Writing for TelecomAsia, Doug Lowther notes that the buzz around 4K UHD content has continued unabated since CES 2016 and is set to accelerate.
“Operators [are] quickly realizing the speed at which they need to innovate to bring new services to customers,” he explained. “However, 4K UHD requires thoughtful market analysis before big steps are taken to bring it to customers.”
According to Lowther, there is one key element that must underpin all 4K UHD strategies – securing content against unauthorized access.
“This is a concept that the industry is beginning to subscribe to, with VIDITY recently rolling out new security protocols to protect its business model and Twentieth Century Fox stating ‘a proactive security strategy is vital to releasing the highest quality HD and Ultra HD content to the consumer.’”
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, SanDisk, and Western Digital founded the Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA), which branded its solution as VIDITY, in January 2012. Essentially, the software platform allows consumers to easily download, store and play 4K Ultra HD movies with high dynamic range (HDR) across a plethora of devices.
“[With VIDITY], it shouldn’t be hard to maintain an archive, or watch [content] on a flight away from an Internet connection,” Engadget’s Richard Lawler wrote in an article about the software platform. “Currently, simple things like downloading a purchase pre-release or just keeping a copy to play anywhere aren’t possible or easy to move across different devices, but this could change all of that that. It’s built into platforms like Steam, PlayStation and Xbox, so there’s no reason it shouldn’t be there for movies too.”
As we’ve previously discussed, the Rambus Cryptography Research Division is responsible for running and managing the SCSA’s VIDITY Key Issuance Center. The service, part of the Cryptography Research Trust Services offering, manages cryptographic keys used by SCSA-enabled devices and services to secure high-quality 4K Ultra HD content. In operating the Key Issuance Center, Cryptography Research delivers encrypted keys to storage device makers, player manufacturers and content issuers involved with the SCSA.
Interested in learning more about VIDITY? You can check out our article archive on the subject here.
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