Open source platforms such as RDK offer many advantages, including the benefit of having a common implementation instead of a common specification; however, they are not without challenges, such as security threats and interoperability with proprietary components such as conditional access system (CAS) or digital rights management (DRM). In this paper, the author explores how to optimize CA/DRM integration in the RDK bundle and ensure the revenue security of RDK applications. The pay-TV industry relies on many moving parts to put an end-to-end television distribution system together. The set-top box (STB) on its own is an expensive custom-designed piece of consumer electronics. The Reference Design Kit (RDK) is trying to ease the cost burden of designing and integrating the STB by providing a common reusable middleware platform. As a joint venture between several operators (Comcast Cable, Time Warner Cable, and Liberty Global), the RDK open source platform is wellpoised for future growth and adoption. The platform currently has more than 200 licensees but will certainly add more in coming months as it continues to expand its capabilities. Although RDK was initially designed for the needs of North American operators, it is becoming allocable world-wide. Consider for example RDK Management's recent announcement that RDK now features support for the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) standard1, which is widely used throughout Europe and other parts of the world.
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