The HbbTV Association, a global initiative dedicated to providing an open standard for the delivery of broadcast and broadband services through connected TVs and set-top boxes, has announced the release of its free-to-use Dash DRM Reference Application.
Although HbbTV specifications are agnostic with respect to DRM systems, the ability of content providers to deliver DRM-protected content to consumers via MPEG-Dash using an HbbTV application is key to enabling the monetisation of HbbTV content and services.
The association says the application provides a model that makes it easier to deploy services that require HbbTV together with DRM and Dash. The model has been tested on TV sets chosen to represent a large proportion of the installed base in the market, on HbbTV 1.5 and 2.0.1 terminals, and on generic web browsers supporting W3C MSE and EME.
The application is designed to serve as a showcase of HbbTV technology and a useful resource to help members validate their tools, content and devices. The reference application is freely distributed under an open-source MIT license and includes documentation covering the creation of valid MPEG-Dash files from users’ own video content.
Furthermore, it facilitates code reusability for anybody implementing their own Dash video streaming application. Sofia Digital was chosen as the supplier in May 2017.
