Technology

Allian

e Partner | Solution Brief

BITMOVIN-VERIMATRIX JOINT SOLUTION BRIEF

End-to-end solution for premium OTT video services

CHALLENGES Video and Content Security Workflows

Studios and content aggregators (“content providers”) and developers putting systems together for them, and video service

providers (VSP), share a need to streamline and secure distribution of their video assets. While content providers wish to

widen and accelerate the monetization of their assets, they need new tools to enforce downstream playback policies together

with obtaining usage and performance reporting for analytics purposes. VSPs, on the other hand, desire easier and faster

access to compelling content, combined with a reduction in cost and distribution complexity from the point of origination to

the viewers.

Media Player Cross-Platform Support

Apart from the overall video workflow challenge, another major obstacle tends to be the media player, one of the most critical

components of a multi-screen OTT solution as a VSP strives to increase the reach of its content beyond TV screens. This has

often resulted in time-consuming, cross-platform custom development for each type of web browser as well as Apple,

Android and connected TV devices, eventually becoming an ongoing headache due to the proliferation of video capable CE

devices. To improve overall monetization of its content, a VSP also needs full-feature advertising support so that it can insert

user-targeted commercials in all OTT devices.

Silo-based Analytics

Satisfying the needs of heterogeneous subscriber segments, whether multitasking millennials, premium on-demand viewers,

multi-screen and mobile users and, not least, traditional subscribers, is imperative to sustain a competitive advantage.

Therefore, it is critical to be able to segment and analyze user populations, and to price service offers competitively to retain

and upsell subscribers and, ultimately, to increase revenues and profits. Unfortunately, many analytics applications are

departmental, creating data silos.

THE SOLUTION Together, Bitmovin and Verimatrix® offer a powerful solution that takes advantage of both companies’ capabilities and

strengths. The result is an end-to-end solution for premium OTT video services for a variety of use cases. This document

describes the overall solution, and the two companies will engage with each customer to define and deliver to specific

requirements and timelines.

• Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (V-MVPDs) seeking an end-to-end solution for OTT video services

• Pay-TV operators wishing to extend their services to multi-screen and OTT TV Everywhere (TVE) delivery

• VSPs looking for either a cloud-based software & security as a service (SaaS) solution, or traditional on-premise options

• Content providers wishing to offer direct-to-consumer video services, incl. TVE delivery

• Hierarchical (multi-tier) content distribution from studios and content aggregators to retailers/VSPs

The joint solution rests on four pillars:

Run Anywhere, Play Everywhere, See Everything! Specifically, the end-to-end solution exhibits the following characteristics:

• Best-in-class encoding and packaging for adaptive bitrate streaming delivery using HLS/MPEG-DASH, whether cloud-

based or on-premise

• Cross-platform feature-rich media player enabling the widest device and service reach (iOS, Android, PC/Macs, browsers,

etc.)

• Multi-DRM content security for use with Microsoft PlayReady,

Google Widevine, Apple FPS, and Verimatrix VCAS for Internet TV

• Streamlined and secure multi-tier content distribution architecture

and workflow without intermediate decryption/re-encryption steps

• Forensic video watermarking, supporting both live and on-demand

services

• Secure video analytics data collection and reporting for quality of

experience (QoE) and business intelligence (BI) purposes

• Anti-piracy monitoring and response

The joint solution is architected to be independent of where it runs, to allow subscribers to watch everything everywhere. This

is the flexibility demanded by progressive VSPs, where the video infrastructure must be adapted to the needs of the customer

rather than the other way around. Both companies offer API based products that enable customers and partners to solve

complex video problems with software-based solutions to create workflows that improve competitiveness.

Solution Details Encoding & Packaging

As the video industry evolves, so does the technology that drives it. Bitmovin has been a first mover in almost every

significant development in online video, from building and deploying the world’s first (and fastest) commercial adaptive

streaming (MPEG-DASH/HLS) HTML5 Player, to becoming the first to achieve 100x real-time encoding speeds in the cloud.

Bitmovin provides ground-breaking AV1, HEVC as well as VP9 (in addition to the industry’s H.264 workhorse codec) on-

demand and live streaming with 60FPS and 4K resolution and built the first containerized video encoding solution with

Docker and Kubernetes allowing on-premise or cloud deployment anywhere.

Built for cloud or hybrid cloud implementations and leveraging a massively distributed processing design, the Bitmovin

encoder offers virtually unlimited scalability and speed and power. Key characteristics include:

• Encoding speeds of up to 100x real-time • Containers: MP4, MPEG-TS, WebM

• MPEG-DASH, HLS, Smooth Streaming • 4K/UHD, various types of HDR

• Encoding & packaging • Live-to-VoD

• Highly customizable encoder • MPEG-CENC DRM & Offline DRM support

• Fast and easy integration and setup • Multi-Cloud (AWS, Google, Azure)

• Zero downtime deployments and upgrades • Actively maintained API clients for all major development languages

• Codecs: AV1, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AAC, AC3, E-AC3, MP3, Vorbis, and more

• Subtitles and Closed Captions: WebVTT, SRT, TTML, SMPTE-TT, EBU-TT, DFXP, 608/708, SCC

• Integrated with Verimatrix VCAS: Full multi-DRM support (PlayReady, Widevine, Apple, and Verimatrix VCAS for Internet TV

• Inputs & Outputs: AWS S3, GCS, Azure, FTP, SFTP, HTTP, Aspera, Scality, Swift, Rackspace, Cloudian, IBM Bluemix, S3 compatible protocols

Verimatrix-Bitmovin End-to-End Architecture [PLACEHOLDER – NEED MODIFIED DIAGRAM]

Content Security

VCAS Ultra is the fourth generation of the Verimatrix Video Content

Authority System (VCAS™), an end to end content and revenue security

architecture for all kinds of networks and device types. VCAS provides

software-based and IP centric solution profiles for IPTV, OTT, DVB, hybrid

IP-OTT and DVB-OTT, and multi-DRM deployments, offering a future-proof

platform to help video service providers secure and enhance their business.

VCAS features:

• Software and IP-centric design: Fundamentally based around renewable

software components, run in Verimatrix Secure Cloud or on-premise

• The cloud-based SaaS solutions are offered with subscription business models

• Broad device footprint: ViewRight® secure client technology offers support across a wide range of CE devices

• A complete revenue security toolbox: An architecture that extends beyond legacy CA & DRM to provide a full protection

envelope for encryption, watermarking and service management

• The original single content authority, multi-network and multi-DRM architecture: A flexible and mature way to harmonize

rights management across delivery networks, stream formats, DRMs, and device types, whether cloud or on-premise

• Live and on-demand services: Broadest range of encoder and packager key management

interfaces to support live and on-demand service workflows, with SaaS and on-premise models

• RightsConnex: Streamlined and secure cloud-based workflow for content and policy distribution,

enabling multi-tier co-operation between studios, aggregators and VSPs

• StreamMark: Session-based, user-specific forensic watermarking for premium OTT services

• VCAS Activity Dashboards: Cloud-based dashboards provides VCAS operational insights

• VCAS Anti-Piracy Monitoring & Response: Cloud-based service proactively detects and alerts abnormal patterns

• Trusted service and support: Global Services available 24x7x365, on-premise and cloud

Media Player

The Bitmovin Video Player is a fully featured HTML5 player as well as native SDKs for mobile and connected TV devices, with

a beautifully designed UI, ready to deliver enterprise quality user experiences right out of the box. The Bitmovin Player

achieves consistent player performance and capabilities across all platforms, thereby simplifying development and ongoing

maintenance of a multi-device content distribution business. It allows the playing of high quality video everywhere, on any

browser and any device with fast startup and no buffering.

Key features:

• Fast start up & No buffering • Multi DRM support

• VR & 360° in all browsers • Multi codec support (AV1, VP9, HEVC), auto-detection of codec based on underlying device capabilities

• Includes Android & iOS SDKs • Easy to integrate

• Patented adaptation logic • Ad server ready, with sophisticated waterfall capabilities

• HTML5 by default • Integrated Chromecast SDK

• Server-Side Ad Insertion • Smart TV support: Samsung, LG, Sony, Android TV, etc.

There are significant challenges to playing HLS & MPEG-DASH streams smoothly across all the different browsers, operating

systems and devices. Multiple DRMs and advertising support, required for most platforms, makes it even more complicated.

Compatibility across all platforms is of paramount importance. It is much more than just the web player. Bitmovin has

developed a native player for Android, iOS, tvOS and Smart TVs as well as desktop apps to help deliver video to all users,

regardless of which platform they are using. The player supports the same UI, player configuration and API on all platforms,

providing a consistent interface and user experience on every device.

Additionally, the player offers key functionality as follows:

• Full featured ad support available for Server-Side Ad Insertion, VAST, VPAID, Google IMA, VMAP, and more.

• Customizable player interface offers complete control over the user experience through the API or through a unified

configuration file that ensures the user experience is consistent across web-based players, iOS, Android, smart TVs, STBs

and desktop applications.

• Multi-DRM support: Apple Fairplay Streaming, Google Widevine, Microsoft PlayReady, and Verimatrix VCAS for Internet

TV DRMs. Key and entitlement management for all DRMs are performed by the Verimatrix MultiRights OTT head-end

component, cloud-based or on-premise.

Video Analytics

Video analytics tools are essential to the decision-making capability of various departments of a VSP. Operations and

Engineering teams need real-time analytics tools to analyze viewers’ Quality of Experience (QoE), to detect and correct

inefficiencies, and to reduce operational costs. Business users leverage historical data to understand content consumption and

viewing behavior, to identify opportunities to increase viewer engagement and revenue, to optimize ad slot pricing, and to

reduce subscriber churn.

The Verspective® Analytics platform is a comprehensive and extendable cloud-based analytics solution with a focus on

unifying data from a variety of sources, including set-top boxes (IPTV and DVB-IP hybrid), all kinds of OTT and multi-

screen devices, video-on-demand (VOD) servers and content delivery networks (CDN), digital video

recorders (DVR) and network DVRs, DRM systems including Verimatrix® VCAS™, and data

enrichment sources such as program schedules and metadata.

Verspective Analytics consist of two main modules: Verspective Intelligence and Verspective RT

Verspective RT: Cross-platform Client Device Data Collection with Customizable QoE, Real-Time Dashboards and

Diagnostics

Verspective RT securely collects client device data for managed and unmanaged networks (tablets, smart phones, PCs, smart

TVs and set-top boxes) in real-time, with the ability to track data from live channel content. Designed to measure Quality of

Service (QoS) and improve the viewer Quality of Experience (QoE), this solution provides actionable data in streaming

patterns and audience behavior to answer mission-critical questions instantly.

Verspective RT is offered as SaaS (software as a service) with flexible cloud deployment and pay-as-you-grow subscription

pricing.

Bitmovin also offers player-side analytics data collection and an analytics API with Bitmovin players in addition to the

Verimatrix Subscriber intelligence and QoE data from traditional STB/IPTV/OTT devices. All data is fed securely to the

Verspective Analytics data lake.

Verspective Intelligence: True Business Intelligence with Audience, Content, Consumption & Service Measurement.

Verspective Intelligence helps video service providers optimize their multi-network video service delivery, customer viewing

experience and engagement and increase revenue by providing a 360-degree view of their subscribers and their platform.

Verspective Analytics bridges organizational silos, aggregating all gathered data into a secure, cloud-based data lake while

granting controlled and role-based access to each department, where roles can be individually credentialed. Verspective

Analytics helps VSPs optimize multi-network video service delivery and subscriber viewing experience, improve user

engagement and increase revenue.

Joint Solution Summary The joint solution is offered with a choice of on-premise deployment with perpetual licenses or SaaS based models:

✓ Best-in-class encoding and packaging for adaptive bitrate streaming delivery using HLS/MPEG-DASH

✓ Multi-network and multi-DRM content security with secure multi-tier distribution and forensic video watermarking,

✓ Cross-platform feature-rich media player enabling the widest device and service reach, with a consistent viewing

experience

✓ Secure video analytics data collection and reporting for quality of experience (QoE) and business intelligence (BI)

purposes

The cloud-based SaaS solution option allows VSPs to:

✓ Reduce video streaming and content security costs

✓ Simplify video and security workflows

✓ Get content online faster at no financial risk

✓ Reach every device and every browser

With more than 900 customers combined in 110 countries,

Verimatrix and Bitmovin have the experience and expertise to

ensure data security and scalability without ongoing

operational impact, and ease of implementation. By working

with these two leading providers, VSPs can accelerate new

product offers and realize results quicker – all in a cost-

effective fashion.

ABOUT BITMOVIN Bitmovin is a leading provider of video infrastructure for online media companies around the world. The company has been at the forefront of all major developments in online video - from building the world’s first commercial adaptive streaming player to deploying the first software-defined encoding service that runs on any cloud provider or in a data centre. Bitmovin works with media companies across the globe to build innovative video products. To find out more, please visit www.bitmovin.com.

ABOUT VERIMATRIX Verimatrix specializes in securing and enhancing revenue for network-connected devices and services around the world and is recognized as the global number one in revenue security for IP-based video services. The award-winning and independently audited Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS) family of solutions enables next-generation video service providers to cost-effectively extend their networks and enable new business models. The company has continued its technical innovation by offering a comprehensive data collection platform, Verspective Analytics, for automated system real-time quality of experience (QoE) optimization to drive user engagement and content monetization, and data collection/analytics and Vtegrity, advanced security that addresses IoT threats and service lifecycle management.