Version 2.0 PC Player adds full DVR functionality

IPTV security vendor Verimatrix today released its ViewRight PC Player 2.0 with full digital video recorder (DVR) functionality over the PC. The next-generation IP client can record up to four channels, allowing viewers with multiple tuners to watch a fifth at the same time. The service, unveiled today and being demoed at the IPTV World Forum in London, is independently audited and approved by studios.

Designed to complement the use of set-top boxes (STBs), the player is currently in trials with operators aimed at making the PC a viable second screen in the home. The technology displays content in both standard definition and high-definition MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, protected by the Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS). Like a DVR, the content can be paused, rewound and recorded with full VCAS encryption. Verimatrix’s VCAS has been deployed for almost a year now and includes a unique ID embedded within the video stream.

Bob Larribeau, principal analyst at TelecomView, envisions the networked PC playing an increasingly larger role in relation to the STB. For this type of service to take off, content security is key, he said. Without it, content providers would not get on board for fear of losing their proprietary hold on their content.

“With these systems, it changes on short time intervals, on a minute-to-minute basis,” Larribeau said. “So if you decoded one segment, it doesn’t affect the next segment. It raises the bar of difficulty significantly. It is important for the content owners because they feel more protected.”

The ViewRight PC Player uses Verimatrix’s software-based watermarking technology, VideoMark, for content protection. The technology, audited by Telcordia labs, allows unauthorized copies of content to be traced back to the time and place they were created.

Larribeau saw the ViewRight PC Player as a way to securely enable a range of new services and further establish the changing role of the PC in the home environment. “I think we are going to see PCs and set-top boxes are being connected to the same network, so I think its just a matter of time before the tie-in gets solidified,” he said.

“Everybody agrees that PCs and TVs are going to somehow converge over time,” Larribeau added. “The only real argument is what the proportion and what the role of each is going to be. I am kind of a traditionalist and think that people are going to tend to want to watch TVs rather than PC screens.”

That being said, Verimatrix’s PC Player can potentially meet the needs of both those who prefer to use their TV and those who frequently view content on their PC. Larribeau said the latter group typically includes graduate students or those who travel frequently. Households with older viewers or families are less likely to see the PC as a viable platform for TV or may only use the TV for select niche content.

“I am a great believer in the long tail series that people have unique interests that they want fulfilled,” Larribeau said. “Maybe they don’t watch it all the time, but they do watch it from time to time, so I think there is going to be a lot of that type of content available over the PC on the Internet. Having the ability to store that on your PC and then watch that on the PC and the TV is going to be increasingly important part of the viewing experience.”

Considering that most IPTV providers are currently focused on controlling the content decisions themselves, the PC becomes an even more viable platform to experience a breadth of content from either screen, he added. The increasing prevalence of PC content and the convergence of the PC and TV also comes simultaneously with an increased need for an extra layer of security. Vendors like Verimatrix, Widevine and Latens are working with content providers to ensure that both sides of the coin – the providers and operators – are comfortable with the digital rights associated with the content and the security to ward off piracy.

“All content providers understand the landscape is changing, they just don’t know what they can do in terms of more innovative services that they can offer and protect their current revenue base,” Larribeau said. “Clearly they don’t want to do anything to disturb, but on the other hand, there are things they can do that won’t disturb it. They need to feel they have the protection to do that.”