SDC announces new standards-based DRM solution for mobile music

Secure Digital Container AG (SDC) has announced new versions of its DRM Server and Music Client Package including Music Player. Both new products are fully compliant with the OMA2 open DRM standards from the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).

The SDC DRM Server version 4.0 and the SDC Music Client are both based on SDC's patented DRM technology and will offer the ability to access and migrate files between the established SDC DRM and the emerging OMA 2 DRM standard on both mobile and desktop devices. The solutions will be available from early summer 2005.

Customers of SFR France, Vodafone and mmO2's mobile music services currently use the SDC DRM Client and Server for full-length music download services. The new products enable consumers to play downloaded music on any device (Apple Mac, Windows PC, mobile phones). Once a track is downloaded, there will be no need to re-download already purchased files ensuring no disruption to customer experience. Carriers using SDC DRM for full-length music will be able to migrate smoothly to SDC OMA 2 DRM by updating the new SDC Music Player containing the OMA2 DRM module.

The new solution will feature a module that packages both OMA 2 compliant files and SDC DRM Containers on a single DRM Server. These combined packages are able to run on both SDC and OMA 2 client implementations without the need for format changes. Through this new server, extension files can be distributed to devices with either SDC or OMA 2 DRM clients installed, such as a Set-top Box or PC with SDC DRM integrated in the SDC Music Player or a mobile phone with OMA 2 DRM client.

As part of the roll-out, SDC also will offer an equivalent extension to the SDC Music Client Package to provide a fully OMA 2 DRM compliant Music Player for Symbian and Java phones as well as the new SDC Desktop Music Player available for Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh and Linux PCs. An SDC DRM Container and an OMA 2 DRM file will be executed from the same player. This grants the interoperability of music tracks on both PC and MAC, between mobile phones and the customer's desktop.