Siemens Communications Inc. struck a deal with content-protection specialist Widevine Technologies Inc., making Widevine a certified vendor for its Surpass Home Entertainment” Internet-protocol-TV-delivery system.
Based on a middleware product that oversees content delivery, the Surpass portfolio offers a range of IP-based video and on-demand entertainment elements, including back-office management tools and extensions for combined communications and home entertainment services of the future.
Integrating directly with Widevine bolsters Siemens’ content-protection capabilities as it markets the portfolio to telco TV providers.
The deal is an extension of an existing product integration mixing Siemens’ Surpass Home Entertainment offering with Widevine’s “Cypher” content-protection system. That joint offering is already at work with more than 25 telco customers in the United States, and there are now several contracts pending with overseas providers for combined Widevine content protection and Surpass implementations.
“The challenge is not only providing a broadband operator with a great IPTV solution, but also ensuring that a robust content-protection system is tightly integrated with that solution,” Widevine CEO Brian Baker said. “The agreement enables Widevine to continue to work with Siemens to provide a scalable and mature content-protection system, critical for enabling operators to acquire premium broadcast and VOD content.”
