Medialive and Nagravision Demonstrate an Innovative Solution for Digital Pay-TV to Reinforce Content Protection from Source to End-User Devices

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medialive, a leading digital content protection company, and Nagravision a Kudelski Group (SWX:KUD.VX) and the leading provider of content protection and value-added service technology, developed a new solution combining Medialive m2mark^® and Nagravision’s Conditional Access System.

This technical collaboration illustrates a promising future for innovative Pay-TV and digital content security systems.

At IBC 2008 on Nagravision booth 1D69, Medialive and Nagravision are demonstrating the innovative results of their collaboration: an experimental pay-TV service protection architecture which explores future paradigms for content protection and distribution.

A unique element of the new m2mark^® system¹ is that the watermarks are added while the content is still scrambled, so that clear content always contains the watermark.

The demonstration shows an original scrambling usage, which allows using only a small part of audio/video bit stream in a light watermarking & decryption process in a secure device.

Decryption and individual watermarking are simultaneously done in the secure device for improved security from source to end-user devices.

“This prototype demonstrates how new technologies pioneered in emerging content distribution networks could enhance the traditional scrambling and CA architecture typically used in digital satellite and cable TV deployments.” said Christophe Nicolas, Chief Technology Officer of Nagravision.

This unique combination of content protection and content identification allows: controlling content distribution, providing service providers with additional technical means to dissuade new forms of digital Pay-TV piracy and improving the user experience (being “invisible” to consumers) while being interoperable with leading CAS and tracking systems as well as emerging copy protection solutions, such as Nagravision’s Persistent Rights Management (PRM).

”The new m2mark^®-based solution allows smoothly bridging content protection technologies with content tracking technologies, while keeping intact the robustness of each independent solution, thus enabling a smart handover from protection to tracking” said Didier Lesteven, CEO of Medialive.” Moreover, it represents a key enabler of market trends: Web VOD, IPTV media emergence, HD content demand increase and new advertising models.”

About the Kudelski Group/Nagravision

The Kudelski Group (SWX: KUD.VX) is a world leader in digital security and convergent media solutions for the delivery of digital and interactive content. Its technologies are used in a wide range of services and applications requiring access control and rights management to secure the revenue of content owners and service providers for digital television and interactive applications across broadcast, broadband and mobile delivery networks. The Kudelski Group is also a world technology leader in the area of access control and management of people or vehicles to sites and events. It additionally offers professional recorders and high-end hi-fi products. The Kudelski Group is headquartered in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland. Please visit www.nagra.com for more information.

Nagravision, a Kudelski Group company, is the leading supplier of open conditional access systems, DRM and integrated on-demand solutions for content providers and digital TV operators over broadcast, broadband and mobile platforms. Its technologies are currently being used by more than 120 leading Pay TV operators worldwide securing content delivered to over 92 million active smart cards and devices. Please visit www.nagravision.com for more information.

About Medialive

Medialive's solutions are based on a breakthrough innovative and patented technology enabling secure digital content distribution over Internet and all telecom environments. This technology provides a unique approach combining DRM/CAS and watermarking technologies that enables simultaneously digital content protection and traceability. Specifically designed for the audiovisual world, the Medialive solutions provide the perfect answer to rights holders’ constraints and end-users’ expectations, while promoting the convergence of Pay-TV, IPTV and VOD business models. Medialive’s shareholders include Techfund (SEL) and Sprint-Nextel Communications Inc, the third largest US mobile network.

Visit www.medialive.com for more information about Medialive.

m2mark^® is a registered mark of Medialive S.A.

¹ m2mark concept: http://www.medialive.com/technology/