Huawei Chipset Limitations Prevent Pearl TV from Decrypting 3.0 Broadcasts, Details Revealed to FCC
In a recent turn of events, SiliconDust and Pearl TV have found themselves at odds over the HDHomeRun Flex device's inability to access ATSC 3.0 programming encrypted using A3SA content protection technology.
Pearl TV, a consortium of American broadcast networks, has asserted that the root cause of the issue lies in the device's dependence on a chipset manufactured by HiSilicon, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. The company's legal representatives have stated that the HDHomeRun Flex, equipped with HiSilicon chips, cannot decode ATSC 3.0 broadcasts encrypted with A3SA, a standardized DRM technology used by broadcasters for ATSC 3.0. As a result, users cannot access these protected channels on the HDHomeRun Flex, and the device instead reverts to the ATSC 1.0 version of those channels if available.
However, SiliconDust has responded by explaining that their chosen System on Chip (SoC), the Hi3716, has been approved for decrypting DRM protected content by the Widevine licensing authority since 2022. The company emphasizes that their device, the HDHomeRun Flex 4K, is NextGenTV certified and meets all ATSC 3.0 requirements. They further clarify that under A3SA’s rules, the HDHomeRun device is not expected to decrypt encrypted broadcasts on the device itself but rather works within the framework set by content protection policies.
Nick Kelsey, president and chief technology officer of SiliconDust USA, states that the specifications and rules related to DRM are not part of the ATSC 3.0 standard but a private set of specifications and rules put together by the five voting members of A3SA. Kelsey asserts that the premise of the Pearl TV letter is wrong, as a video gateway product like the HDHomeRun does not decrypt DRM content.
The most troubling aspect of SiliconDust's behavior, according to Pearl TV, is that it actively markets a device to consumers that it knows will not work with the A3SA content protection technology being used by ATSC 3.0 broadcasters. The commission has found Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. to be a national security threat to the integrity of communications networks, and the FCC received a letter from Pearl TV's legal counsel, Covington & Burling, regarding the HDHomeRun Flex device and its inability to access encrypted ATSC 3.0 programming.
The letter expressed concern that SiliconDust has chosen not to remove components deemed to be a national security threat from the HDHomeRun Flex device. SiliconDust, however, argues that their device is certified by the Consumer Technology Association as fully compliant with all required ATSC 3.0 standards. The company also objects to being deemed affiliated with the Chinese government, stating that the HDHomeRun is not a Chinese developed or made product and does not fall under this categorization.
The letter was sent in response to questions from the FCC's Media Bureau about issues encountered by a "relatively small number of consumers" who purchased the device. The letter sent by Pearl TV's legal counsel includes photographs of a disassembled HDHomeRun Flex device purchased from a U.S. retailer this month, showing the HiSilicon chipset.
Kelsey explains that the job of the gateway product is to receive content from the antenna and deliver it to player devices within the home network. If the content received from the antenna is DRM-encrypted, the gateway delivers encrypted content to the player device. The dispute between SiliconDust and Pearl TV continues as both parties await a response from the FCC regarding the matter.
- The HDHomeRun Flex, a device by SiliconDust, is at the center of a disagreement over its inability to access encrypted ATSC 3.0 programming.
- Pearl TV, a consortium of American broadcast networks, claims the device's failure stems from its dependence on a HiSilicon chipset, a subsidiary of Huawei Technologies.
- SiliconDust, on the other hand, argues that their chosen System on Chip (SoC), the Hi3716, is approved for decrypting DRM content.
- According to SiliconDust's president, Nick Kelsey, the specifications and rules related to DRM are not part of the ATSC 3.0 standard.
- Pearl TV has expressed concern about SiliconDust's marketing of the HDHomeRun Flex, which they believe will not work with the A3SA content protection technology used by ATSC 3.0 broadcasters.
- The FCC has received a letter from Pearl TV's legal counsel, Covington & Burling, regarding the HDHomeRun Flex device and its inability to access encrypted ATSC 3.0 programming.
- The dispute between SiliconDust and Pearl TV is a matter that awaits a response from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
- The controversy involves the broader context of policy-and-legislation, technology, politics, media, general-news, and smart-home-devices and gadgets, as the nextgen TV transition unfolds.
