Streaming MediaDigital Rights Management

Class 8July 18, 2006

Why do we have DRM?

• Content Concerns

• Digital audio and Video, if unmodified enables perfect duplication

• Low Cost or near-no-cost

• The original does not degrade over time (video tape and film) probably

• The original does not degrade with duplication so copies are limited only by resources

This is why owners of digital content are paranoid

If the copy is as good as the original, why purchase the original?

The music industry points to slumping sales and cries “Pirates!”

Record companies usually blame the internet and file sharing as the root of their business failures. In 2003 27% or Americans and 13% of Europeans downloaded music through P2P networks.

The tangled web of the traditional music business

Peer-to-Peer NetworksWhere are they now?

More Information on file sharing and the music industry

“On the reproduction of the musical economy after the Internet”

Leyshon, Webb, French, Thrift & CreweMedia, Culture & Society, Vol. 27, 2005Sage Publications

Security

Most DRM have the following security features:

Secure downloads

Secure audio path – audio can’t be streamed from user’s computer

Persistence – each license is specific to a particular computer

Individualization – the license for a player is linked to a specific computer. You can’t just move the player and music to transfer the files

Revocability – if a license is stored on a server it can be revoked if a user breaches the licensing terms

Portable device support – files can be transferred, but most distributors will limit it to devices that support the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) copy-protection scheme

Payment Models Varities• Pay-as-you-go (iTunes)

• Monthly fee for unlimited use (subscription)

• One-time fee

• Pay Per View (PPV)

• Free – promote a product or service

• Timed fee

• Tiered access

• Trial offer

• Reward program

Streaming media server vendors also sell DRM tools

• Music producers, media creators and retailers in particular want to ensure their copyrights are protected

• Typical DRM features include– Strong encryption

– Producer defined business rules for accessing content

– Content licensing verification (“Are you authorized to view this?”)

– License auditing to track royalties

– Support for handheld devices and mobile phones

Types of rules that may be a part of a DRM system

• When, how, where and for how long rights are granted

• Limited number of CD copies

• File can only be played on one computer

• What devices are supported for transfer (iTunes/iPod model)

• For digital distribution to reach its potential copyrighted material needs to be protected

• System must be:– Truly secure

– Flexible

– Easy to use

– Integrated into existing e-comerce systems

• Many of the current systems are not very adequate because:– Not secure enough – passwords can be shared,

registration code can be hacked– Not flexible enough – content providers want different

models for subscription (monthly, pay per view, free trials)

– Inconvenient for users – to work it must block unauthorized use but be easy for authorized users. Passwords and registration keys are lame

– Difficult to integrate into a wide variety of devices and hardware – consumers want to transfer media they own to devices they own

• Some companies (and marketers) use DRM to mean any sort of control of media– All forms of copy protection

– Digital watermarks

Real, Apple and Microsoft define it more narrowly

• Apple uses standard MPEG-4 audio technologies (AAC)

• This how they deliver music to iPods and iTunes

• They use proprietary DRM approach (FairPlay) that is unique

• Each manufacturer uses a proprietary DRM system

• Once again, it is unlikely there will be an industry “standard”

Implementing DRM• Here is a typical sequence of events:1) Media provider packages the media file – create file

and license2) Provider places file on a streaming server3) When user tries to play a file, media player requests a

license4) User’s computer downloads a license without any

action or directs a user to a register/payment page5) After the license is issued, the user can play the

content under the terms of the license

DRM Models

Encryption

• Encryption scrambles the content so that it cannot be viewed

• Need a decryption key

• This is most often an enabled viewer or player

• Many DRM solutions are asynchronous

• The key is not in your player but somewhere out on the internet

Encryption cont.

• A user needs to perform a separate action or transaction to secure the decryption key

• The problem for content distributors is you can hack the player to play the media without a key

The Encryption Dance

create encryption

scheme

scheme is hacked distribute scheme

Distributors they claim each successive scheme becomes more expensive to create and manage

Walled Garden• A walled garden is where content is secured behind a virtual

barrier

• A user must purchase access

• Authorization/authentication system– Wall Street Journal, ESPN & New York Times

• They have a public site with content available to the public

• They have a premium content site where a user pays an annual or monthly fee for access.

• This is a popular model among religious sites

“Cheap and Easy Access”iTunes

• To keep something from being stolen make the price less than/equal to the cost of theft

• This relies on the honesty of the majority of potential users

• Make it cheap and easy and most folks are more likely to buy than steal

Challenges

• Many consumers are conditioned that music is free (filesharing, radio, ripping)

• Value is difficult to establish when there is a ready supply, scarcity creates value

• Disney movie example

• For existing music the cat is out of the bag

PC Client Content/Download Managers

• Require consumers/users to download a management client on their computer

• This application connects to a dedicated service – a wholesale intermediary

• They can use ptp strategies to move the content to the consumer

• They can act as the DRM police

• Monitor and manage the user’s functions and actions on their computer

• They can enforce DRM irrespective of an internet connection

PC Client Content/Download Managers

• Bit Torrent

• Sony’s rootkit/CD copy protection debacle

• Privacy Issues / Data mining Digital Media permits intrusion & access on a

massively efficient scale International reach of technology subjects

networks to multiple cultures and laws (and multiple risks)

PC Client Content/Download Managers

• There is a push for Digital Licenses, separate from the media file and conforms to a standard format

• Separating a universal license from the media has many advantages

• It can accommodate many different licensing scenarios

• You don’t need to prevent file copying• Because file is on a server the provider has

complete control

Windows Media Rights Server• End-to-end DRM system for Windows Media• It supports a huge variety of security and business

model options• It delivers WMA and WMV files• WMRM (Windows Media Rights Manager) includes

server and client software development kits (SDK) so developers can write unique applications to encrypt files and issue licenses

• It does not play well with other platforms and older software

RealSystem Media Commerce Suite

• RealNetwork’s DRM solution

• The Packager – encrypts the media

• The License Server – issues content licenses

• Media Commerce Upgrade for Real Server – tracks the business side

• RealSystem Server plug-in – enables the service on a media server

• Like WMRM it enables a variety of business and distribution models

Flash

Flash Basics

• Macromedia’s Flash has been adopted as the de facto “rich media” solution in the industry

• It is used extensively in entertainment, games and advertising

• Graphics are essentially vector-based instructions

• Infinitely scalable in an interface

More Flash Basics

• Many companies now standardize embedded video on their sites as Flash Video

• Huge growth in handhelds and mobile delivery

• Flash files are called SWF (“swiff”)

• Files are closely tied to the authoring system

Even More Flash Basics

• Not really a codec• SWF files contain graphics and instructions how to

animate• Drawing is done with math (x/y/z axis and vectors

over time)• Files are often smaller• Not sending huge graphic files, just the parts and

instruction on how to recompose the animation on the user’s computer

Will these Flash Basics Ever End?

• With QuickTime support and Macromedia’s integration of the Sorenson Spark codec SWF can be used as a container for video

• The header information of a file has most of the same data types as the other codecs we have reviewed– File version

– Length of file

– Frame size

– Frame count

The End of Flash Basics As We Have Known Them

• Two main types of tags – Definition tags – define content

– Control tags – control content

For example, definition tag defines and triangle and the control tag will move it across the screen

OK, I lied, this really is the final Flash Basics Slide. Perhaps

• SWF files are a progressive format• Blocks are sent in the order of use• This allows the file to be essentially streamed• Viewer can watch the parts as they arrive• This can occur without special server software – no

need for a media server• A web server, the flash content and a flash player

are the only requirements

Great Flash Video Example

http://www.lebronsbikeathon.com/ Video #11 & #14

Flash Example & Workshop