MIKEY for keys management of H.264 scalable video coded layers

The paper investigates the problem of managing multiple encryption keys generation overhead issues in scalable video coding (H.264/SVC) and proposes a hierarchical top down keys generation and distribution system by using a standard key management protocol MIKEY (Multimedia Internet Keying Protocol). The research goal is two-fold; (1) prevention of information leakage by the selective encryption of network abstraction layer (NAL) units with AES-CTR block cipher algorithm, and (2) reduction of multiple layer encryption keys overhead for scalable video distribution. We combine a MIKEY with the digital rights management (DRM) techniques to derive a mechanism in which every entitled user of each layer has only one encryption key to use, but this key will transparently open the doors of all layers below. The timing results are calculated for the encryption/decryption and the key generation processes relative to encoding/decoding time of test video files, which are noticeably negligible. The scheme is enormously suitable for video distribution to users who have subscribed to various video qualities regarding their desire or constraints on their devices and helps in preventing the loss of revenue of paid services.