Adobe Access / FAQ

Adobe Access software provides the most scalable and efficient workflow to help you deliver and protect premium video across more devices and platforms, including iOS and Android™. It extends your audience reach and enables additional revenue streams such as HD rental, subscription, and electronic sell-through.

You can distribute content protected with Adobe Access by streaming via HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) from Adobe, Apple HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), progressive download, or downloads to a content library for local playback at the consumer's convenience.  For apps on the iOS platform, use new Adobe Media Server 5 Professional software to package the content for protection by Adobe Access.

Adobe Media Server encrypts streaming content between server and client using encrypted RTMP (RTMPE), Protected HTTP Dynamic Streaming (PHDS), or Protected RTMP (PRTMP). Adobe Access is a complete digital rights management (DRM) solution based on persistent content protection and usage rules that can be enforced on the client.

The main features added to Adobe Access 4 are:

• Unprecedented reach — Reach the widest possible audience by delivering protected content to the Adobe Flash® Player and Adobe AIR® runtimes, and directly in native applications for iOS tablets and smartphones.
• Single DRM across devices — Publish and protect video streams carrying studio-grade content using a single DRM platform to desktops, connected TVs, tablets, and smartphones, including iOS and Android devices.
• Massive scaling of premium content protection — Achieve massive scale to address rapidly growing over-the-top (OTT) consumption by a large number of subscribers.
• Monetization of linear content delivery — Effectively monetize and more securely deliver large linear lineups of broadcast content to large OTT audiences.

• Content programmers — Film and television studios and online video content creators/producers
• Content distributors — Online video retailers and rental outlets, online broadcasters, and companies with a significant Internet media presence such as sports and entertainment sites
• Service providers — Companies that want to offer a secure hosted service for content distributors
• Enterprises — Companies that want to deliver video content more securely to employees, partners, or students

Content owners and publishers can use Adobe Access to generate revenue through a variety of business models, including:

• Advertising-funded — Working with other components of the Adobe Flash Platform, retailers and distributors can insert ads, overlays, and branding into their streamed, progressively downloaded, or downloaded content.
• Electronic sell-through/digital copy — Users can acquire content online (for example, after paying a fee or submitting an access code), download it to their computer, and play it back even if they are offline. Adobe Access protects content from unauthorized redistribution.
• Rental/pay per view — Service providers may offer a rental model either as a subscription or as a video-on-demand offering for both TVs and connected TV over IP. Adobe Access enforces viewing window restrictions so that content can be played only for a certain period of time.

Yes. Enterprises can use Adobe Access to protect the integrity and privacy of their training or announcements delivered via video. Studios can use Adobe Access to develop "e-screener" solutions that allow protected distribution of prerelease content to retailers, reducing costs and piracy. Educators can use Adobe Access for training and remote curriculums. Service providers can deploy Adobe Access as part of a white label offering to content owners.

Adobe Access is offered as a Java™ based software development kit (SDK) that provides a number of APIs, permitting smooth integration into your existing infrastructure. It also includes reference implementation and sample code for ease of development and deployment.

You will need Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.5. A hardware security module (HSM) is recommended, but not required.

Adobe Access will work with Adobe Flash Player 10.1 or later and Adobe AIR 2 or later. Android "captive runtime" applications and iOS native applications do not require a runtime to be preinstalled to support content protected by Adobe Access.

You can use Adobe Access to encrypt content before it is made available for distribution. Protected content can be accessed only on trusted devices. In addition, Adobe Access allows you to check user credentials.

Yes. Adobe Access supports digital and analog output protection technologies — including HDCP, CGMS-A, and Rovi (formerly Macrovision) ACP. It consistently enforces policies for analog and digital outputs across all platforms, but currently only Windows® platforms and digital home devices can verify output protection when required.

Adobe Access associates content with devices, so users cannot play content on devices that have not obtained a license. In addition, usage rules are tied to the content and are enforced by the client. For example, an end user renting content may be given the right to view the content on his or her computer during a 72-hour playback window, after which time the content will no longer play. Adobe Access also protects against deep linking by managing a whitelist of approved SWF or AIR applications. You can also define output protection controls to guard against recording. And you can set limits on how much users can set their computer clocks backward, thwarting attempts to extend rental periods indefinitely.

Adobe Access employs a number of security methods besides encryption. It associates usage rules with content, which can help control piracy. For example, a user renting content may be given the right to view the content during a 72-hour playback window, after which time the content will no longer play. Adobe Access also protects against deep linking by managing a whitelist of approved SWF or AIR applications. You can also define output protection controls.

You can use the SDK to integrate with any of your business logic, user authorization, and order management mechanisms, including those using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

Yes. Content publishers can incorporate protected content into their own Adobe AIR applications or deliver content to Flash Player. Both Flash Player and AIR support customizable interface elements and backgrounds, so content publishers can deliver content that coordinates with their brand.

Yes, the content license may specify time-limited or open-ended offline playback. Content providers have the option of configuring Adobe Access and an AIR application to download the license together with the content, so no additional connection to the server is required to start content playback.

Yes. Even in cases where user authentication is not required, for example, for advertising-funded businesses, Adobe Access can provide a higher level of protection, enabling distribution of higher value content.

Yes. Adobe Access supports a license cache period on the client. You can require (invisible to the user) that the client periodically check the license with the license server.

If a device is compromised and behaves in noncompliant ways, Adobe can revoke the key associated with that device. The revocation is propagated to all license servers so they won't issue licenses to revoked devices until they are updated.

Yes. Content licenses are cryptographically bound to the specific device or domain.

Yes. Adobe Access supports binding content to a domain of devices, which can all share a license and content. A third party maintains the domain. Service providers can set the business rules that determine which devices can join the domain.

Yes. The content policy can determine whether authentication is required. If the end user must be identified, then the policy can specify an external authorization or authentication service. The Adobe Access SDK lets developers create an interface between their existing end-user authorization/authentication mechanisms and the license server.

Yes. For example, in the case of subscription models, if a user renews his or her subscription, Adobe Access can update the root license for the user's device, which will automatically extend the validity period of all the leaf licenses associated with each piece of content.

In general, studios approve content protection technologies in the context of a particular content distribution deal. Today, all major studios trust at least some of their content to content protection technologies provided by Adobe. We work closely with the major studios and other content owners to help ensure that Adobe Access is a trusted technology for content distribution deals. For instance, the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem has approved Adobe Access as a required content protection system for the next generation of digital downloads.

Adobe Access supports a range of business rules consistent with established industry practices, including support for different business models such as advertising-funded, rental, and electronic sell-through. Specific rules that content owners can set include:

• Time-limited playback — a set period of time (for example, 30 days) during which rental content is playable after being downloaded
• Time from playback — a limit on the amount of time end users have to finish watching content once they have started playing it (for example, 24 hours)
• Start date and end date
• Anonymous or user-authenticated access
• Online and offline access for downloaded content
• Output protection (analog, digital, or both)

No. Persistent protection using Adobe Access allows content to be distributed using any transport supported by the client runtime. Content protected with Adobe Access can be streamed with Adobe Media Server, the new Adobe Access for streaming, progressively downloaded via HTTP, or downloaded to a local content library on a user's desktop.

Adobe is committed to providing continued support for Adobe Access to address any possible vulnerabilities. The Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtimes support application and runtime updates, which can be required by the service provider before issuing additional licenses. The Adobe Access client can be renewed proactively or in response to a vulnerability.