HbbTV Association unveils enhancements to DASH DRM Reference Application

Hybrid TV standards body the HbbTV Association has announced enhancements to its DASH DRM Reference Application: multiperiod DASH – which can be used for server-side ad insertion (SSAI) – and support for PlayReady SL3000, which the associations says is being increasingly required by US content providers.

The HbbTV Association introduced the HbbTV DASH DRM Reference Application in 2017, after recognising that DRM and DASH playback raised interoperability issues which were not covered fully in the HbbTV Test Suite.

The HbbTV DASH DRM Reference Application now offers PlayReady, Marlin and ClearKey protected test content, Live DASH content created with LiveSim from DASH-IF, multi-track audio streams, elements for low-latency DASH, two alternatives for support of subtitles and MPD events, in different resolutions and frame rates, up to 4K.

The organisation said that the addition of multiperiod DASH tests with both live and VOD content was tied to the ongoing development of the open-source video player library developed by DASH-IF, dash.js. Multiperiod DASH content covers a variety of use-cases of SSAI including support for subtitles, multiple ad breaks, multi-track audio switching and timeline gaps in component streams, according to the HbbTV Association.

The Reference Application now also includes enhanced content security tests in the form of Microsoft PlayReady Security Level 3000. This content, along with multiperiod DASH content, is now available for device and end-user testing at https://refapp.hbbtv.org.

The HbbTV DASH DRM Reference Application is developed for the HbbTV Association by Sofia Digital, a Finland-based company specialising in video streaming and hybrid application development. New features being planned for the year 2022 include cbcs encryption mode for compatibility with Apple, key rotation examples and persistent DRM licenses, the organisation said.