BBC seeking quick approval for HD DRM

 

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Posted on 17 Sep 2009 at 11:45

The BBC has asked Ofcom for permission to begin encrypting part of the digital TV signal in order to prevent unauthorised copying of HD programming.

In a letter sent to Ofcom on 27 August, the corporation says that unless it is permitted to employ DRM, it will be unable to broadcast some HD programmes.

?€HD content rights holders have begun to expect a degree of content management on the Freeview HD platform,?€ wrote Alix Pryde, controller of BBC Distribution. ?€The PSBs [public service broadcasters] are committed to providing the strongest possible HD content line-up on Freeview HD, but we have to meet content protection obligations for acquired programmes.?€

The BBC is proposing to encrypt the metadata in digital TV signals which includes the TV listings and the instructions for decoding the video streams. Content could then only be played on approved hardware, which, presumably, would not be approved if it allowed copying.

?€Whilst no system provides a complete deterrent to determined hackers, content management applied in the receiver after reception helps to prevent mass piracy,?€ Pryde wrote.

Ofcom duly opened a public consultation?€"which finished yesterday. It was so brief that digital rights campaigners, as well as the BBC?€s own news service, only noticed yesterday.

The Open Rights Group quickly fired off its objections.

?€It is a violation of the implicit promise the BBC made to the public during the DTV transition, that an investment in Freeview receivers were future-proofed?€"this is especially grave if the public is to be asked to participate in an HD transition on the heels of this betrayal,?€ said executive director Jim Killock.

Greg Bensberg, project director of Ofcom?€s Digital Dividend Review, is also concerned and says that any change to the BBC?€s digital broadcasting licence should not be rushed.

?€It appears to Ofcom inappropriate to encrypt public service broadcast content on DTT,?€ he wrote in a reply to the BBC. ?€The current licensing regime requires that content is broadcast free to air. Any proposed change to this would require careful consideration and may involve a lengthy process.?€

The BBC told Tom Watson MP, an outspoken opponent of DRM, that its plans won?€t affect existing Freeview boxes only the new HD boxes coming out next year.

?€The Beeb got in touch after reading this post and told me that what they are ?€proposing is copy protection, which would be introduced only into brand new receivers for Freeview HD, which will be coming into stores early next year?€,?€ Watson blogged. ?€They go on to say that content holders expect a degree of content management on the Freeview HD platform and therefore have proposed a form of copy protection, though specifically avoiding encryption to ensure that the public service content remains free to air.?€

Watson is unconvinced.

?€If you?€re a hardcore pirate, you?€ll still be able to continue doing what you do but if you want to watch the latest EastEnders, you?€ll have to purchase new stuff,?€ he wrote.

Author: Simon Aughton