Technology developer SiliconDust has pushed out an update to its popular HDHomeRun network-connected TV tuners that allows viewers to watch live and recorded content during Internet outages.
The change was noted in a recent filing made with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that weighs a proposal to move the broadcast TV industry from the current ATSC 1.0 transmission standard in favor of NextGen TV, which uses the ATSC 3.0 standard.
SiliconDust isn’t opposed to the change, but said certain properties associated with NextGen TV — specifically, the use of digital rights management (DRM) technology that allows broadcasters to encrypt their signals — is problematic in its current form.
A version of the HDHomeRun that is compatible with NextGen TV technology has never allowed users to view encrypted channels, which are becoming more-prominent in communities that have access to NextGen TV broadcast signals. Most major network-affiliated TV stations and affiliates — those that carry programming from ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the CW Network — have encrypted their NextGen TV signals, or are in the process of doing so.
Encrypted channels rely on a broadband Internet connection to obtain certificates needed to unlock the channels. Some devices are able to pull in those certificates just once, which eliminates the need for a constant Internet connection, while others require a stable broadband connection that is always delivered to a tuner.
Other features also require a broadband connection, though SiliconDust says it has figured out a way to continue allowing viewers to use its HDHomeRun boxes without the need for a constant connection. While it doesn’t allow viewers to watch encrypted signals, it will allow those who receive unencrypted channels to view them during brief Internet outages, the company said.
Nick Kelsey, President and Chief Technology Officer of SiliconDust, said preserving access to broadcast television during broadband outages is particularly important for emergency information.
“Viewers must be able to tune and view broadcast-delivered television channels during an Internet outage,” Kelsey said in the FCC filing, a copy of which is available to view here.
According to SiliconDust, the remaining obstacle is limited to DRM-protected channels. The company said there is no currently deployable solution approved by the A3SA security authority that allows encrypted ATSC 3.0 channels to operate across popular playback devices with the same offline capability as unencrypted broadcasts.
SiliconDust has proposed that broadcasters temporarily distribute their ATSC 3.0 channels without DRM while the industry develops a broadly compatible system that preserves reception during internet disruptions.
