Pearl TV Says ATSC 3.0 Encryption Row Caused by Huawei Chips
Pearl TV pushed back on critics of ATSC 3.0’s use of encryption in an FCC filing Friday that said a popular DVR “gateway” device is blocked from receiving 3.0 broadcasts because it incorporates tech from Chinese company Huawei. Pearl’s claims about the HDHomeRun are “false,” said Nick Kelsey, president of SiliconDust, which makes the device. “We have zero association with the Chinese government. Proudly designed and developed in the United States of America.”
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Pearl TV has been very active at the FCC recently as broadcasters call for the agency to approve a mandatory ATSC 3.0 transition (see 2507110060). Opponents have been critical of the standard’s use of encryption (see 2505090060). The Consumer Technology Association's Gary Shapiro criticized the lobbying efforts late Thursday (see 2507180056).
Pearl’s filing Friday responded to questions from Media Bureau staff that were prompted by consumer filings in docket 16-142 complaining that ATSC 3.0 encryption prevented HDHomeRun users from receiving 3.0 signals. “I purchased an HDHomeRun CONNECT 4K nextgen tv tuner for $200 expecting to view ATSC 3.0 nextgen television,” said Thomas Merrill in a representative comment in May. “What I get is blocked programming over public airways, rendering my nextgen tv tuner useless.”
The HDHomeRun “has encountered issues” with 3.0 because “it depends on a chipset manufactured by HiSilicon, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huawei Technologies,” Pearl said. The FCC has designated Huawei as a national security threat, and Pearl said “it should be no surprise” that SiliconDust “is unable to include key ATSC technologies owned by various U.S. companies that otherwise would enable it to directly operate with major equipment and technology companies for various features, and that SiliconDust is unable to obtain a security verification to display all ATSC 3.0 content.”
Kelsey told us in an email that Pearl TV’s allegations about the HDHomeRun aren’t true and that the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority (A3SA) -- which includes Pearl, the top four networks and Univision -- hasn’t approved any gateway devices for 3.0. Gateway devices like the HDHomeRun transmit media from one TV to other devices, allowing viewers to watch services on multiple screens in their home. The Consumer Technology Association certified the HDHomeRun as fully compliant with 3.0’s standard, Kelsey said, but A3SA implemented the specifications related to encryption.
“In our opinion the A3SA has put significant effort into making any form of ATSC 3.0 video gateway product as untenable as possible,” he said. The HDHomeRun uses an app to allow users to watch TV on devices such as Xboxes and Rokus, but “there is no pathway” under the A3SA requirements that would allow a video gateway vendor to write such an app to allow display of encrypted ATSC 3.0 channels, Kelsey said. “The HDHomeRun is not a Chinese developed or made product” and doesn’t fall under the FCC’s security threat categorization.
A3SA Managing Director Joe St. Jean told us via a spokesperson that the standard has a specification for gateway devices and that DTH, Zinwell, Bitrouter and Nuvvyo are working to develop such devices for 3.0. “We welcome any company -- including SiliconDust -- to work with us to develop gateway devices that respect content security.” It's “absolutely possible” to build a gateway device app for Android, and A3SA is “committed to helping a gateway manufacturer bring a product to market” that could work with apps for Apple, Roku or Microsoft devices, including by “updating the A3SA specifications as appropriate.”
In its filing, Pearl included photos of the HDHomeRun that it said shows the HiSilicon chip. “Pearl remains willing to work with SiliconDust to help bring their devices into full compliance -- but only when the device no longer contains prohibited components,” it said. There are “many devices available to consumers today that are compliant and display ATSC 3.0 content.”
Pearl said it submitted the filing attacking SiliconDust “so the Commission understands why HDHomeRun consumers are not, despite the claims made by the company, able to use the device to fully access” ATSC 3.0. In May, commenter JB Sterling told the FCC that unless broadcasters abandon plans to encrypt ATSC 3.0 signals, he would encourage the cellphone industry to absorb their spectrum. “Until I have the freedom to receive full bandwidth over the air TV and do what I do now with a HD HomeRun tuner ... I will do everything in my power to vocally support the end to progress in the ATSC 3 non-standard.”