DVB plans to upgrade CI Plus

Improvements to the CI Plus standard may include extensions to the CI Plus browser, allowing it to take advantage of smart TV broadband connections, as well as the possibility of transcoding and watermarking.

Martin Gold, chairman of the DVB CI Plus business group, said that any improvements to the planned CI Plus v1.4 will be backward compatible with v1.3.

“Many pay-TV broadcast operators and telecom operators are interested in IP-spreading TV content, which they often use as a complement to broadcast services,” Gold said. “Currently, host devices are increasingly able to connect to broadband networks, and With some 'hybrid' broadcast broadband capabilities, in addition to some cheap and small screen devices, almost all digital TV all-in-ones are available."

ISOBMFF (ISO Basic Media File Format) will run with more familiar transport streams for IP content distribution.

DVB began researching the CI Plus standard in April 2011, and later signed an agreement with CI plusLLP to further develop this standard, making the conditional access module secure for use in digital TV all-in-ones. It was subsequently widely adopted by cable operators, and although this specification already has the ability to run branded VOD services, conditional access modules often replace set-top boxes in situations where consumers only require basic program packages.

Part of the new V1.4 extension is to enhance the operator's experience of using VOD (Video On Demand) and EPG (Electronic On Demand Menu) through the CI Plus browser, and also enhances the host middleware MHP (Multimedia Home Platform) and HbbTV. Support for new applications is introduced in (Hybrid Broadcast/Broadband TV).

The dual tuner function - previously only possible with two modules - is currently being introduced and the usage rules information will be extended to support fast broadcasts.

At the same time, the business group has begun to study a new form factor for the interface to replace the PCMCIA slot.