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White Paper Technical Document for IP Delivery of Entertainment Content

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White Paper Technical Document for IP Delivery of Entertainment Content Sky Italia Srl Via Monte Penice, 7 20138 Milan - Italy White Paper Technical Document for IP Delivery of Entertainment Content Sky Italia Confidential 2012 This is an unpublished work the copyright in which vests in Sky Italia. All rights are reserved. The information contained herein is property of Sky Italia and no part may be reproduced or used except as authorized by contract or other written permission. The copyright and the foregoing restriction on reproduction and use extend to all media in which the information may be embodied. White Paper Version A.01 Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction 3 1.1 Sky “anywhere” : Platform of Portable End User Devices 4 1.2 Sky “anytime” : Non-linear Services 4 2. Delivery Infrastructure 4 2.1 Means of Transmission of Video and Audio Signals 4 2.2 Receiving Devices 7 2.3 Resolution 8 2.4 Content Protection on Outputs 8 2.5 Transfer of Content from End User Device to End User Device 8 3. Delivery to Other End User Devices 8 3.1 DRM Platform Specifics 8 3.2 Content Encoding 10 3.3 Content Delivery Network 10 3.4 Geoblocking 10 3.5 Video / Audio Bite Rate Profiles 11 3.6 Other End User Devices Output Protection 11 4. Delivery to Set Top Boxes 12 4.1 STB Conditional Access Platform Specifics 12 4.2 FUSION Overview 12 4.3 Content Encoding 13 4.4 Content Delivery Network 13 4.5 Geoblocking 14 4.6 Progressive Download Bit Rate Profiles 14 4.7 STB Output Protection 14 5. Facility Security 14 6. Technical Contacts 16 APPENDIX A Acronyms and Abbreviations 17 APPENDIX B STB Technical Specifications 18 Page 2 of 20 Sky Italia Confidential February 2012 This document is the intellectual property of Sky Italia and contains confidential information. All reproduction and communication to third parties is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from Sky Italia White Paper Version A.01 1. Introduction The way people consume content is changing due to new habits and technological innovation. More and more people do not organize their leisure time around fixed programming schedules. Further, thanks to new transmission technologies and devices, distribution of the same digital content to multiple end user devices via different transmission means is now widely available. In consequence, while Sky has been serving its subscribers predominantly via satellite and DSL redistribution of programming to Set Top Boxes, Sky has recently launched linear and non-linear programming services via new means of delivery (e.g., IP streaming and downloading) intended to be received by new consumer receiving devices (e.g., portable End User Devices (including tablets and smart phones), personal computers and game consoles). The purpose of these extensions is to strengthen the Sky core proposition of providing high quality television services to its new and existing consumer base and to accommodate emerging consumer behaviours. Sky customers shall enjoy their favorite contents on non- traditional devices with more interactivity and robust security Page 3 of 20 Sky Italia Confidential February 2012 This document is the intellectual property of Sky Italia and contains confidential information. All reproduction and communication to third parties is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from Sky Italia White Paper Version A.01 1.1 Sky “anywhere” : Platform of Portable End User Devices Sky is offering those subscribers seeking to access content in a more flexible manner the possibility to view Sky controlled programming anywhere on a linear and non-linear basis. As of its launch, the service currently branded “Sky Go” is available through : “Sky Go“ website : A website based access to linear and non-linear services, targeting receiving devices such as personal computers, game consoles, connected TVs, but also portable End User Devices such as tablets and smart phones; and “Sky Go“ application : An application based access to linear and non-linear services, targeting receiving devices such as iPad and similar tablets as well as smart phones and other portable End User Devices. 1.2 Sky “anytime” : Non-linear Services Sky is offering those subscribers seeking to access content in a more time-flexible manner the possibility to view Sky controlled programming anytime on a non-linear basis. At launch, the service currently branded “Sky On Demand” will be made available both via the platform of portable End User Devices as described above through either : “Sky On Demand” website : A website based access to non-linear services, targeting receiving devices such as personal computers, game consoles, connected TVs, but also portable End User Devices such as tablets and smart phones; and “Sky On Demand” application : An application based access to non-linear services targeting receiving devices such as iPad and similar tablets as well as smart phones and other portable End User Devices; and to Set Top Boxes through : “Sky On Demand” STB EPG application : An EPG based access to non-linear services, targeting PVR Set Top Boxes for the purpose of DTH delivery of content on a push basis and IP delivery on a pull basis. 2. Delivery Infrastructure 2.1 Means of Transmission of Video and Audio Signals Historically, Sky provided television services to Set Top Boxes via DTH and DSL lines. Going forward, Sky will also be transmitting programming (in linear and non-linear modes of delivery) to users using multiple types of receiving devices via other delivery means through Closed Access Internet. Page 4 of 20 Sky Italia Confidential February 2012 This document is the intellectual property of Sky Italia and contains confidential information. All reproduction and communication to third parties is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from Sky Italia White Paper Version A.01 For the purpose of this document : “Closed Access Internet” shall mean a means of distribution via Internet using a registration process and geo-blocking, limiting access to those viewers who are entitled (by virtue of contract and/or registration process) to receive a content service; “Internet” shall mean a non-proprietary network (i.e., accessible on a worldwide basis and open to the general public) that is based on a global IP address and that connects computers or similar receiving devices that communicate using a common IP protocol allowing bi-directional access for originating and receiving data, independently from whether the signal is supplied via DTH, DTT, cable, Mobile Wireless or WiFi delivery; “Mobile Wireless” shall mean any form of wireless distribution using mobile telephony/telecommunications data networks, including the Wireless Application Protocol, 2.5G(GPRS), 2.75G(EDGE), 3G(UMTS), 3.5G(HSDPA), 4G(LTE), DVB-H, DMB, UMA/GAN, IWLAN or successor Mobile Wireless technologies; “Progressive Download” shall mean transmission of content (on a push or pull basis), whether upon the relevant end user request or not, to an End User Device by means of download techniques that allow for a complete copy of such content to be delivered to and stored on such End User Device as a consequence of such process and such content may be retained on such device subject to any applicable contractual restrictions; “Streaming” shall mean the transmission of content for contemporaneous rendering whereby no permanent storage of content occurs at or in the End User Device as a consequence of such process (provided, however, that Buffering of content will occur). System block diagram of material processing and delivery for “anytime” and “anywhere” services : Page 5 of 20 Sky Italia Confidential February 2012 This document is the intellectual property of Sky Italia and contains confidential information. All reproduction and communication to third parties is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from Sky Italia White Paper Version A.01 The material processing and delivery happens all together within SKY. The platform architecture is composed of the following principal subsystems : MMA (Media Management Area) content acquisition and Playout Signal Encoding / Transcoding System Encryption System Conditional Access System and Digital Rights Management System unified HeadEnd Scheduling System Content Management System Content Delivery Network Billing System Business Intelligence System Client Player and Apps The Video/Audio encoding is H.264/ (ac3 or AAC). The media streaming communication protocol is NDS Http based proprietary adaptive bit rate protocol for all the connected devices like PC/Mac, tablets and smart phones. The media streaming communication protocol is NDS Progressive Download for the STBs Conditional Access System, and Digital Rights Management System are provided by NDS. The signal processing for the linear channels for “Sky Go” services for all the connected devices is as follows : All the assets are inserted in the scheduling system Pilat IBMS with all the editorial and rights details information Pilat submits the ingestion of the material and Playout scheduling for the linear channels The Playout result feeds the Encoder/Packaging (H.264, HLS), Encryption (AES 128 in accordance with NDS DRM) and Delivery on the CDN (AKAMAI or similar) The Client can access the channels he has the rights for, directly from the CDN The Client, after authentication, obtains the license to access the content by NDS unified HeadEnd based on the business rules defined on Subscription Management System The client uses the proprietary Player or Application for playing the content The signal processing for the VOD materials for Sky On Demand for the STBs and all the connected devices is as follows : Non-Linear Schedule defined by Pilat On Demand module feeds the TXT Polymedia CMS VOD Catalogue system; it provides information about editorial, content and VOD Rights The CMS workflow feeds the VOD Asset ingestion that is archived in the MMA storage The CMS workflow submits the Transcoding/Packaging (H264, HLS), Encryption (AES 128 in accordance with NDS DRM policy) and Delivery on the CDN (AKAMAI and Level 3) The CMS produces VOD Catalogue with the editorial information and business policy associated to the assets Page 6 of 20 Sky Italia Confidential February 2012 This document is the intellectual property of Sky Italia and contains confidential information.
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