Mediaproxy adds A3SA compliant decryption feature for ATSC 3.0

The compliance and monitoring specialist has worked closely with the A3SA to develop software decryption capability to deliver integrated NextGen TV tools

Mediaproxy, the global standard for software-based IP compliance solutions, is today announcing the significant news that it has been officially certified by the ATSC Security Authority (A3SA) to provide decryption for NextGen TV broadcasts in the US as part of its LogServer compliance monitoring and Monwall multiviewer systems.

This groundbreaking development offers broadcasters comprehensive software-based tools to monitor and analyze ATSC 3.0 streams for compliance purposes that are not tied to or reliant on bespoke hardware devices. The ATSC 3.0 standard delivers high levels of encryption to ensure content accessed through broadcasters’ websites is more secure, which in turn protects the viewers. By incorporating A3SA security protocols into the core of its LogServer engine, Mediaproxy is able to provide broadcasters with a cost-effective option to monitor both encrypted to-air and off-air signals. 

For to-air and hand-off monitoring, an on-premises LogServer system is able to simply take the encrypted STLTP (Studio to Transmitter Link Transport Protocol) output of the packager directly from the stream. This guarantees confidence in what is sent to the transmitter straight from the local IP network.

In off-air monitoring situations, it is possible to use inexpensive and familiar integrated receiver/decoders (IRDs) that do not provide decryption but do have outputs of the encrypted IP streams through DASH/ROUTE (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP/Real-time Object delivery over Unidirectional Transport). This enables ATSC 3.0 compliance on IRDs for streaming platforms such as HDHomeRun, with LogServer handling the DRM aspects for all channel sources.

The new ATSC 3.0 security feature is also available on Mediaproxy’s ever-expanding Monwall hybrid multiviewer, which accommodates low-latency monitoring of both encrypted outgoing and return signals. Alongside the features on Monwall and LogServer, Mediaproxy has developed an extended toolset for advanced IP packet and table analysis of live broadcast streams or PCAP (packet) captures, which can be accessed via easy-to-use user interfaces.

“Mediaproxy is a long-standing member of the ATSC, and we have hundreds of TV stations in the US that rely on our technology,” comments Mediaproxy chief executive Erik Otto. “Because of this we saw it as our responsibility to not only provide a comprehensive software-based toolset around ATSC 3.0, but also a seamless way to deal with decryption. Over nearly 25 years, Mediaproxy has established a reputation for pioneering new compliance and monitoring technologies and this new, extremely exciting development is the latest in a long line of such achievements. Without precedent, we have worked closely with the A3SA over the past 12 months to make this happen. The result is a simple software-based and cost-effective path forward for broadcasters offering NextGen TV services.”