On-prem Widevine CAS: Is there a need?

When being contacted by PayTV providers, sometimes we’re asked whether we offer a fully on-prem Widevine CAS solution without any dependencies on cloud-based technologies.

However, this isn’t possible for very important reasons.

Why do I need the cloud?

Unlike legacy conditional access system (CAS) solutions, there always needs to be a cloud-based element to Widevine CAS that enables you to interact with Google’s backend allowing you to generate licences needed for both content decryption and entitlements; these keys are then stored securely in the cloud.

This in itself is actually one of the many advantages of using Widevine CAS as it means you no longer need to pay for proprietary chipsets or smart cards which introduce expensive royalty and license costs. This therefore enables you to make major cost reductions whilst enjoying the benefits of a scalable cloud-based solution.

On top of this, Widevine CAS’ cloud-based elements also mean you no longer need server side equipment to generate on-demand EMM’s – this can reduce the space required for data centers and in turn helps rein in power and maintenance costs for data centers, as well as remove the impracticality of having to physically secure these servers.

Are there any workarounds?

That being said, Widevine CAS isn’t fully reliant on the cloud 100% of the time with there being no requirement to have constant internet connection. With this in mind, you’re able to benefit from Widevine CAS’ cost reductions even in areas where internet connectivity is unreliable.

This is achieved by downloading a bulk number of licences from the cloud and then storing them on the playback device, taking advantage of Android TV set-top boxes’ advanced security features as well as the hardware’s ability to store persistent licences. This not only reduces dependencies on an internet connection but also improves the channel start and change times on the device.

What this therefore means is that you can remove the negative aspects of a cloud-based solution whilst benefiting from Widevine CAS’ cost saving features.

How can we support you?

At Castlabs, we offer a turnkey solution that enables you to simply deploy Widevine CAS for your IPTV services.

Our DRMtoday for Widevine CAS solution allows you to modularly deploy our ECMG and licence delivery backend service, as well as our PRESTOplay for Android TV video player SDK. This means we speed up your time to market, lower the costs of deploying everything in-house, and provide you maintenance and support throughout production.