NovelSat's ProtCASTER DRM solution has been implemented as a part of a major satellite network upgrade by Eurovision Media Services (EMS) — as a part of the upgrade, EMS also replaced their current satellite waveform, NovelSat NS3, with the more robust NovelSat NS4, further boosting spectral efficiency by as much as 15 percent.
Co-developed with EMS, NovelSat ProtCASTER DRM is the only satellite broadcast content protection solution based on virtually unbreakable AES 256-bit encryption. In addition, ProtCASTER offers a set of easy-to-use graphical tools to dynamically handle satellite broadcast content Digital Rights Management (DRM), entitlement, scheduling and booking. ProtCASTER is embedded in the Eurovision Hypermux Satellite Content Distribution Platform and has already been proven in the distribution of major sporting events.
NovelSat has also reached an agreement with EMS to commercialize the ProtCASTER technology so that it can be licensed to other media distribution players and benefit the broadcasting community at large. NovelSat will also offer ProtCASTER as a new service.
In addition to ProtCASTER, EMS also included the NovelSat NS4 software package in their upgrades. NovelSat NS4 has enabled EMS to achieve about 15 percent additional efficiency compared with the NovelSat NS3 waveform that was previously used. NovelSat NS4 is available in all NovelSat satellite modems, modulators and demodulators, which also support and are backward compatible with industry standards, including DVB-S, DVB-S2 and DVB-S2X.
NovelSat NS4, with a ROF as low as 2 percent and a wide variety of modulation codes, can boost capacity by up to 45 percent without increasing bandwidth demand compared with DVB-S2. The NovelSat NS4 waveform, like all NovelSat features, is a software-upgradable option that can be installed remotely. It also includes a set of advanced mitigation algorithms and detection mechanisms to handle most types of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI).
NovelSat will showcase their ProtCASTER and NS4 solutions at the NAB 2018 show in the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 9-12, 2018 at booth SU10417, South Hall (Upper Level).
Oscar Teran, Senior Manager of Technology and Solutions, EMS, said that as one of the world’s largest distributors of live HD TV content, EMS — like any company — has to protect itself against the threat of pirating, especially as these methods become more sophisticated over time. EMS has relied on NovelSat for satellite efficiency technology for years. Now, the company is even more confident that the firm's content is well protected with the AES 256-bit encryption in the ProtCASTER solution co-developed by NovelSat and EMS.
Efi Levinzon, NovelSat CPO, added that the company co-developed the ProtCASTER with EMS to ensure that the solution meets the needs of media organizations and operators around the world — this technology can be scaled for broadcasters of all sizes,.