SmartLabsDual Encryption Solution
HLS/FairPlay and DASH/Widevine
If your subscribers experience unstable playback on iOS devices, you must integrate the native iOS player into your client applications to resolve this issue.
This dual encryption solution addresses two key challenges:
- DASH/Widevine is not supported natively by Apple. Google's solution based on embedded Shaka player has multiple unresolved issues. Apple's official recommendation is to use
HLS/FairPlayfor iOS devices. - Different encryption algorithms require separate content copies. You cannot use the same content copy for both
HLS/FairPlayandDASH/Widevinebecause they use incompatible encryption algorithms.
Solution approach
The SmartLabs platform provides two options for handling dual encryption:
- Creating two copies of content — Store separate encrypted versions for each DRM system
- Performing on-the-fly re-encryption — Convert between encryption formats in real-time
To optimize storage usage, we recommend a hybrid approach: maintain separate HLS copies for live channels, keep only a few minutes of recorded content in both formats, and use on-the-fly re-encryption for recorded programs and xVoD content.
The diagram below illustrates the solution workflow:
Benefits
SmartMEDIA Recryptor—the module responsible for on-the-fly re-encryption—uses the AES New Instructions (AES-NI) supported by a wide range of Intel and AMD CPUs.
For example, adapting 50 TV channels for iOS subscribers using commonly available server processors can save more than 23TB of disk space and significantly reduce storage costs.
Storage calculation example: Based on 1-week time-shifted TV service for 50 channels with adaptive bitrate streaming: HD (4.5 Mbps) + SD (2 Mbps).