OTT for Mobile Devices

OTT FOR MOBILE DEVICESAN IMPLEMENTER’S CHECKLIST

Raviv LeviDirector of Product Marketingraviv.levi@discretix.com

PREMIUM MOBILE VIDEO TRACTION

OTT ARCHITECTURE IS COMPLICATED EVEN BEFORE DIVING INTO THE USER DEVICE

Discretix Proprietary and Confidential 3April 8, 2023

Encoder Encoder

CDN CDN

DRM SERVERDRM SERVER Web / Streaming Server

Web / Streaming Server

Web / Streaming Server

End DeviceEnd Device

Content & User ManagementSystems

Content & User ManagementSystems

MOBILE DEVICES ARE KEY – NO SURPRISE HERE

50%+ of smartphone owners use device for video * Up 20% from previous year

50%+ of tablet owners used the device for video in the passing year

100% YoY growth in hours spent watching online video on mobile

OTT FOR MOBILE HAS ITS CHALLENGES – IMPLEMENTERS CHECKLIST

5 main topics to keep in mind• (D)evice support• (E)xperience of the end-user• (V)alue Added Features • (I)nternet Delivery Methods• (C)ompliance with Studio Requirements – DRM• (E)nd to end interoperability

HOW MANY DEVICES ARE THERE?

1000?

10?100?

HOW MANY DEVICES ARE THERE? A LOT!

4K+ distinct devices and constantly increasing

Source: http://opensignal.com/reports/fragmentation.php

(D) DEVICE SUPPORT

Considerations• Default playback is device dependent (native player)• It is impossible to properly support so many devices

Solutions• Minimize dependency, use a device independent implementation

Tradeoffs• IN OLD DEVICES:

•HW independent implementation vs. HW acceleration• Free native player vs. a commercial grade player

(E) EXPERIENCE OF THE END-USER

Considerations – User experience is everything!• Flawless app operation• Multi audio tracks• Captions availability for internet video (mandated by FCC in the US)

Solutions• Structured QA (internal tests, pilot group, …)• Top notch video player

Tradeoffs• Time to market vs. app maturity• Again: Free native player vs. a commercial grade player

USER EXPERIENCE - SUBTITLES

Source: http://blog.funsauce.com

• One of the reasons users transit from internet video piracy to legal services is: “There are no subtitles”Source: Ericsson consumer lab report (2012)

• Recent study shows an unexpected use for subtitles:

(V) VALUE ADDED FEATURES

Considerations• In-home content distribution• Surround audio support

Solutions• In home content distribution via Miracast/Airplay or DLNA• Device / Player support for Dolby/DTS

Tradeoffs• Miracast/Airplay vs. DLNA (Device /App)• Rich sound vs. bandwidth

MIRACAST SUPPORT FOR OTT APPS IS HERE

Source: http://yourguide.vzw.com/article/ces-2013-verizon-miracast-smart-tv/

Source: http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/TVTV/news/WhereverTV-announces-plans-to-add-Miracast-support-to-its-Android-application

(I) INTERNET DELIVERY METHODS

Considerations• Always changing bandwidth and network coverage• Existing infrastructure• Apple’s limitation – HLS streaming for cellular networks

Solutions• Download / Progressive download• ABR streaming (HLS / Smooth Streaming / MPEG-DASH)

+ Encode the content in many bitrates

Tradeoffs• Immediate content view vs. assured high quality• Extended coverage vs. complete mobile coverage• Backend storage vs. smoother playback

POPULAR STREAMING TECHNOLOGIES COMPARED

Microsoft SS Apple HLS MPEG DASH

Video Codecs H.264, VC-1 H.264 H.264 / agnostic

Audio Codecs AAC, WMA AAC, MP3 AAC / agnostic

Package MP4 Fragments MPEG-2 TS MP4 Fragments + MPEG-2 TS

Recommended Segment Duration 2-4sec 10 sec Flexible

MOBILE DEVICE – A SAFE HAVEN FOR YOUR APP?

(C) COMPLIANCE WITH STUDIO REQUIREMENTS – ROBUST DRM

Considerations• A studio-approved DRM must be used to protect the content• The DRM itself must be protected as well

Solutions• Several DRM schemes to choose from• Robust DRM implementation that updates constantly

Tradeoffs• Each DRM Scheme has different fit per infrastructure / consumption use

cases• High security level vs. app update overhead

CREATING A SECURE & ROBUST APPLICATION

• Root of Trust – Fingerprint Root of Trust • Sensitive Data protection – Secure Storage for

Confidentiality and Integrity • Anti Debugging – Prevent reverse engineering • Anti Tampering – Using security tripwires• Health attestation – Detect potential hacking

risks on the device• Variability/Diversity – By variations of the

code• Revocation and Renewability – Efficient and

transparent method for attack recovery

(E) END TO END INTEROPERABILITY

Considerations• All components must work in perfect sync: player, device DRM, server

DRM, encoder, entitlement

Solutions• Use pre-integrated components• Exhaustive QA with all components

Tradeoffs• Choosing components that already interoperate vs. cherry-picking components• Time to market vs. app interoperability degree

END TO END – TYING IT ALL TOGETHER

5 main topics to keep in mind• (D)evice support• (E)xperience of the end-user• (V)alue Added Features • (I)nternet Delivery Methods• (C)ompliance with Studio Requirements – DRM• (E)nd to end interoperability

IMPLEMENTERS CHECKLIST - RECAP

Q&A

THANK YOU

Visit www.discretix.com to learn more.