Media Alert: W3C Publishes Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) as a W3C Recommendation

Dear Media, Analysts and Friends of W3C,

W3C is pleased to announce that W3C Publishes Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) as a W3C Recommendations.   Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) brings greater interoperability, better privacy, security, accessibility and user experience in viewing movies and TV on the Web
  
For more information, please see the Press Release here and text version below:
https://www.w3.org/2017/09/payments-media-advisory.html.en

For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact: 
w3t-pr@w3.org <mailto:w3t-pr@w3.org
Thank you.

Kind regards,

Amy van der Hiel
W3C Media Relations

———

   [1]W3C For immediate release

      [1] https://www.w3.org/

 W3C Publishes Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) as a W3C Recommendation

Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) Brings Greater Interoperability, Better
Privacy, Security, Accessibility and User Experience in Viewing Movies
and TV on the Web
     __________________________________________________________

   Read [2]testimonials from W3C Members and [3]Related
   Organizations

   [4]Translations | [5]W3C Press Release Archive
     __________________________________________________________

      [4] https://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2017#eme-recommendation
      [5] https://www.w3.org/Press/

   [6]illustration of movies on the Web showing a ticket

      [6] https://www.w3.org/2017/09/eme-movies-on-the-web-ticket.png

   [7]https://www.w3.org/ — 18 September 2017 — Furthering its
   goal to make the Web a first-class platform for media and
   entertainment, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published
   [8]Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) as a W3C Recommendation or
   Web standard. EME is an Application Programming Interface (API)
   that allows plugin-free playback of protected (encrypted)
   content in Web browsers, which works seamlessly on all major
   platforms. W3C's Media Source Extensions (MSE) provides the API
   for streaming video while its companion Encrypted Media
   Extensions (EME) provides the API for handling encrypted
   content. The combination of MSE and EME is the most common
   practice today that allows Web developers to stop using plugins
   to deliver commercial quality video over the Web.

      [7] https://www.w3.org/
      [8] https://www.w3.org/TR/2017/REC-encrypted-media-20170918/

   "EME is already widely adopted as a direct result of broad
   collaboration in W3C among major organizations such as Google,
   Microsoft, Netflix, Mozilla, Apple, CableLabs, Adobe, and has
   significant implementation across Web browsers." said Philippe
   Le Hégaret, W3C Project Lead.

   The viewing experience of watching movies and TV shows on the
   Web has now moved from a cumbersome and possibly insecure
   arrangement to the security of the Open Web Platform. The
   integration of the EME API into the Open Web enables Web
   browsers to communicate with the software that allows playback
   of protected content.

  User Benefits of EME

   EME offers a better user experience, bringing greater
   interoperability, privacy, security and accessibility to
   viewing encrypted video on the Web.

   "The EME specification has been developed with a focus on the
   security and privacy of the user. Compared to previous methods
   of viewing encrypted video on the Web, EME has the benefit that
   all interactions happen within the browser. EME moves the
   responsibility for interaction with encrypted video from
   plugins to the browser, which acts as a true user agent",
   continued Philippe Le Hégaret.

   Keeping security interactions within the control of the
   browsers is a key aspect of EME. The EME Recommendation clearly
   calls attention to the importance of mitigating such security
   and privacy threats as network attacks, illicit tracking and
   the compromise of device-side user information. Thanks to wide
   review during the development of EME, all security and privacy
   requirements are now documented in distinct sections. Moreover,
   the EME specification provides a clear road-map of what
   implementers must do to enhance the security and privacy for
   the Web users.

   Plugins have historically been used when features were not
   available in the Web. One by one the Open Web Platform
   implementations have been eliminating these plugins. Whilst
   some sites have already moved away from plug-ins to EME, the
   standard will have a positive effect on site migration. The Web
   has improved in such a way that installing plugins to play
   video is now a thing of the past. By moving all interactions
   into the browsers they are shielded from security
   vulnerabilities of plugins. By the same token, Web developers
   no longer have to use proprietary tools required by external
   plugins programming environments; they may now develop their
   Web Applications once and deploy on the Web.

   While EME lets users have more control over how they interact
   with protected content, EME does not create, nor mandate
   Digital Rights Management (DRM). It doesn't mandate any
   particular Content Decryption Module (CDM) implementation
   either, but only ensures the Clear Key common key system is
   supported, providing browsers with a common baseline level of
   functionality. An advantage is that EME can be implemented in
   open source and free software browsers. Additionally,
   implementing EME, like all W3C Recommendations, is voluntary.
   Being an extension to the Open Web Platform, EME is not
   required for HTML compliance, and browsers have the choice not
   to implement it. In such case, a browser would have full
   capability to support unencrypted content.

   EME improves the accessibility of encrypted online video, in
   contrast to existing mechanisms, by operating at a level that
   does not interfere with transmission or control of
   accessibility information. This is achieved by isolating the
   function of playing protected content, and by integrating it to
   the Open Web Platform. W3C standards development includes
   accessibility review to identify potential barriers to
   accessibility and new opportunities for accessibility support.
   W3C's analysis and testing of EME has shown no barriers to
   accessing captions, transcripts, or audio description of video.
   Applications conforming to EME ensure that accessibility
   information will be either transmitted in the clear; or, if
   encrypted, then decrypted along with the primary video file.
   All functionalities involved being provided by the HTML
   specification or some of its extensions, current and future
   accessibility enhancements of the Open Web Platform can be
   leveraged. (Read more about [9]EME and Accessibility.)

      [9] https://www.w3.org/2017/03/eme-accessibility.html

   Substantial interoperability of EME between browsers has been
   demonstrated as part of the development of the specification.
   Not only does EME ensure seamless playback of video content
   across many browsers, but it benefits from the excellent
   state-of-the-art model of the entire modern Web stack.

   For more technical details on the specification as well as
   history, please read the [10]Director's disposition of comments
   and decision on EME and [11]EME Backgrounder.

     [10] https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html-media/2017Jul/0000.html
     [11] https://www.w3.org/2017/07/EME-backgrounder.html

  The Debate about EME Becoming a W3C Recommendation

   The decision to advance EME to W3C Recommendation was made by
   W3C Director Sir Tim Berners-Lee, following a six-year
   multistakeholder effort and extensive technical work and open
   discussions within the Web community.

   "If you’re going to watch encrypted content it is safer in the
   browser where the security and privacy are provided rather than
   downloaded as an app." said Tim Berners-Lee. "A universal web
   must have content of all sorts: audio, video, text,
   interactive, maps and graphics. Some parts of the web are free
   and some are for pay. It’s understandable that certain
   producers incurring huge costs to produce their content are not
   prepared to release them without protections. If we are to have
   de-encryption, the advantage of EME is that unlike the typical
   historical DRM, the user is protected from attacks."

   Though some have disagreed with W3C's decision to take EME to
   recommendation, the W3C determined that the hundreds of
   millions of users who want to watch videos on the Web, some of
   which have copyright protection requirements from their
   creators, should be able to do so safely and in a Web-friendly
   way. In a vote by Members of the W3C ending mid September, 108
   supported the Director's decision to advance EME to W3C
   Recommendation that was appealed mid-July through the
   [12]appeal process, while 57 opposed it and 20 abstained. Read
   about [13]reflections on the EME debate, in a Blog post by W3C
   CEO Jeff Jaffe.

     [12] https://www.w3.org/2017/Process-20170301/#ACAppeal
     [13] https://www.w3.org/blog/2017/09/reflections-on-the-eme-debate/

   The use of streaming services has increased exponentially
   across the globe. Hundreds of millions of users currently
   benefit from EME in subscriber-based services like Netflix, and
   others that offer viewing of encrypted video content.

About the World Wide Web Consortium

   The mission of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is to lead
   the Web to its full potential by creating technical standards
   and guidelines to ensure that the Web remains open, accessible,
   and interoperable for everyone around the globe. W3C standards
   HTML5 and CSS are the foundational technologies upon which all
   Web sites are built. For its work to make online videos more
   accessible with captions and subtitles, W3C received a 2016
   Emmy Award.

   W3C's vision for "One Web" brings together thousands of
   dedicated technologists representing more than 400 [14]Member
   organizations and dozens of industry sectors. W3C is jointly
   hosted by the [15]MIT Computer Science and Artificial
   Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the United States, the
   [16]European Research Consortium for Informatics and
   Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France, [17]Keio
   University in Japan and [18]Beihang University in China. For
   more information see [19]https://www.w3.org/.

     [14] https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List
     [15] http://www.csail.mit.edu/
     [16] https://www.ercim.eu/
     [17] http://www.keio.ac.jp/
     [18] http://ev.buaa.edu.cn/
     [19] https://www.w3.org/

   End Press Release

Media Contact

   Amy van der Hiel, W3C Media Relations Officer
   <[20]w3t-pr@w3.org>
  mailto:w3t-pr@w3.org

   +1.617.253.5628 (US, Eastern Time)
     __________________________________________________________

Testimonials from W3C members

   [21]CableLabs • [22]Consumer Technology Association (CTA) •
   [23]Microsoft Corporation • [24]Motion Picture Association of
   America (MPAA) • [25]NBCUniversal (Comcast) • [26]Netflix •
   [27]Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

  CableLabs

     As a member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C),
     CableLabs participated in the development of the Encrypted
     Media Extensions (EME) recommendation – in collaboration
     with other major W3C member companies – to help further its
     goal of making the web a first-class platform for media and
     entertainment. EME was developed with user security as a
     major goal, while also focusing on improving user
     experiences and facilitating seamless communication between
     web browsers and software that allows playback of protected
     content. CableLabs is glad to see EME achieve the status of
     W3C recommendation.


    Ralph Brown, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology
    Officer

  Consumer Technology Association (CTA)

     The CTA WAVE Project congratulates the W3C for having
     published EME as a full W3C Recommendation.

     CTA WAVE firmly believes in the importance of EME to the
     future of commercial video, an important contribution to the
     future of the web that enhances:
     * Interoperability—With EME, commercial video is encoded and
       encrypted using open standards that are supported by
       different browsers and decryption systems;
     * Accessibility—EME allows the media industry to deliver
       better and more interoperable accessibility features than
       was feasible with previous closed media delivery platforms;
     * Next generation media—EME will enable many small,
       specialized providers to deliver commercial media over the
       web, with the potential of transforming the entertainment
       industry while continually expanding the horizons of the
       web in the 21st century.

     The first document from the WAVE Project, the [28]Web Media
     API Snapshot 2017 specification, was recently released for
     review within the Web Media API Community Group, and more
     specifications and documents leveraging and citing the work
     of W3C and other groups will follow soon. The Web Media API
     Snapshot 2017 specification is built around the W3C standard
     HTML5 video architecture, including Encrypted Media
     Extensions (EME) when supporting encrypted video.

     [28] https://w3c.github.io/webmediaapi/

     CTA WAVE looks forward to continued collaboration with W3C
     and other stakeholders to ensure the web remains a premiere
     platform for enabling communication and innovation.

     The CTA WAVE Project is an initiative by many of the most
     influential names in video and audio, comprising
     manufacturers, distributors, service and infrastructure
     suppliers and over-the-top commercial internet video
     providers to identify requirements and guidance on the use
     of those specifications. More than 60 companies and 150
     engineers are currently working on this effort.


    CTA WAVE Project Steering Committee

  Microsoft Corporation

     Microsoft congratulates W3C on completing the Encrypted
     Media Extensions Recommendation, and thanks Sir Tim
     Berners-Lee for the hard work and leadership he provided to
     bring it to conclusion. This, along with the publication of
     the Media Source Extensions Recommendation, marks an
     important milestone on the journey to leverage HTML5
     standards to allow full-featured media playback in browsers
     without plugins. By using HTML5, MSE, and EME, developers
     can add video features using just standard formats and APIs,
     and websites can count on browsers to deliver media without
     having to support 3rd party plugins. Users can be confident
     that their chosen media content is delivered in an
     accessible, secure and privacy-respecting way.


    Jason Weber, Director of Program Management, Web Platform R&D

  Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)

     Consumers today have access to more creative content across
     more digital platforms than ever before. In 2016, the
     American film and television industry released more than 700
     movies and 400 scripted television shows. There are now over
     130 lawful online sources for creative content in the United
     States and 470 sources globally.

     The Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) specification published
     by W3C is a key building block for the secure and seamless
     delivery of this content to audiences around the world. EME
     advances a new generation of web-based content delivery with
     improved user functionality, security, and privacy. The MPAA
     appreciates the productive, collaborative work of the W3C
     and its many stakeholders on this important advancement to
     improve the consumer video experience.


    Alex Deacon, Senior Vice President, Internet Technology

  NBCUniversal (Comcast)

     NBCUniversal is committed to bringing high-quality
     entertainment to viewers across the globe in a trusted,
     safe, and easy-to-use manner. We applaud the W3C's decision
     on EME, which will help provide reliable and safe access to
     the mechanisms used to access encrypted content, benefiting
     creators and users alike.


    Michael Wise, CTO Universal Pictures

  Netflix

     Integration of DRM into web browsers delivers improved
     performance, battery life, reliability, security and privacy
     to users watching their favorite TV shows and movies on
     Netflix and other video services. We can finally say goodbye
     to third-party plugins, making for a safer and more reliable
     web.

     We believe this technology has been greatly improved at the
     W3C, where the world's experts on web technologies, web
     security, privacy and accessibility could all shape the
     outcome in an open process.


    Mark Watson, Director, Streaming Standards

  Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

     We congratulate W3C and its members for voting to publish
     EME as a W3C Recommendation. This is a victory for common
     sense - EME is already being deployed on the web and
     implemented by most browsers. It allows the web to function
     more seamlessly and efficiently while preserving the
     necessary safeguards. It will ensure the optimal video
     viewing experience. In short, the adoption of EME as a W3C
     Recommendation will give users more of a great thing, and
     will keep W3C at the forefront of innovation and web
     standards. We applaud Sir Tim Berners-Lee and thank him for
     his successful stewardship on this issue.


    David Hughes, CTO, RIAA

Testimonials from related organizations

   [29]ATSC • [30]IPTV Forum Japan

  ATSC

     The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)
     congratulates W3C on the publication of the Encrypted Media
     Extensions (EME). ATSC is completing a suite of ATSC 3.0
     standards to enable the next generation of over-the-air
     terrestrial broadcasting and hybrid broadcast and broadband
     services.ATSC 3.0 standards are based on Internet Protocol
     and other web-based standards, including MPEG DASH and W3C
     HTML5, as well as EME. Our A/360 Security and Content
     Protection and A/344 Interactive Content standards both
     incorporate EME. The security and content protection
     capabilities made possible by EME provide important new
     opportunities for Broadcasters to deliver new services to
     the public.


    Mark Richer, President, Advanced Television Systems
    Committee, Inc.

  IPTV Forum Japan

     IPTV Forum Japan (IPTVFJ) sincerely congratulates that World
     Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has published Encrypted Media
     Extensions (EME) as a W3C Recommendation.

     Since December 2014, IPTVFJ has been publicly offering the
     “IPTVFJ STD-0013: Hybridcast Operational Guideline Version
     2” standard which includes the technical specification for
     Video on Demand (VOD) services with HTML5-capable TV sets.
     EME is one of the key features in this standard.

     IPTVFJ STD-0013 specifies the delivery method for
     audio-visual content based on MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive
     Streaming over HTTP) in detail. The method specified in this
     standard can be used for live streaming as well as VOD.

     Various features such as accessibility and privacy
     protection are provided by the Web framework. IPTVFJ
     recognizes (1) EME should be used to handle content securely
     in the framework if needed and (2) thus EME allows to expand
     applicability of IPTVFJ STD-0013 as much as possible. It is
     the reason IPTVFJ adopted EME APIs promptly as the open
     standard to be used in IPTVFJ STD-0013. Now IPTVFJ STD-0013
     is being deployed to the actual Integrated
     Broadcast-Broadband (IBB) services in Japan.


    Jun Murai, Chief Director, IPTV Forum Japan
     __________________________________________________________

   [31]Translations | [32]W3C Press Release Archive

     [31] https://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2017#eme-recommendation
     [32] https://www.w3.org/Press/

Received on Monday, 18 September 2017 14:35:05 UTC