Nagra and Samsung Electronics have announced the first launch of direct-to-TV solution, TVkey, by German satellite operator HD+. TVkey allows subscribers to access 4K and HDR programming directly on their TV sets without the need of a set-top box or second remote control provided they have a newer Samsung TV model. This pay-TV service, which is encrypted, was jointly developed by Samsung and Nagra, and meets Hollywood’s requirements for protection of 4K and HDR content.
Nagra believes that TVkey provides TV-platforms and pay-TV operators with a cheaper route to market for their services (including 4K and HDR channels) instead of automatically defaulting to 4K OTT services. Buyers of the newer compatible Samsung TV sets can receive HD+ TVkey free of charge for six-months by registering on the HD+ website.
Pierre Roy, an executive VP and COO at Nagra said that the company is offering state-of-the-art pay-TV security, by integrating the latest content protection technology alongside open standards, such as USB and HbbTV/HTML5.
Analyst Comment
Support for the TVkey service is widening beyond Samsung (MStar announces support for Nagra’s TVkey).
