Enhanced Widevine Content System Spans More Home Devices

Widevine Technologies Inc. today announced enhancements to its Cypher content security system that it claims support content viewing among a growing number of devices on a home network.

Widevine’s hardware acceleration enhancement within the secure processor of the Cisco Systems Inc. line of IP set-top boxes and DVRs enables them to perform additional capabilities, such as multiroom DVR. However, Widevine claims its ability to provide DCAS/DRM to secure content delivery through an in-home network is independent of that feature and goes beyond the Cisco devices.

“We’re giving service providers the security overlay they need to explore expanding the number of devices that can access content in the home,” said Matt Cannard, marketing vice president for Widevine. For now, that only covers devices, such as those from Cisco, that use a Sigma Designs 8364 processor.

Verizon Communications Inc. launched a multiroom DVR offering late last summer using Motorola gear. AT&T Inc. has said it will offer a similar capability in the second half of this year.

The downloadable Cypher client can be loaded aboard PCs and PC-based portable media players, with wireless devices needing special integrations. To access and move content, Cannard suggests Wi-Fi and Ethernet home networks. He notes, however, that users will have a better viewing experience with standard definition since more capacity-demanding high-definition programming likely will suffer from home network bandwidth limitations.

Cypher 4.2 is available now and is independent of operation systems and platforms.

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