’s, the MVPD subscriber can leverage a consistent UI across the TV, mobile device, or PC. Content is typically accessed over the Internet using a Browser or Web application. Platform dependent applications for iOS or Android are also being developed to provide this TV Everywhere experience. See also USE CASE #2 - Viewing On-Demand Content for IP VOD, which is already cloud based. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 63 USE CASE #14 - Cloud Live Streaming Pre-Condition: Subscriber has access to the same Live or Linear broadcast TV content that is available to the primary Home Gateway or STB that the MVPD provides to the home subscriber. USE CASE DESCRIPTION This Use Case reviews the elements related to streaming the delivered content from a remote access, or cloud source to a supported device. To support this use case a device should provide one or more of the following: 1. An App platform that provides support for multiple App developers including video distributors, examples include: iOS, Android, Android TV, Tizen, WebOS, Yahoo Widgets, Xbox, and PlayStation. The robustness of the App platform may affect what content is available to devices that are supported by the the App platform. 2. An HTML5 based platform that supports Media Source Extensions (MSE) [57] and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) [58] with one or more Content Decryption Modules (CDM). As with the App platform, the robustness of the implementation may affect what content is available to devices that support HTML5 MSE/EME. 3. A DLNA VidiPath compliant client that can connect to an MVPD VidiPath server. Examples include: ? In the cases when a unidirectional DBS receiver is operating with access to the internet, cloud VOD content available from the DBS MVPD is integrated into features such as navigation and search on the DBS receivers to expand the scale and scope of the service offered to a DBS customer. Both DBS MVPDs offer limited cloud-based live streaming content as alternative OTT services using alternative navigation devices. In contrast to cloud VOD, this streaming content generally duplicates what is offered through the DBS broadcast and is not also received by DBS receivers. SERVICE DESCRIPTION Live or linear content is delivered at the time that the originally schedule content is delivered to the subscriber’s home video gateway or STB. Access to these TV video streams tends to be sought from mobile devices for the purpose of providing a TV Everywhere experience. MVPDs offer applications that directly stream content from the Cloud using broadband access for home devices such as gaming consoles, Smart TVs, and Tablets. The home user can avoid having to connect to a STB with a wired HDMI cable. As MVPDs move to upgrade their network to a full IP distribution architecture, these directly attached networked devices can receive a complete lineup of linear and live TV content directly, without having to be tethered to a Gateway or STB. USE CASE #15 – Cloud DVR Recording and Streaming Pre-Condition: Subscriber has access to recorded content that is available from a Remote Storage DVR service offered by the Pay TV provider, or access to a copy of the DVR content located on a home DVR or Gateway device that is remotely stored in the Cloud. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 64 USE CASE DESCRIPTION This Use Case reviews the elements related to recording the delivered (via streaming) content from a remote access, or cloud, source to a supported device. To support this use case a device should provide one or more of the following: 1. An App platform that provides support for multiple App developers including video distributors, examples include: iOS, Android, Android TV, Tizen, WebOS, Yahoo Widgets, Xbox, and PlayStation. The robustness of the App platform may affect what content is available to devices that are supported by the the App platform. 2. An HTML5 based platform that supports Media Source Extensions (MSE) [57] and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) [58] with one or more Content Decryption Modules (CDM). As with the App platform, the robustness of the implementation may affect what content is available to devices that support HTML5 MSE/EME. 3. A DLNA VidiPath compliant client that can connect to an MVPD VidiPath server. SERVICE DESCRIPTION Live or Linear broadcast TV content can typically be recorded simultaneously on both a local DVR and on a remote server for access by a mobile device outside of the home. Control of the scheduling for recordings can be done though a Web browser application running on a networked enabled device with Internet access or using a Pay TV developed application, such as those downloaded for Android or iOS devices. Remote control of the home DVR or remote control of the Cloud DVR is available through these device MVPD applications. APIs may be provided by the MVPD for a retail device to use a third party guide to control DVR content recording. USE CASE #16 - Cloud Content Downloading for Mobile Devices Pre-Condition: Use Case #15 has been met USE CASE DESCRIPTION This Use Case reviews the elements related to managing download content that has been delivered from a remote access, or cloud, source to a supported device. To support this use case a device must: ? Be an authorized device ? Maintain (i.e. no deliberately remove) content protection technologies that are inherent to the downloaded content, such as Digital Rights Management or watermarks). ? If the downloaded content is marked with an expiration date, then the device must make every reasonable effort to forbid playback of content once the expiration date has been reached. ? If the authorized device has a domain restriction imposed upon it, then the device must abide by that requirement. o Such a requirement is used to ensure that the device is tied to the subscriber’s home network; protecting entitlements. ? Provide one or more of the following: 1. An App platform that provides support for multiple App developers including video distributors, examples include: iOS, Android, Android TV, Tizen, WebOS, Yahoo Widgets, DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 65 Xbox, and PlayStation. The robustness of the App platform may affect what content is available to devices that are supported by the the App platform. 2. An HTML5 based platform that supports Media Source Extensions (MSE) [57] and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) [58] with one or more Content Decryption Modules (CDM). As with the App platform, the robustness of the implementation may affect what content is available to devices that support HTML5 MSE/EME. 3. A DLNA VidiPath compliant client that can connect to an MVPD VidiPath server. The availability of download varies among content subscription services; rights are often content or programmer specific. Typically, the expiration date indicates how long the downloaded program is available for playback. Examples include: In the case of a DBS service to a customer with no cloud access, it may be possible for the in-home DBS system to act as a proxy for internet cloud-based content. This capability does not currently exist in any fielded DBS STBs. SERVICE DESCRIPTION When available, a User has the ability to copy or move content from the Cloud for temporary storage and manage content playback on a mobile device. Examples of this content may be VOD content or copies of Live/Linear content stored in a Cloud DVR service. One reason that content is available for download is to allow for offline viewing of subscription content. A device is considered “offline” when it does not connect to a broadband network, wireless LTE service area or Wi-Fi access point. Each service varies in how the downloaded content is managed. Examples of management methods are: ? Some require the device connect to a network after a certain number of days, in order to renew rights and confirm expiration dates, other services do not require such check ins. ? When required, such as through rights limitations, one title is allowed to be checked out or downloaded at a time per subscriber. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 66 Part II: Systems that Enable Competitive Availability of Devices Identify systems comprising minimum standards, protocols, and information other than security elements to enable competitive availability of devices that receive MVPD services. Section I: SAT-IP Description SAT-IP is a remote tuner control protocol that provides a standardized way for IP clients to access live media broadcasts from satellite reception servers on IP networks. It separates distribution-specific elements such as tuners, dish LNBs, etc into a single device that then provides video services to over IP to client devices on the home network using common protocols. The client devices and protocols are agnostic to the physical layer differences between satellite service providers. Satellite services can be forwarded over all types of IP wired or wireless technologies to a range of IP client devices. The protocol envisions a number of different possibilities for the server where it could be built-in to different devices such as consumer or commercial versions of LNBs, IP Multiswitches, or set-top boxes. Protocols The SAT-IP home network protocols are based on IP, RSTP, UPnP and HTTP. It was made to be integrated into DLNA as an option. SAT>IP servers identify themselves on the IP network using standard UPnP mechanisms (SSDP). Stream Control in SAT>IP is done via RTSP or HTTP. SAT>IP clients request access to satellites, transponders and MPEG PID streams as needed. RTSP queries are used for requesting RTP unicast or multicast streams. HTTP queries are used for requesting HTTP streams. In summary, the client can provide low level tuning functions with the reception servers using this protocol to translate to whatever specific technologies are used by the service provider. Security The solution current assumes either “Free-to-Air” unscrambled or a pass-through scenario that assumes that any CA or DRM descrambling will be done by the client. Because the protocols can be used under DLNA, DTCP-IP encryption could be applied to scrambled services. As a specification for use in Europe, there is an assumption that DVB Common Interface + (CI+) would be used. Information The following links provide useful information: http://www.satip.info/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sat-IP DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 67 Section II: CableCARD Description The CableLabs CableCARD specification defines a two-way interface that is licensed to decrypt and view one-way linear digital cable television in the United States. CableCARD only functions on Hybrid Fiber- Coax (HFC) based networks and does not function on DBS or IPTV systems. CableCARD uses a physical PCMCIA PC Card type II form factor device for all conditional access and provides copy protection of content across the PCMCIA interface. A CableCARD is able to decrypt up to six simultaneous programs from a service provider. A CableCARD set top box is comprised of the set top box, purchased at retail or rented from operator, as well as the CableCARD itself which must be provided by an operator, generally for a monthly fee. At the core a set top box obtains a channel lineup from the CableCARD and then may request entitlement to decrypt and display a particular program in the lineup. The CableCARD emits Copyright Control Information (CCI) which the set top box Host is required to abide by, in cases such as recording. Premium content requires a one-to-one pairing of CableCARD to Host to protect against unauthorized viewing. Host binding requires an end user to contact their service provider with unique information from both the Host device and the CableCARD, thus ensuring that all Hosts are licensed and certified devices. CableCARDS provide a few other mechanisms besides merely decrypting signals. The CableCARD terminates and decodes the forward out-of-band channel which carries service information data such as channel lineups (virtual channel map and source names), EMMs, software downloads, EAS messages, and other control data, and proprietary service data. SCTE 65 defines six profiles for Service Information tables for delivery via an out-of-band channel on cable, but if UDCPs wish to use guide data, then based on the 2002 MOU and FCC Rule 15.123(b) retail UDCPs must obtain guide data through third-parties other than the cable system. The CableCARD provides an application information interface, which can be used to obtain information about the CableCARD itself, including Host binding status, card manufacturer, card modes, packets/tables received, et cetera. CableCARDs also provide a Man Machine Interface (MMI) that provides a way to present messages on the display using HTML pages with URL's that are passed back to the CableCARD to request further data from the MMI. The CableCARD specification defines a baseline HTML profile that constrains the functionality required of the Host for the MMI. The Baseline HTML Profile only supports formatted text messages, in the form of HTML pages, with one hyperlink. In practice the MMI is only used for the Card/Host binding and diagnostic purposes. Originally, CableCARD devices were either an integrated digital television with a CableCARD slot or a set top box with video outputs only. A subsequent OpenCable Unidirectional Receiver (OCUR) specification was developed to enable an interface to Microsoft Windows Media Center PCs. CableLabs eventually offered additional secure IP output options and current CableCARD devices utilize them to distribute video throughout the house. The OCUR Digital Receiver Interface is discussed in another section of this DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 68 document. The CableCARD ecosystem provides set top box implementors the ability to add features consistent with the DFAST license, such as enforcement of content protection. Standards Standards in use by CableCARD include: ? SCTE 28 – Host POD interface describes low level CableCARD interaction, like the Man Machine Interface (MMI), entitlement requests, application information, and other conditional access related operations. ? SCTE 41 – Copy protection standards, includes key and certificate exchanges, device authorization, content protection, Host binding, and algorithms in use. ? SCTE 65 – service information delivered out of band. Profiles 1-3 include virtual channel maps, source names, and parental control. Profiles 4-6 are event information tables relating to guide data. ? EIA-608/EIA-708/SCTE 21 – Embedded user data, such as CGMS-A content rights descriptor and captions. ? Joint Test Suite. Information http://www.cablelabs.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CableCARD OpenCable CableCARD Interface 2.0 Specification, OC-SP-CCIF2.0, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp- content/uploads/specdocs/OC-SP-CCIF2.0-I27-150330.pdf, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. OpenCable CableCARD Copy Protection 2.0 Specification, OC-SP-CCCP2.0, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp-content/uploads/specdocs/OC-SP-CCCP2.0-I13-130418.pdf, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. OpenCable Security Specification, OC-SP-SEC, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp- content/uploads/specdocs/OC-SP-SEC-I08-110512.pdf, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Uni-Directional Cable Product Supporting M-Card: Multiple Profiles, Conformance Checklist: PICS, M- UDCP-PICS-I04-080225, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp-content/uploads/specdocs/DVC-RQ-M-UDCP- PICS-I04-080225.pdf, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Applicable Devices ? Most MVPD supplied cable boxes, excluding DTA's. (Requirement expires December 4, 2015). ? TiVO's ? Hauppauge/SiliconDust/Ceton network CableCARD tuners (OCURs) ? Ceton internal CableCARD PCI card DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 69 Section III: DRI and OpenCable interfaces (and specifications) Description An OpenCable Unidirectional Receiver (OCUR) is designed to be interoperable across all CableCARD cable systems in the United States. The OCUR does not interoperate with DBS or IPTV MVPD systems. The OCUR is designed specifically to work with a Windows-based PC with PlayReady DRM. The PC may separately support OTT interactive applications, real time services, and other on demand services. OCUR devices are unidirectional CableCARD devices, but an OCUR is defined as having IP outputs only with DRM protection; physical video outputs are not allowed in this device model. The OCUR may optionally have a USB interface host interface for connection of a Tuning Resolver. OCUR IP outputs are specified by the Digital Receiver Interface (DRI). Various approved DRM systems are permitted to protect premium content across the network; Microsoft PlayReady is the only currently approved full DRM for the OCUR, while DTCP-IP is approved for link level security. All client-server interaction leverages open standards and protocols, and adds additional DRI- specified requirements, including a unique content protection layer (“DRI Security”) that must be supported in all DRMs. Signal source and other CableCARD details are mostly hidden from the receiving client, who only receives protected content streams and various ancillary information externally. Protocols OCUR devices advertise themselves on the network using UPNP SSDP announcements. OCUR devices offer two interfaces to obtain content using UPnP and DLNA protocols. An OCUR device supports the DRI Tuner UPnP protocol, and optionally the DLNA Digital Media Server (DMS) function. A Tuner object is available for each physical tuner the OCUR has. This DRI Tuner exports a variety of operations and queries which closely resembles interacting with a physical tuner, this inferface allows direct manipulation in cases of clear QAM. The interface also offers high level operations a user might expect such as tuning to a linear digital cable channel. All data through this interface is transmitted via UDP unicast streams using RTP. An OCUR might also export a DLNA digital media server (DMS) content directory service (CDS). This CDS allows for HTTP requests of streams and completely abstracts all details away from the tuner. The CDS approach allows clients without an approved DRM access only to programs with Copy Control Information (CCI) identifying them as Copy Freely, expanding the number of supported clients that can access Copy Freely content to any device that supports DLNA. Security OCUR devices use IP for all outputs. OCUR devices can use either PlayReady or DTCP-IP for RTP transmissions when using the DRI Tuner UPnP object model. OCUR devices encrypt all content that is not Copy Freely, so the client is responsible for decrypting secure content. Programs accessed over DLNA, which are not marked Copy Freely, can be secured using DTCP-IP or PlayReady. Any device which DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 70 is licensed to use Windows/PlayReady or is DLNA/DTCP compliant can interact and get content from an OCUR device. Devices that receive content from an OCUR device using Microsoft PlayReady must also conform to OCUR license requirements managed by Microsoft for population of an Association Database of paired CableCARD-OCURs, QoS, carriage of System Renewability Messages (SRM), Breach Management, Revocation and Renewability, and indemnity. These supplement the license requirements for the OCUR device itself. Information http://www.opencable.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenCable OpenCable CableCARD Interface 2.0 Specification, OC-SP-CCIF2.0, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp- content/uploads/specdocs/OC-SP-CCIF2.0-I27-150330.pdf, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. OpenCable CableCARD Copy Protection 2.0 Specification, OC-SP-CCCP2.0, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp-content/uploads/specdocs/OC-SP-CCCP2.0-I13-130418.pdf, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. OpenCable Unidirectional Receiver, OC-SP-OCCUR, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp- content/uploads/specdocs/OC-SP-OCUR-I11-130607.pdf, , Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. OpenCable Digital Receiver Interface Protocol, OC-SP-DRI, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp- content/uploads/specdocs/OC-SP-DRI-I04-100910.pdf, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. OpenCable Security Specification, OC-SP-SEC, http://www.cablelabs.com/wp- content/uploads/specdocs/OC-SP-SEC-I08-110512.pdf, Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Applicable Devices ? Hauppauge WinTV network CableCARD tuners ? SiliconDust HDHomeRun network CableCARD tuners ? Ceton Windows Media Center Extenders Section IV: Android/iOS Store Device Architectures from DEVELOPER Point of View Collectively, the app model is the means for bridging the differences between varied and rapidly changing services and varied and rapidly changing consumer electronics platforms. These application approaches abstract the diversity and complexity of service providers’ access network technologies and customer-owned IP devices and accommodate rapid change and innovation by both service providers and consumer electronics manufacturers. These application approaches may also make use of a combination of software-downloadable security and a hardware root of trust. This diversity and flexibility enables the broadest coverage of retail devices, optimizes the consumer experience on the DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 71 latest devices and technologies, and takes advantage of a wide range of market-tested security measures including downloadable DRMs. Table 8 shows how the major MVPDs currently support retail devices using this three-pronged approach. All of the major MVPDs support an iOS and Android App to access their service on smart phones and tablets. All of the major MVPDs support their service on Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X either through an application or a Web app (using a plug-in model for content protection today and transitioning to an HTML5 EME Web App in the future). Some of the major MVPDs support Smart TVs (LG, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba), game consoles (PlayStation 3 & 4, Xbox 360 & One), and media adaptors (Roku). VidiPath Certification was launched in September 2014. Many of the major MVPDs either support DLNA VidiPath today or plan to in the near future. DLNA RVU, developed and maintained by the RVU Alliance, is supported by DirecTV. Certified VidiPath client devices are expected in the market later in 2015. Table 8 lists some of the currently supported devices, which continue to grow. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 72 Standards By definition native apps are written specifically for a particular platform, e.g. iOS, Android, Tizen, Xbox, Playstation, etc. While these platforms and devices make use of many different standards, summarized below, the specific user interfaces, device features and platform APIs enable differentiation and competition among them. This competitive marketplace for devices and platforms has resulted in an explosion of smart phones, tablets and more recently smart watches, with a large array of features and capabilities. Smart TVs are also offering application platforms that enable access to new service offerings, including applications such as Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video, as well as some MVPD apps. In general, these platforms offer some form of app marketplace (e.g. Apple’s App Store or Google’s Google Play App Store), where MVPD app developers can offer their apps and consumers can download them to their devices. In order to support their App marketplace these platforms have developed various security capabilities to insure that the content and applications are protected appropriately. MVPDs have focused their app development efforts thus far on those devices and platforms that enjoy the greatest consumer use and marketplace success. Table 8 ranks particular devices/platforms by the number of units sold in the United States. As can be seen by this table, MVPDs broadly support device/platform specific apps on the most popular devices/platforms. MVPDs are also devising other ways to expand the range of devices and platforms that can support MVPD apps, such as via an HTML5 web browser, VidiPath, or RVU. Some observations that can be drawn from these and other marketplace facts: ? The total number of retail devices in the US that can be served by an MVPD app is over: 450 million devices ? The percentage of these retail devices that can be served by one or more MVPD apps is: 96% ? The percentage of these retail devices that can be served by an app from all of the top 10 MVPDs is: 67% ? The average number of MVPD set-tops per subscriber is 2.4 ? The average number of these retail devices per US household is 4, well exceeding the 2.4 MVPD set-tops per subscriber Other devices can be supported by either an HTML5 web browser, VidiPath, or RVU. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 73 Retail Device United States Units MVPD Apps Android phones5 92,036,000 All top 10 MVPDs6 PCs & Macs w/Broadband7 85,358,000 All top 10 MVPDs iOS phones5 71,449,000 All top 10 MVPDs Xbox 3608 48,460,000 5 of the top 10 MVPDs Android Tablets9 43,260,000 All top ten MVPDs PlayStation 38 29,160,000 2 of the top 10 MVPDs iOS Tablets9 23,730,000 All top 10 MVPDs Samsung TV10 14,740,800 4 of the top 10 MVPDs Vizio TV10 12,151,200 0 Apple TV11 8,800,000 N/A Sony TV10 8,764,800 1 of the top 10 MVPDs PlayStation 48 8,650,000 2 of the top 10 MVPDs Xbox One8 7,790,000 2 of the top 10 MVPDs LG TV10 6,500,000 2 of the top 10 MVPDs Roku11 5,000,000 1 of the top 10 MVPDs Chromecast11 4,000,000 1 of the top 10 MVPDs Total Number of Retail Devices 469,849,800 Table 8- US Retail Device Numbers Protocols Some of the common standards that these platforms support include: ? IETF Internet Protocol Standards ? IEEE 802.11xx Standards 5 comScore Reports January 2015 U.S. Smartphone Subscriber Market Share, March 4, 2015 - http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Market-Rankings/comScore-Reports-January-2015-US-Smartphone- Subscriber-Market-Share 6 Top 10 MVPDs – AT&T, Bright House, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, DISH, Time Warner Cable, Verizon 7 Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2013 American Community Survey Reports, U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, November 2014 - http://www.census.gov/history/pdf/2013computeruse.pdf 8 Platform Totals, VGChartz Limited, http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/ (accessed: 6/18/15) 9 THE STATE OF THE TABLET MARKET - http://tabtimes.com/resources/the-state-of-the-tablet-market/ (accessed: 6/18/15) 10 Majority of US Internet Users to Use a Connected TV by 2015, eMarketer, June 13, 2014 - http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Majority-of-US-Internet-Users-Use-Connected-TV-by-2015/1010908 and Samsung, Vizio Control US smart TV market, Broadband TV News, MARCH 10, 2014 - http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2014/03/10/samsung-vizio-control-us-smart-tv-market/ 11 Streaming devices sales in the United States in 2014 (in million units), Statista Inc. - http://www.statista.com/statistics/296641/streaming-devices-sales-united-states/ (accessed: 6/18/15) DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 74 ? 3GPP LTE Standards ? UPnP and DLNA Guidelines [60] ? W3C Standards ? MPEG video and audio standards Information MVPDs and OTT providers have developed apps for the following devices and platforms, among others: ? Apple iOS ? Google Android ? Samsung Smart TV and Tizen ? LG WebOS ? Microsoft Xbox ? Sony PlayStation ? Roku ? Slingbox Client The following sections discuss these platforms. Apple iOS Apple supports an app ecosystem for its mobile devices, smart phones, tablets, and smart watches based on its iOS platform. Apple has an extensive developer program for Apple devices that is accessible under license (https://developer.apple.com/programs/). Apps can be submitted to the Apple iTunes Store for distribution to iOS devices. The iTunes Store, originally the iTunes Music Store, is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, and has been the largest music vendor in the United States since April 2008, and the largest music vendor in the world since February 2010. iOS (originally iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. and distributed exclusively for Apple hardware. It is the operating system that presently powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS was originally unveiled in 2007 for the iPhone and has been extended to support other Apple devices such as the iPod touch (September 2007), iPad (January 2010), iPad mini (November 2012) and second-generation Apple TV onward (September 2010). The iTunes Store is accessible using a web browser, or using native applications on an iOS device. In order to complete a purchase, one is required to register an account with Apple. This is a secure process that every iOS customer needs to perform in order to be able to browse, download, install, and use any of applications published through the iTunes Store. In order to create an Apple ID, one would need to DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 75 access the App Store and follow the steps that include entering contact information, email address, and billing information. Once a user account is created, the customer can browse all available applications, video, and music, and make purchases. Applications are instantly available on the device. The iOS platform allows applications to use HDMI and Airplay outputs to stream video and audio. Content licenses may have different rules on allowing streaming over HDMI and/or Airplay. Given these requirements, MVPDs are left to decide on allowing or denying access to high definition devices over HDMI and/or Airplay. Requirements to manage HDMI and/or Airplay connections may be enforced by the chosen DRM system. The iOS platform provides the means of utilizing the underlying hardware security. All iOS devices have a dedicated AES-256 crypto engine built into the DMA path between the flash storage and main system memory, making file decryption very efficient. Application developers are free to use this mechanism or implement their own. A summary of iOS provided hardware security is available at: https://www.apple.com/business/docs/iOS_Security_Guide.pdf Google Android Google supports an App ecosystem for mobile devices, smart phones, tablets, and smart watches with its Android platform. Google supports an App ecosystem for smart TVs with its Android TV platform. Google also has an extensive developer program for Android Apps that is available under license to Google (http://developer.android.com/index.html). Google Play is the app store for the Google Android App ecosystem. Android is the operating system created and developed by Google and, unlike Apple’s iOS, is available via open source for any device manufacturer who chooses to licenseit. It is the operating system that powers many smart phones, tablets, and media players. Use of the Android OS does not mandate distribution of Android Apps through the Google Play Store. For example, Amazon has its own Amazon Fire Apps store for Android apps that run on Amazon tablets and Fire TV media players. The Google Play Store and Amazon Fire App Store are both accessible using a web browser, or using native applications on an Android or Amazon device. In order to complete a purchase, one is required to register an account with Google Play or Amazon. Once a user account is created, the customer can browse all available applications, video, and music, and make purchases. Applications are downloaded and made available on the device. There are two integrated application development environments (IDEs) available for Android; Eclipse and Android Studio with Java as the development language. Google also provides a set of developer guidelines to assist in the development of Android apps, as well as a set of design guidelines that help developers to make apps that not only work well but also look good. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 76 The Android platform?provides a secure boot process, as well as providing for signed application code, although sometimes this can be device manufacturer dependent. Android provides application sandbox support. However, Android does not provide a native secure media player, so an app developer must implement a secure media player to meet its content license and regulatory requirements. Miracast and/or HDCP protected output is often provided, but depends on the device manufacturer. The Android App ecosystem is not as stringently managed as the Apple iOS app ecosystem. Android apps are not strictly approved by Google and are self-signed only. Apps can be delivered from the Google Play Store over Google protocols, or the Amazon Fire Store, or they can be side-loaded directly onto the device. The Android platform does not provide access to unique keys or certificated identities through Android. However, access to the device MAC address is permitted. Samsung Smart TV & Tizen Samsung supports an App ecosystem for its smart TVs either with its Smart TV platform or more recently its Tizen platform initially released in March of 2015 (http://www.samsungdforum.com/). During 2015, Samsung Smart TV will fully migrate to the Tizen based ecosystem. The new Tizen platform will provide for Samsung Smart TV App developers a better performing and easier app development environment.The Smart TV platform supports Web applications, while Tizen supports Web applications, native applications and hybrid applications, but Samsung Tizen TV only provides a Web application environment for developers. App developers in Tizen develop applications based on Web technology (HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript). Tizen also supports Samsung’s mobile devices, tablets, smart phones, and smart watches. Samsung Smart TV is a web-based application that runs on an application engine installed on Samsung’s digital TVs that are connected to the Internet. Smart TV applications are special web pages implemented in a web browser and displayed on a TV screen. Users can download Smart TV Applications from Samsung Apps and install them on their TVs, or even develop their own applications. Consumers can view an application on the TV screen similar to how they view web pages in a web browser on a computer. However, the experience is adjusted to screen resolution, hardware specifications, using the TV remote control for user interaction, and typically only executing one application at a time. The Smart TV platform supports HTML5, DOM3, CSS3, JSC, and a variety of DRMs including: PlayReady, Widevine, Secure Media and Verimatrix. For transport the Smart TV platform supports DASH [40], HLS [38], Smooth Streaming, as well as Live Streaming. The Smart TV Platform is based on two engines: Gecko, for platforms from years 2011 and 2010 and WebKit [74] for more recent years. It supports three resolutions: ? 960 x 540 pixels ? 1280 x 720 pixels DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 77 ? 1920 x 1080 pixels The Tizen platform supports HTML5, DOM3, CSS3, JSC, and a variety of DRMs including: PlayReady, Widevine, Verimatrix, SecureMedia, SDRM, and SCSA. For transport the Smart TV platform supports DASH, HLS, Smooth Streaming. Applications are signed with the developer certificate. In order to distribute applications on Samsung TVs and make them available through the Samsung Smart Hub Apps TV store, it is necessary to register the application and it must go through a certification process provided by Samsung or its Affiliate at the Application Seller Office before being launched on the Samsung Apps TV store. To request certification, it is necessary to prepare the Tizen widget package and metadata and submit it in the Samsung Apps TV Seller Office. To aid development Samsung provides both a development guide and a UX guide. LG WebOS LG supports an app ecosystem for its smart TVs with its WebOS platform. Applications are packaged in IPK format and registered in the LG SmartWorld Seller Lounge. The LG application quality assurance team evaluates the performance, function, and UIs of submitted apps to verify the suitability for publishing on LG Content Store (LG STORE). Valid apps are published on LG Content Store (LG STORE). Every app submitted to LG Smart World will go through a Quality Assurance (QA) process before sale is permitted. Those Apps that do not meet the QA criteria can be rejected for sale. The QA criteria applies to every app submitted but certain Apps such as game, video, education, etc, can be subjected to additional criteria by category. Apps that cause TV errors, illegally collect user information, contains malignant codes, and/or contains viruses will be removed from the store, and the Seller can be held responsible. Microsoft Xbox Microsoft supports an app ecosystem for its Xbox game consoles, both Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Roku Roku supports an app ecosystem for its streaming video players, including its Roku 1, 2, 3, and Roku Streaming Sticks. There is no fee for joining the Roku Developer Program or for publishing a Roku app. Roku Channels are written in a Roku-specific language called BrightScript. BrightScript is a scripting language similar to VisualBasic and is quickly learned by experienced programmers. Communication with services and servers is done over HTTP using standard XML-based technologies like (M)RSS, RESTful APIs and JSON. For video, Roku recommends H.264 video with AAC-LC audio wrapped in a MP4 container. Roku also supports the VC-1 video codec, and the WMA and MP3 audio codecs. Roku supports the HTTP Live Streaming protocol (HLS) [38], which is quickly becoming the standard across home entertainment and mobile devices. This technology provides adaptive streaming of either live or on-demand content. Roku supports PlayReady for Smooth Streaming and AES-128 bit encryption for HLS. Roku reviews and approves all apps prior to publishing them to the Roku Channel Store to ensure DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 78 that they are of high quality and function properly. Roku attempts to make this process as streamlined as possible. The specific restrictions and terms for publishing content to the Roku Channel Store are found in the Roku Developer Agreement. In a presentation to Working Group 4, Time Warner Cable commented that the Roku developer support team was skeptical about developing a grid based EPG app on Roku devices that would have acceptable performance. Based on Time Warner Cable’s extensive experience in developing grid based EPG applications, they were able to provide an EPG app on Roku devices that performed very well. This Roku app was demonstrated at the June 2, 2015 Working Group 4 meeting. {Link to video} Applicable Devices As outlined above Apps can be developed for almost every class of retail device, including: ? Smart or connected TVs ? Game Consoles ? Retail set-top boxes or HDMI sticks ? Personal computers (both Windows and Mac) ? Tablets ? Smart phones Section V: VidiPath The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is a technology standards organization with participants from consumer electronics manufacturers, software developers, content providers, and MVPDs that builds industry consensus to advance the interoperability of video products in consumers’ connected homes. DLNA was founded in 2003 and currently has a membership of more than 200 companies. DLNA’s multi-industry collaboration implements a set of guidelines utilized by service providers, electronics manufacturers, and software developers to provide consistent performance in a connected home environment. “VidiPath” enables MVPDs to deliver their service to retail devices by using an HTML5 app with extensions developed in the W3C standards body. VidiPath was developed in DLNA by major retail device manufacturers (including Samsung, Panasonic and Sony); major chip manufacturers (Intel and Broadcom) and major MVPDs (including Comcast, TWC, AT&T and DISH). The retail device can operate as a retail “mall” in which many different video providers can operate as retail stores presenting their own brands and experiences. The subscriber clicks on the app and receives the full service offered by the MVPD. VidiPath Certified devices, include mobile devices, PCs, set top boxes, AV receivers, game consoles, TVs. DLNA has also created a robust certification program which tests and verifies the interoperability of products built to its standards, ensuring consumers that devices branded with the DLNA Certified and VidiPath Certified marks will successfully connect and exchange content. VidiPath service operator services can be forwarded to all types of devices attached to the home network over wired or wireless technologies. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 79 With DLNA VidiPath certification and a “C2” flag in the DTCP certificate for LAN services or commonName field with value "DTLA CVP-2 SP CA" in the X.509 certificate for cloud services, service providers are guaranteed pixel accurate rendition of their user interface on devices and with a good level of quality of service. VidiPath does not allow a competitive navigation device to employ its own user interface to access MVPD content. There is no standard protocol for discovering the list of premium channels, tuning to them, or recordings outside of the MVPD’s remote user interface. The MVPD’s user interface is the only method for accessing content. DLNA VidiPath enables both a home server model, or as MVPDs move more to the cloud, a cloud to ground model. VidiPath does not facilitate retail device manufacturers the ability to access to video content directly outside of the RUI. This section presents an overview of the VidiPath specifications that include features such as HTML5 Remote User Interface (RUI), Authentication, Diagnostics, Low Power, MPEG-DASH, and DTCP-IP [60]. Benefits offered by VidiPath to consumers, OEM manufacturers and service providers are also discussed. To support market adoption and implementation of VidiPath, CableLabs has developed an open source implementation of VidiPath Server and Client reference devices [56]. The main objectives for the VidiPath open source implementation efforts are: provide reference devices to DLNA to help launch VidiPath certification program; provide reference devices to the industry for testing and development of VidiPath products; and foster VidiPath adoption and speed time to market. The Server and Client reference devices serve as reference platforms for retail device manufacturers and MVPDs and other MVPDs to test their VidiPath implementations. Summary To enable secure distribution of premium content from an in-home video gateway to retail devices, major MVPDs in the U.S., CableLabs, retail device manufacturers and other service providers all over the world, led an effort to define VidiPath specifications within Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) [59]. DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 80 Figure 19 - DLNA VidiPath Overview Using VidiPath specifications, MVPDs can stream various content from a video gateway to retail devices, such as TVs, game consoles, tablets, mobile phones, and laptops, with a consistent MVPD user interface across different devices without the need of a dedicated MVPD supplied STB per device. The DLNA VidiPath Specifications define the following set of features for VidiPath Server and Client [60]: ? HTML5 Remote User Interface (RUI) ? MPEG-2 and AVC media formats ? DTCP-IP Link Protection ? Diagnostics ? Low Power ? Authentication ? 3D Media formats; conditionally mandatory ? HTTP Adaptive Delivery; mandatory for Client, optional for Server DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 81 ? Priority-based QoS ? Digital Media Server (DMS); mandatory for Server only o No Content Directory Store (CDS) for linear content, VoD, or PPV is provided ? Digital Media Player & Digital Media Renderer; mandatory for Client only Figure 20 - DLNA VidiPath Architecture HTML5 Remote User Interface (RUI) In order to support a consistent MVPD user interface to different form factors of retail devices (e.g., TVs, tablets, mobile phones, and, game consoles) and requirements identified in the Application Framework subsection, DLNA VidiPath specifications specify support for an HTML5- based Remote User Interface. DLNA HTML5 Remote RUI specification defines a profile of W3C’s DSTAC WG4 Report August 4, 2015 82 HTML5 specification [39] and other related specifications such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Web Sockets, XMLHTTPRequest (Ajax), and FullScreen. HTML5 is a widely adopted industry standard supported by a broad range of browsers on a wide variety of devices. Thus, it enables MVPDs to develop their guide once and offer it on a wide range of platforms resulting in reduced development costs and faster time to market for new services/applications. It also enables MVPDs to offer their guides directly from the cloud, thereby enabling them to rapidly evolve their services and applications to consumers. An MVPD video gateway advertises that the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the MVPD HTML5 guide and VidiPath devices discover the URL using the UPnP RUI Discovery mechanism [63]. Cable operator’s HTML5 guide can be served either from the in-home video gateway or from the cloud. Using the