Nagra and Samsung have jointly introduced TVkey, a USB-based direct-to-TV security platform for pay TV operators that enables consumers to sign up and pay for TV services directly on Samsung TVs.
Nagra said the device meets all key MovieLabs requirements for Enhanced Content Protection, a component required by Hollywood for 4K/UHD and High Dynamic Range HDR fare, movies offered in early release windows and other high-value content.
The product’s framework is based on a Nagra-designed root of trust in TV chips that communicates securely with the TVkey device. It also use hardware-based watermarking and operator-controlled device service revocation, the company said.
Nagra said TVkey will open up several customer acquisition models and options for pay TV operators, including retail bundling with TV sets and special content packages. It can also be made to support free preview periods without the need for a separate set-top box.
The first TVkey market deployment will occur in Q4 2016, with multiple “leading pay-TV operators across two continents” slated to launch TVkey-based services in 2017, the companies said.
Samsung is the first announced TV partner, but the platform’s “framework” will be made available to other TV makers and security vendors.
As part of that plan, Nagra and Samsung plan next year to create an “independent” TVkey Trust Authority to license the TVkey technology to others.
Nagra will show off TVkey at next week’s IBC show in Amsterdam.
