REDEFINING CONTENT SECURITY WHITEPAPER SERIES

Android TV vs. AOSP Implications on Total Cost of Ownership and Content Security

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CONTENTS

Introduction......................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Delivering a Next-Generation User Experience.............................................................................................................. 2

Under the Hood .................................................................................................................................................................. 5

Securing Android Devices..................................................................................................................................................6

Comparing the Different Approaches to Android........................................................................................................ 8

Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................................................9

Over the last decade, the Android operating system has become one of the most widely used platforms

across different consumer devices. According to Gartner, 327 million out of 379 million smartphones sold in

the first quarter of 2017 ran Android (86.1 percent)1. While Android has seen wide success on smartphones

and tablets, its growth is not limited to those platforms. According to Google, more than 1 million activations

are added every two months on Android TV™. Additionally, more than 20 operators globally have launched an

Android TV service so far. Forecasts from IHS Markit indicate that shipments of Android TV devices will grow

by 44 percent CAGR from 2015 to 2020.

Five key drivers that attract pay-TV providers to Android set-top-box (STB) propositions are giving subscribers

access to apps and services, increasing end-user engagement, exploring new monetization avenues, reducing

the time to market for new STBs and decreasing churn by keeping subscribers on HDMI1 – TV input which is

controlled by the operator device.

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To gain a more in-depth perspective of the commercial

benefits it is essential to understand the different

variants of Android STBs that can be deployed in a

pay-TV operation2. These include:

1. Android TV STB

2. AOSP-based STB compliant with Android CDD

3. AOSP-based STB not compliant with CDD (a.k.a.

AOSP Fork)

1 https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/37251172 http://www.conax.com/press-events/webinars

WHAT IS AOSP?Android Open Source Project is a software stack and an open source project led by Google.

WHAT IS ANDROID CDD?Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) is a set of requirements that must be met in order for devices to be compatible with the latest version of Android.

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This paper will explore the pros and cons of each variant of Android in the context of STB development

projects for pay-TV operators. Furthermore, the paper will look at the difference in effort and complexity for

Android TV and AOSP based on compliance with CDD, providing insight into the commercial impact of each

variant for an operator and the overall benefits vs. trade-offs.

There are three key areas to consider for each variant, which impact one-time and long-term costs:

• User experience and interaction

• Under the hood hardware and software

• Content security

DELIVERING A NEXT-GENERATION USER EXPERIENCEPay-TV subscribers expect a smooth and rich user experience (UX) on Android devices, similar to what

they’ve encountered on smartphones. There are three ways that operators can streamline the UX for end-

users: through an optimized home screen, by providing the best content selection and by providing advanced

interaction options.

Creating a Custom Launcher/Home Screen When the STB is powered up it starts either in the

home screen of the operator (the operator app)

or in the application launcher where the user can

search for and select content and apps to launch.

The look and feel, as well as content offered,

through this entry point into the platform is vital

for the user experience of the service.

With AOSP, operators can completely customize

the home screen launcher on their STB device,

including control on operator featured content

(app and games) and features like search and

recommendation. The icon placements, and the UI

level at which content is made available, are defined

by the operator. Depending on the complexity of

the project this could take anywhere between

three to nine months to implement.The complete

choice of user experience, combined with operator

control over the placement of apps and services

makes it a good choice for operators that focus on

a custom branded user experience.

To customize the home screen user experience

using Android TV, operators have two options:

the Android TV standard launcher or an Operator

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Tier launcher. In the latest version of Android

TV (i.e. Android Oreo), there is a UI framework

to plug-in a list of pre-installed Android apps,

access to personalized recommendations, and

a placeholder for featured content determined

by the operator. It ensures increased visibility

of operator sponsored content on home

screens and search results to boost content

consumption. This is a good option for operators

looking to differentiate themselves through their

own content offering rather than through a branded

user experience. The configuration of the launcher

is simple and easy to do for OEMs compared with

the full-fledged launcher implementation of AOSP.

The Android TV Operator Tier launcher approach,

on the other hand, allows for UX customizations

as massive as that of an AOSP launcher. There are

some Android TV guidelines that must be followed,

but otherwise operators have a high degree of

freedom to define a unique look and feel. This is a

good option for operators that wish to differentiate

through a bespoke user experience. The trade-off

is a longer time to market when compared to the

standard launcher implementation.

Certain user interface and middleware technology

partners offer a customized UX template solution

that allows operators to choose from a menu of

skin-able, tweakable UX options. It is completely

different from the Android TV standard launcher

UX. From a complexity and timeline perspective,

there is additional effort involved, such as the

need to include a UI provider. Moreover, there are

additional checks and balances involved to ensure

compatibility with Android TV guidelines. From a

time to market perspective, this route is in the

middle compared with what an Android TV standard

launcher and a custom AOSP launcher offer.

AOSP: A custom launcher gives complete control on

the user experience, at the expense of additional

UI integration time and effort.

Android TV: The standard launcher comes built-

in with Android TV services and only needs

configuration to customize and go to market

quickly.

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Opening Up a World of Apps and GamesThe Android platform attracts a relatively large

developer network across the globe, thus allowing

a bigger base of apps and games to be offered to

consumers.

AOSP devices do not have access to the Play

Store. Operators can either choose to integrate

a third-party app marketplace or exert control

by selecting a limited number of apps, including

their own service offering, to be present on the

Android device, effectively building a walled-garden

approach. In terms of effort and complexity, third-

party app marketplaces necessitate integrating

back-end systems to monitor the ingestion of apps,

the distribution of apps to provisioned devices, and

to manage their lifecycle on the end-user devices

in addition to ensuring that these apps comply

with Android requirements. Additionally, operators

might want to hire independent software vendors

for app development and ramp up human resource

competency to seek and create app partnerships.

From an Android TV perspective, regardless of

whether the standard launcher or Operator Tier

launcher is used, these services are pre-built. The

five Google services — Play Store, Games, Movies,

YouTube and Music — are part of the software

stack once an operator signs an agreement for the

Android TV device. Deploying pre-installed Android

apps on the STB is fairly easy either through

the OEM or via a web-based portal provided by

Google. Operators are saved from having to engage

with multiple stakeholders to bring content to

subscribers. Updates to Android apps are delivered

via Google’s back-end to the STB devices.

Through full access to the Google Play Store,

Android TV benefits from a vast availability of

apps and services (currently more than 3000 apps)

from all types of providers. While this provides

operators’ subscribers with immediate access to

a world of content and apps, it does not provide

any means for the operator to block competing

services from their platform. Using the Operator

Tier launcher, operators can though ensure that

their own content is prioritized in the launcher and

the Android search engine.

AOSP: A good solution for a controlled walled-

garden app offering, but requires operators to

deploy infrastructure to roll out and maintain apps.

Android TV: With 3000+ apps available and Google’s

back-end infrastructure, the operator does not

need to hire additional technology partners.

Providing Advanced InteractionConsumers expect interaction with content to be

simple and innovative, with the ability to utilize

voice control services enhancing the entertainment

experience, to cast services to the large screen or

STB and play popular games on the big screen.

AOSP-based devices cannot be integrated with

Google Cast. Simulating the casting experience with

alternative technology needs additional integration,

with access to a limited number of supporting apps,

which might be useful for operators that choose

to provide such an interaction only with their own

service. Voice-based interaction, which comes at

an additional cost from third-party technology

providers, can be integrated by experienced

middleware vendors and system integrators. A key

consideration is the extent of deep integration of

voice interaction within the user experience of

the pay-TV service. It impacts the development

timelines of the operator UX and home screen.

Android TV, on the other hand, comes with Google

Chromecast built-in and regularly updated over

the air. Powered by Google’s back-end, the Google

Assistant provides AI functionality. Additionally,

voice search and voice control come free with the

Google TV services. As a consequence of Android

TV hardware requirements, the casual gaming

experience with TV remote control or Bluetooth

gamepads is a default feature.

AOSP: In order to deliver advanced interaction

solutions, operators need to engage additional

technology partners and incur additional costs.

Android TV: Brings forth next-generation

multiscreen interaction, voice interaction and

gaming experience with little or no additional effort.

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UNDER THE HOODDelivering user experience and interaction requires a certain level of hardware capability and software

development for the STB. Additionally, there are considerations around future software maintenance and

rolling out improvements and innovations to end-user devices.

STB Development Process AOSP devices have to be compliant with the

Android CDD in order to leverage the Android robot

branding. The turnaround time to complete this self-

certification process is relatively short. As there are

no hardware requirements for AOSP, these STBs are

cheaper from a bill of materials (BoM) perspective.

Choosing a more limited user experience, e.g.,

without voice interaction and gaming capability,

results in lower component costs. Furthermore, in

terms of software components, the AOSP source

code does not have the complete DVB/IPTV stack

built-in. Middleware vendors or system integrators

that bring this competency also provide a software

framework to intergrate an electronic program

guide i.e. EPG, a channel app and other features

like “now and next” programming events. There

are, consequently, proprietary implementations

that differ across various AOSP STBs.

In case of Android TV, this is a mixed bag. In addition

to being CDD compliant, Android TV devices need

to pass the Google Test Suite. The certification

process itself can take between four to six weeks

depending upon the preparedness and maturity

of the OEM. These tests impose performance

requirements that are fulfilled through the higher

minimum hardware requirements for Android TV.

While these hardware requirements i.e., better

chipset, higher memory and a Bluetooth receiver

drive up the BoM, in the long run the devices are

better equipped to perform with new features,

innovations and next-generation Android updates.

Like the AOSP devices, technology partners need to

bring the DVB/IPTV stack to an Android TV project,

which means cost and effort wise there are similar

implications between the two options. However,

the Android TV stack comes with a built-in TV-Input-

Framework (TIF), providing a common interface for

broadcast channel apps and on-demand services

to export the program metadata to a presentation

layer chosen by the operator. Being a TIF-compliant

device, with no additional implementation effort,

a subscriber can see the content exported from

linear and on-demand services in the channel’s app

and program guide, as a combined content-driven

experience.

AOSP: Higher cost of integration, due to more

software components, offsets the savings in

STB hardware with potentially limited interaction

ability.

Android TV: The STB is more expensive but has a

longer shelf life due to the advanced specifications.

Overall, the project is less expensive due to

software component reuse.

STB Maintenance and UpgradesFor AOSP devices, operators are in complete

control of updating the software on the STB.

There is no requirement from Android to roll out

upgrades. However, any feature improvements or

security patches made available in the latest AOSP

source code may or may not be rolled out to the

end consumer devices, based on the operator’s

preferences. While this lowers the CAPEX for

operators, it might leave the operations at risk

due to unpatched security flaws. Furthermore,

managing end-user expectations of new features

for Android STBs can be challenging and cause

operators to miss out on opportunities to monetize

new services.

Page 6

In the case of Android TV, OEMs make a

commitment to Google for updating devices in

the field for a period of three years. Upgrading

Android TV software could impact certification

of other software and services, such as DVB

and HbbTV functionality and others. From a

commercial perspective, managing the cost of

future upgrades is a discussion between the OEM

and the operator. In order to minimize the impact

of upgrades of Android versions, Google is actively

working on Project Treble, separating the vendor

implementation — the device-specific, lower-

level software written in large part by the silicon

manufacturers — from the Android OS framework.3

Thus, Google works with chipset vendors early on

to reduce dependency of the overall STB software

on the Android TV system updates over successive

generations.

AOSP: Depending on operator priorities, this

approach has limited maintenance costs at the risk

of losing out ability to roll out security patches to

vulnerable connected STBs.

Android TV: Mandatory upgrades add to total cost

of ownership over the lifecycle, but ensure well-

patched, secure STBs in the operation, while rolling

out innovations.

SECURING ANDROID DEVICESAs a platform for TV operators, Android opens up many opportunities. However, there are security hurdles

to overcome. Android can be prone to piracy due to the fact that it’s a very flexible platform, with a lot of

functionality and connectivity. With the Android platform, there is a large attack surface that is complex to

protect. When an app store is open and available to a large developer base, an STB is vulnerable to untrusted

apps. In addition, several development and debugging tools offered give access to core functionality, which

can be a security threat. To keep threats at bay, operators need to ensure they are securing Android devices

properly.

Live broadcast content such as sports is regarded by many as premium content with additional security

requirements. It’s critical to add an extra level of security in order to conform to the content owners’ security

demands. One key component in this security regime is to maintain a separation between the Conditional

Access (CA)/DRM functionality and the application environment in the Android OS. A number of separation

technologies are available, including Linux User Privileges, SE Linux, Linux containers, ARM TrustZone, secure

processing environments, and proprietary security cores.

As a content security provider, the Conax approach to securing Android devices leverages advanced hardware

mechanisms available in modern DVB chipsets to protect the CA and DRM environment from the vulnerability

of Android and malicious apps. The Conax approach is to use Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) to

build two separate worlds for stack execution with Conax Lynx, an advanced separation technique that

complements both smart card and cardless technologies. Using Conax Lynx, only predefined commands and

data can flow between the Rich Execution Environment (REE), where the Android functionality resides, and

the TEE, minimizing the attack surface of hybrid STBs.

3 https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/05/here-comes-treble-modular-base-for.html

Page 7

In addition to the separation of the CA/DRM environment, the Conax approach also leverages the Secure

Media Pipeline (SMP) of the chipset to ensure that a successful attack on the Android environment cannot

in any way compromise the security of the pay-TV content being accessed by the device.

This enables operators to distribute premium 4K and linear sports content via broadcast while simultaneously

offering an abundant selection of Android apps. The complexity of integrating security for broadcast content

is almost the same for both Android TV and AOSP when using Conax Lynx. Conax Lynx provides a standardized

API toward the Android stack, with the option of using the MediaCAS API from Android Oreo version onwards.

MediaCAS API is a Google defined interface which is designed to easily integrate CA implementations from

various vendors. Security vendors like Conax play a key role in this integration process.

In the world of OTT content and unmanaged IP devices, DRM plays a major part in content security. It’s

important to note that AOSP devices do not include a DRM implementation by default. Based on the operator’s

content needs, OEMs can integrate proprietary DRMs like Conax Connected Access or others like Microsoft

PlayReady and Google Widevine into the STB. Alternatively, the DRM can be included in the apps themselves,

but this adds significant complexity to the app. The level of DRM security required is mandated by content

rights owners, which further impacts the choice of chipset. Middleware vendors, system integrators and

OEMs work on different layers to integrate the DRM in the AOSP device.

For Android TV, both PlayReady and Widevine are mandated in the STB, and the OEM is required to have a

license for the same. Chip vendors pre-integrate the DRM stack in the chipset and deliver this to the OEM.

The OEM or middleware vendor additionally integrates the DRM into the secure player on the Android stack.

AOSP: No built-in DRM. Allows operator to pick and choose specific DRMs, resulting in higher project timelines

for DRM integration.

Android TV: Mandates Widevine and PlayReady DRMs in the STB. Ensures smooth integration of third party

OTT services.

Conax recommendation: Use TEE-based separation techniques to secure linear content on AOSP and Android

devices, which require the same effort.

SET-TOP-BOX

Android Middleware

Conax Lynx Main Agent

Conax Lynx Trusted Agent

REE

TEE

Secure Media Pipeline (SMP)

Middleware API

Page 8

Choosing Android TVWith Android TV, the key concerns are the cost

of STB hardware and the future maintenance and

upgrade costs of the software. Also, for some

operators, the inability to control which apps

and services are accessible on the platform —

including the presence of competitors’ services

— is a concern. The primary upsides include the

massive content offering via Google services like

Play Store and increased user engagement with

advanced interaction methods like Chromecast and

the Google Assistant built-in. All of this comes at a

relatively low level of complexity and effort thanks

to the reuse of several pre-built components in the

Android TV stack. Those wanting to differentiate

the UX can leverage the Operator Tier launcher

including white-label offerings. Additionally, well-

specified hardware with regular Android updates

extends the lifecycle of the STB with increasing

monetization opportunities.

Going the AOSP directionIn term of benefits of AOSP, the operator could

potentially have a cheaper STB device with the

freedom to control the user experience. It also

gives the operators better control of apps and

services being used on the device through an

operator controlled app store. This approach has

limited to no costs in terms of future upgrade

and maintenance. The downside is high upfront

project costs and longer timelines due to custom

launcher development, integration of multiscreen

interaction, voice interaction features and others.

Staying away from regular maintenance upgrades

leaves the operation vulnerable to security flaws.

Managing expectations of subscribers that choose

this Android STB proposition expecting a high

number of apps and games like that on the Google

Play Store will be a challenge for the operator.

COMPARING THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO ANDROID

Legend definition

Comparing the approaches to Android

Easy to customize Launcher / Home Screen

Access to a world of Apps & Games

Can block competitor apps on the STB

Easy to integrate Voice interaction

Easy to integrate Google Cast

Low STB hardwares cost

Additional certifications & compliance

Ease of integrating DVB/IPTV stack

Complete Operator control on STB software update

Easy to integrate CA for linear content

Easy to integrate DRM for on demand content

Availability of Android feature updates

RecommendedSub-optimalNot Recommended

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CONCLUSION

Providing a top-notch user experience is a key to success in today’s pay-TV operations. Television viewers

expect a user-friendly interface or home screen on STBs that mirrors the experience they’re used to on other

devices like smartphones and tablets. Moreover, they want access to more than just linear and on-demand

content. There’s an entire world of apps and games that can be explored and enjoyed on TV screens.

Operators are competing with OTT apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Discovery, iFlix and Maxdome and

facing an increase in cord-cutters and cord-nevers. Android enables them to offer a host of services to

end-users and tap into new revenue opportunities. It is not easy to jump from a broadcast infrastructure to

full IP overnight, therefore a lot of new service introductions using Android-based hybrid STBs are expected

in the near future.

The choice of Android AOSP versus Android TV should be aligned with the operator’s business strategy

and the total cost of ownership. The previous section summarizes the implications of each approach from

a short-term and long-term perspective. Considerations around user experience and branding, end-user

engagement and churn, future monetization opportunities, project complexity, time to market and content

security must be carefully weighed to reach a decision.

To be competitive, operators today need to launch new services and features quickly and provide a next-gen

user experience. Ultimately, Android TV enables them to do that, offering a shorter time to market for new

offerings compared with AOSP, more advanced features e.g., voice interaction and gaming and access to a

world of content by offering over 3000 apps in the Google Play Store. Innovations can be rolled out without

STBs being vulnerable to security threats.

Conax offers a unique approach for Android that separates the linear content from the Android environment

leveraging advanced separation technology provided by Conax Lynx. Combined with the multi-DRM

functionality of Conax Contego, our world-leading content protection platform, we simplify content security

operations for operators and ease the migration to hybrid Android STBs.

About the WhitepaperThis paper was written based on research with multiple industry stakeholders who develop Android set-

top-box solutions, combined with Conax’s in-house expertise in providing security to Android STBs for pay-

TV operators. We would like to give a special thanks to the team from Google for providing input and for

participating in the review process.

Interested in becoming a Conax partner? Contact: partner@conax.com

Request a demo or visit from us? Contact: info@conax.com

Need more information on Conax solutions ?

www.conax.com info@conax.com T: +47 22405200

About ConaxA Kudelski Group company, Conax is a leading global specialist in total service protection for digital TV and entertainment services via broadcast, broadband and connected devices. Based on the Conax Contego security back-end, Conax’ future-ready technology offers modular, fast-time-to-market solutions that enable easy entry into a world of secure multiscreen, multi-DRM and IPTV content delivery and secures rights for premium content delivery to a range of devices over new hybrid network combinations. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Conax technology enables secure content revenues for 425 operators in 85 countries globally.

For more information, please visit www.conax.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.