Verimatrix is well-known in the broadcast industry for its superior anti-piracy software tools, strong pre-integrated partner protection ecosystem and award-winning customer support. Our content protection solutions are designed to protect and maximize the value of your content everywhere – and our impressive client list backs up our leadership position. Over the past 12 months, the company has also won numerous awards for its application shielding solutions which help secure software and transactions across devices.

Verimatrix has a long and storied history with Android TV security. We thought we’d take a brief tour down memory lane to reflect on where we started and how far we’ve come with protecting the Android TV ecosystem over the past decade.

The Rise of Android TV

Verimatrix’s history of Android OS integration on set-top-boxes (STBs) started in 2012 with four major rollouts:

  1. A major South Korea set-top box manufacturer
  2. A mid-tier telecommunication equipment manufacturer from China
  3. A large Chinese digital TV provider of OTT/IPTV set-top boxes and solutions for pay TV, telecom, and mobile operators
  4. A publicly traded Taiwanese manufacturer and distributor in the digital TV supply chain

 

After the formal unveiling of Android TV in June 2014, it became clear that the landscape was quickly changing for video service operators and their partners. Being adaptable, nimble, and forward-thinking, Verimatrix doubled down and integrated 20 Android TV STBs by the end of 2014.

In March 2012, Verimatrix announced it was elected to secure the next generation IPTV and multi-screen platform for Chunghwa Telecom. The deployment featured the Verimatrix award-winning VCAS™ security solution, which integrated security techniques for video over managed and unmanaged networks with a single security authority head-end extended to include integrated Android TV devices.

In 2017, Verimatrix completed the Ultra Android TV integration, fully compliant with 4K/UHD MovieLabs spec for Chunghwa Telecom (Hwacom HC-J3371C2 IPTV Ultra STB).

As of 2020, Verimatrix has integrated, secured, and delivered more than 120 different Android TV STBs to the market.

Arrival Time vs. Time-to-Market

Verimatrix’s MediaCas plug-in was first implemented by Broadcom in February 2019. With Verimatrix, a custom Android TV integration is doable in 3 months, but target time-to-market with MediaCas plug-in can be reduced to 6 weeks. This is half the target time-to-market reported for most other solutions available on the market today.

Verimatrix can deploy Android TV with any technology provider, leaving our customers’ vendor partnership choices wide open. Our strong partner ecosystem, which features pre-integrations and pre-certifications with multiple chipset and set-top box vendors, equates to flexibility and rapid time-to-market, even for the most complex video service operators.

A Vast Partner Ecosystem

Verimatrix’s Android TV partnerships with certified chipset vendors are numerous and include reputable firms such as Broadcom, Marvell (Synaptics), HiSilicon, Amlogic, Realtek, Novatek, MediaTek and Entropic (MaxLinear).

Verimatrix is integrated with many of the world’s top set-top-box and Smart TV vendors such as Technicolor, Samsung, LG, Arris, ZTE and Kaon.

A Well-Oiled Machine for Android TV Deployments

Rapid time-to-market is a key tenant of any Android TV deployment. Speed is critical, but video service providers also need the security integration to be precise.

The Android application landscape has been rightly criticized as one that is riven with fragmented versions and inconsistent implementations. While recent versions of Android TV do offer some baseline security for video services, the premium device implementations desperately need to be augmented with the latest security techniques to provide the robust revenue security for video services that content owners demand today.

In addition to a rapid time-to-market, video service operators also want to know that their Android deployment is secured by proven integrations. Verimatrix offers the best of both worlds. Since Verimatrix’s first Android TV deployment, the process has been improved and perfected over time. With more than 100 different deployments and integrations with a variety of partners and service operators ranging in complexity, Verimatrix has developed a well-oiled machine. This means that video service operators can trust that they will experience a smooth Android TV deployment.

Notable Android deployments and integrations from 2012 through today include; Bouygues Telecom, Com Hem, Swisscom, Hathway, Chunghwa Telecom, VNPT, Saudi Telecom, Etisalat, Proximus, Rostelecom, MTS, ABS-CBN and Televisa.

Pioneers of Connected Video Content Security

Verimatrix brought a disruptive force to the market with its connected content security solution 18 years ago, and the company has been forward-thinking since its inception. Verimatrix built its suite of security solutions on the same connectivity principles as Android TV. As one of the founders of connected media consumption technology, Verimatrix offers unique expertise and proven methods for video service providers looking to deploy on Android TV.

Verimatrix remains committed to innovating one-way network security. In fact, Verimatrix recently announced its new VCAS 5 for DVB, which won TV Technology’s 2020 Best of Show Award. Verimatrix is invested in the future and we are dedicated to helping operators make strategic, smooth transitions to cloud-ready solutions — a testament to Verimatrix’s continued support of one-way networks.