The Streaming Platform is a hardware device based on Optibase MovieMaker 400. The device captures and encodes audio-visual input in real-time, can insert watermarks and encrypt the content, also in real time, and can either stream the content or store it on a disk for later use. The device includes the following components:
The media decoder is a low profile PCI card real-time HW MPEG4 video and audio encoder. The board receives analogue video and audio input and compresses them into MPEG4 video and MPEG4 AAC LC audio into an MP4 file, ISMA compliant. The board has streaming capabilities for sending the video and audio over the network over RTP/RTCP protocol according to the ISMA definitions. The HW capabilities enable encoding up to full D1 resolution in real-time.
The encryption module accepts blocks of clear-text media content and uses the AES-CTR algorithm to encrypt them. The module is activated after compression of the media and before they are passed over to the streaming module for streaming or the multiplex module for local storage.
The watermarking module allows inserting identification data into the music that cannot be removed. Insertion is not done via additional digital comment field but with a special signal processing technique, which inscribes the information into the sound signal directly. Identification number can be inserted into the audio signal which over data base carry information on the issuer, rights owner, distributor or even customer including date and time of purchase (transaction watermarking).
The File Multiplex/Demultiplex component is able to store encoded media streams in MP4 files and read them.
The Streaming module is the component responsible to the following tasks:
- Negotiate a session with client devices using the RTSP protocols (for on-demand scenarios).
- Announcing session details using the SAP protocol (for broadcast scenarios).
- Packetizing encoded media units (either received from the Media Encoder or fetched from an MP4 file) in RTP format and transmitting them over the network. This is done for both on-demand and broadcast scenarios, and may use either unicast or multicast network channels.
The entire streaming platform is controlled through the Control System component. The Control System starts and stops sessions, and determines the operation of the platform.
The potential of this results lies in the established Optibases customer base of customers with a need for high efficiency, high quality streaming media platform, including corporations, service providers and telco operators. By extending its product with DRM capabilities, Optibase expects to attract more customers and to upgrade equipment and services to existing customers.
The availability of products of this class will enable augmented consumption of multimedia while helping to cope with one of the main factors, if not the main factor, which currently impede the progress of digital media - the lack of effective means to cope with media piracy.
The innovation of this result lies with its ability to apply protection measures at the time the media is created, including in situation when the content is consumed at the moment it is created, such as in broadcast of live events. It is one of the first product of this kind, if not the first one.