Tokyo, October 24, 2007 −− Renesas Technology Corp. today
announced the DVB-H CA Middleware Package, software designed for the SH-Mobile
application processor that implements descrambling of digital TV broadcasts for
mobile phones in Europe. The new DVB-H CA Middleware Package will be available
from February 2008 in Japan.
The DVB-H CA Middleware Package implements a descrambler function (CA:
Conditional Access) for DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting for Handheld), the
digital TV standard used by mobile phones in Europe. It simplifies the process
of developing applications for viewing and utilizing encrypted fee-based
content.
The DVB-H CA Middleware Package was developed in collaboration with Systems
Development Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd.
< Product Background >
In recent years the trend in mobile phone systems is toward incorporation of
support for digital TV broadcasts as a standard multimedia function. The TV
broadcast formats used by mobile phones include ISDB-T, which is the basis for
the One-Seg service offered in Japan; DVB-H, which is used outside of Japan,
particularly in Europe; and DMB-T, which is used in South Korea. To enable
handset manufacturers to implement digital TV reception on mobile phones,
Renesas supplies the SH-Mobile application processor and solutions, especially
middleware, for realizing video and audio functionality using the SH-Mobile.
These are widely used in mobile phone models with support for terrestrial
digital TV.
On the other hand, to enable users to view digital TV broadcasts in the
DVB-H format used in Europe, mobile phones must have a descrambler function, in
addition to the video and audio functions, because fee-based broadcasts are
encrypted. This functionality is defined in the DVB-H standard as SPP (Service
Purchase and Protection), and a mobile phone must support it in order for the
user to watch fee-based broadcasts. In response, Renesas has developed the
DVB-H CA Middleware Package, which provides support for DVB-H SPP, as an
addition to the previously released digital TV middleware components for mobile
phones, which mainly focus on video and audio functions. The new offering
expands the range of middleware components available for mobile phones with TV
functionality, providing an effective solution for mobile phone TV application
developers.
< Product Features >
The features of the middleware package are summarized below.
| (1) |
Easily customizable modular structure |
| |
The DVB-H CA Middleware Package has a modular structure and provides
support for four independent functions: (1) content stream decoding, (2)
key stream decoding, (3) authentication, and (4) decryption, the last two of
which are utilized in (1) and (2). The modular structure simplifies
customization to match the desired specifications. The developer can mix and
match middleware modules as required. For example, a separately developed
module could be used to implement the key stream decoding function while
retaining the functionality provided by the other modules in the package
unchanged. This simplifies application development and can shorten the amount
of time needed for development by approximately 30%, according to tests carried
out by Renesas. |
| (2) |
High-performance encryption middleware |
| |
To support DVB-H CA it is necessary to perform decrypting and
authentication on data encrypted in formats such as AES (Advanced Encryption
Standard) or HMAC-SHA-1 (SHA: Secure Hash Algorithm), and the processing
this entails can place a substantial load on the CPU. The DVB-H CA Middleware
Package is optimized along with the SH-Mobile architecture for the
authentication functions and decryption, achieving a processing load, with a
512 Kbps (kilobits per second) data stream of the sort used for mobile phone TV
broadcasts, of about 5MHz for each of the both functions. For a CPU with an
operating frequency of 200 MHz, for example, this represents a processor load
of only 2.5%.
In addition, DVB-H CA requires that the AES key be updated frequently. This
imposes a heavy load on the CPU, but the new middleware reduces this load by
making key generation processing more efficient, enabling to support streams
that update the key dynamically. These improvements reduce the CPU load imposed
by DVB-H CA functions by approximately 40%, compared with earlier Renesas'
middleware products providing encryption functionality. This contributes to a
reduction in the current consumption of the entire system.
|
The DVB-H CA Middleware Package conforms to A100 SPP under the DVB-H
standard covering scrambling and unscrambling of fee-based TV broadcasts in
Europe. It provides decoding functionality that supports the following content
and key encryption specifications.
| (1) |
Encrypted content streams conforming to SRTP (Secure Real Time Protocol)
and ISMACryp
(Internet Streaming Media Alliance: Encryption and Authentication
Specification) Ver. 1.1 |
| (2) |
Key streams conforming to the A100 Annex B specification of DVB-H |
To implement this functionality, the DVB-H CA Middleware Package comprises a
total of four middleware modules: two decode middleware modules that support
two types of streams, and two encryption middleware modules. The four
middleware modules are: (a) key stream decode middleware module, (b)
content stream decode middleware module, (c) hash function HMAC-SHA-1
encryption middleware module, and (d) AES encryption middleware module. Their
functions are as follows.
| (a) |
Key stream decode middleware module: Analyzes the key stream and
decodes and extracts the keys to be used to decode the content. |
| (b) |
Content stream decode middleware module: Analyzes the received
content stream, obtains the decoding keys, and decodes the content. |
| (c) |
Hash function HMAC-SHA-1 middleware module: Determines whether the
key and content streams being received are proper one. |
| (d) |
AES encryption middleware module: Decrypt encrypted key and content
streams in 128-bit block units. |
Note that middleware modules (c) and (d) are for general use and can be
utilized for applications other than mobile phone TV reception.
In the years ahead Renesas will continue to develop and supply solutions to
meet the requirements of customers in areas such as multimedia functionality
for mobile phones and content protection.
* Product names, company names, or brands mentioned are the property of
their respective owners.
< Typical Applications >
- Development of DVB-H digital TV applications for embedded systems employing
SH-Mobile
< Specifications >
|
Item
|
DVB-H CA Middleware Package
Specifications
|
| Target CPU core |
SH4AL-DSP and SH4AL-DSP-compatible SuperH |
| Content protection specification |
Compliant with SRTP and SMACryp Ver. 1.1 |
| Key stream function specification |
Compliant with DVB-H standard A100 Annex B |
Information contained in this news release is current as of the date of the
press announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.
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