BBC HD Encryption

[Graham]

What's goin' on 'ere ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8259154.stm

In particular, what does this mean ...

Under licensing rules, the BBC is not allowed to encrypt the actual video or audio streams.
So instead it is requesting that it be allowed to encrypt the data associated with TV listings without which set-top boxes are not able to decode the TV content.

[martint123]

Possibly the EPG? Without an EPG setting a Freeview PVR would be difficult.
As to why?? who knows - don't we pay enough as it is?
No mention of Freesat either.

[Graham]

The Ofcom document says ...

After a review of the options, the BBC has proposed a solution that is
understood to be acceptable to content owners. That is to compress the service information
(SI) data on the upgraded multiplex using BBC developed look-up tables. The BBC would
make the relevant look-up tables available free of charge to any manufacturer that agrees,
via a licence agreement, to implement the D-Book content management arrangements.

As I understand it (i.e. not very well), the SI data is used to demultiplex the broadcast stream, among other things. If the SI data is encrypted, a receiver does not know which bits in the stream belong to which channel and cannot reconstruct the bitstream for each channel.

It appears from the Ofcom document that this would apply to the DVB-T multiplex that will carry all HD broadcast after switchover.

It may be that the SI data is currently parsed by the device driver or the Microsoft components in the graph. It may be that all UK DVB-T HD channels will be invisible to GBPVR (and all other un-licensed software).

[martint123]

Just thinking on this, isn't Freeview HD using DVB-T2 or something? if so, then I couldn't get it anyway without great extra expense. I'll stick with satellite for the mo.

Hmmm

Viewers who want to watch the new channels will have to buy a new set-top box incorporating the superior MPEG-4 rather than MPEG-2 compression technology. MPEG-4 is twice as efficient as the MPEG-2 standard , while a new European transmission standard (DVB-T2) will increase capacity by 30%. These boxes are still being developed and discussions are taking place on when they will be available to buy in shops.

[imilne]

I'm hoping it won't be something we need to worry about.

Ignoring issues over DVB-T vs DVB-T2 hardware for a moment, they currently encrypt the FreeSAT EPG, but that data has already been reverse engineered (DVBGuide, MediaPortal?) and I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that if they went ahead with this they'd just use the same method as on Freesat.

And failing that, there's always xmltv EPG imports to fall back on too.

[Graham]

My poor understanding is that the references to EPG data are a red herring.

The objective appears to be to force future DVB-T2 devices to include content management to prevent, for example, HD recordings finding their way into torrents.

Will Hauppauge, for example, bother to make a DVB-T2 device if they have to design something that prevents piracy?

It seems safe to assume that if DVB-T2 gets content management then satellite will follow. Will BBC, ITV and other HD channels be moved to "special" satellite muxes and become unreadable by existing satellite devices?

In any event, there is probably bugger all that we can do about it. We shall have to wait and see and deal with the result. It may be that a whizz kid will develop a hack or maybe all existing devices will become blind to HD.

[CodeMonkey]

ETSI ISO/IEC 13818-1 specifies SI which is referred to as PSI (Program Specific Information). The PSI data provides information to enable automatic configuration of the receiver to demultiplex and decode the various streams of programs within the multiplex.

Without getting into a whole dissertation of DVB, it includes several tables containing the tuning information as well as the EPG (guide) information. Dish Network in the US for example, already messes with the EPG data by compressing it, adding custom data types, and a different rating system for example. I'm not sure what they have in mind, but I guess time will tell.

[martint123]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov...urned-down

Ofcom has rejected the BBC's request to introduce anti-piracy technology to Freeview to limit the illegal copying of high-definition TV shows, until issues raised by organisations including the Open Rights Group are addressed.

The BBC is trying to change the Freeview multiplex licence to allow copy protection technology so shows on its HD channel, which will be rolled out nationally from next month, do not become the target of pirates.

It also looks like the cheating "red button" ITV HD on FreeSat will become a proper HD channel "ITV1" from 2nd December.