NDS, a provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, has announced that Russian media specialist Sistema Mass Media (SMM) has selected the NDS Unified Headend to manage and protect TV content delivery to subscribers across both IP and mobile networks.
The NDS Unified Headend integrates conditional access (CA), Digital Rights Management (DRM) and third party applications, allowing operators to deliver secure broadcast and Video-On-Demand (VOD) services to a variety of devices – set-top boxes (STBs), mobile phones, PCs, Portable Media Players (PMPs) and digital video recorders (DVRs). SMM will use the NDS Unified Headend to deliver content to STBs, PCs and mobile devices with 'optimum operational efficiency', using a single system to control content distribution.
SMM's deployment will include VideoGuard Mobile, NDS' secure mobile TV solution, part of the NDS Unified Headend, to protect its upcoming DVB-H mobile TV service. Digital Teleradiobroadcasting (DTB), an SMM subsidiary, will launch the mobile TV service.
The DVB-H service will debut in Moscow, which will be followed by a series of launches in 16 other Russian cities with populations of over one million. Unlike most other DVB-H deployments which are tied to a specific mobile operator and require a subscription and operator-specific SIM, SMM's upcoming DVB-H service will be available to all Russian mobile subscribers regardless of their network service provider.
VideoGuard Mobile supports both the Open Security Framework (OSF) and OMA BCAST smartcard profile standards and is claimed to offer a clear and seamless migration path between both. VideoGuard Mobile is fully compliant with DVB-H, DVB-SH, DMB, MediaFLO, CMMB and STIMI standards.
VideoGuard mobile will protect the broadcast content delivered over SMM's mobile TV network, safeguarding its subscription revenues, while enabling the company to benefit from a variety of business models and enhanced services. VideoGuard Mobile is fully integrated with various handsets and standalone devices that will be available in the Russian market, including new models to be supplied by Samsung, LG and Gigabyte.
"Only NDS was able to provide us with a complete and cost-effective solution that enables us to offer truly converged services to our customers. NDS not only provides the flexibility to combine multiple platforms for a single management view of operations but it also gives us the opportunity to offer new advanced services in the future," said Dr. Vitaly Shub, Deputy CEO SMM. "NDS is the world leader in content protection. Its technology is proven, and we are confident that it can deliver the functionality and scalability that our business needs," said Artem Kudryavtsev, First Deputy Managing Director, SMM.
"SMM is demonstrating its pioneering spirit as it adopts the latest technology to deliver a compelling converged environment," said Jeremy Maddocks, Regional Director, Russia, CIS & Eastern Europe. "With the enormous scale and reach of its operations, SMM has the potential to change the way millions of subscribers consume TV across Russia."