Latest News
Update on eTV Prompt Sizing & On-Screen Positioning
12th January 2009
Dear Content Partner,
Virgin Media have recently released an updated guide to prompt sizing and on-screen positioning to work with latest EPG code on he Virgin Media digital TV platform
This document details the requirements and restrictions required for the sizing and on-screen positioning of eTV prompt graphics for the Virgin Media interactive TV platform.
Please refer to the "eTV Prompt Sizing & On-Screen Positioning" document in the Downloads section.
Regards,
Virgin Media TV Application Delivery Team
SSL Changes on the Virgin Media Interactive Platform
12th January 2009
Dear Content Partner,
We have become aware of an issue regarding one of our recommended SSL approved Certificate Authorities, Verisign.
Verisign have recently changed the way they issue certificates and no longer issue the recommended 'unchained' certificate which Virgin Media's Interactive Platform supports. Verisign are now issuing chained certificates.
If any Content Partner currently has a Verisign 'unchained' certificate, please be aware that you will not be able to renew your 'unchained' certificate, as Verisign are not issuing these types of certificates anymore. Also, if you purchase a Verisign 'chained' certificate, it will not work on the Virgin Media Interactive Platform either, and we advise you to choose an alternative certificate recommended in our SSL documentation, i.e. an Entrust.net or Equifax certificate.
For more information please refer to the latest and updated SSL documentation (TV Platform One SSL CA Certificates Approved Authorities List) in the Downloads section, regarding 'chained/unchained' certificates and permitted certificates on the Virgin Media Interactive Platform.
Regards,
Virgin Media TV Application Delivery Team
SSL Approved Certificates on Virgin Media Interactive Platform
18th September 2008
In general, Content Partners need to renew their SSL server certificates regularly, either annually or bi-annually.
Virgin Media accept a limited amount of certificates on our platform, due to the long drawn out process it takes to update our Liberate server farm. There is also the issue of memory limitations on the STB itself, and this means we have to restrict certificates to a select few.
The following is a list of SSL certificate providers who are approved for the Virgin Media interactive platform:
- Verisign
- Thawte
- Equifax
- Globalsign
- Entrust.net
Note: Please refer to Seachange "SSL CA Certificate Authorities" document, in the Downloads section, for further details of permitted certificates or contact your Virgin Media technical contact.
PCI Compliance (Direct Secure NetRequests)
18th September 2008
As a result of the "Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard" document version 1.1, dated September 2006 and issued by the Security Standards Council, it has highlighted changes to the way credit card transactions are handled within the Virgin Media interactive platform.
More Information is available from the PCi - Security Standards Council website.
In the past, banks were happy with the way content partners handled credit card transactions within the Virgin Media interactive Liberate platform. Within the Liberate platform there is a point where an HTTPS request passes through the Liberate connect suite "in the clear", between the transcode security server and transcode translator server. This has not been a problem in the past, as both these components are on the same physical machine, thus any traffic is only seen in machine memory and no traffic is visible in the data networks. But the latest PCI document, mentioned above, is now saying that this method is no longer compliant for any credit card transaction, i.e. any transaction that requires logging of credit card details, must be secure end-to-end.
To get around this compliancy issue, there is a Liberate Javascript proprietary function called Netrequest, which is an encrypted HTTPS request straight from the STB, bypassing the Liberate Connect Suite, to the content partner content server. To satisfy the latest PCI standard, your service on our Virgin Media interactive platform will need to be redeveloped to include a DIRECT Netrequest function for any such credit card transaction.
If this redevelopment work is not done, then the bank that collects the credit card payments for the content partner service on our interactive platform would have the option of fining the content partner for not being compliant.
When content partners are audited for PCI compliance, Virgin Media will be classed as a "supplier" and Virgin Media will, as a result, have to be audited for compliancy also. Part of the bank's checks will be to ensure that Virgin Media's transmission of content partner credit card data is secure. At this point if Virgin Media is not secure in this area, the content partner will have to potentially stop using the Virgin Media interactive platform or be fined by their bank's accordingly.
Please refer to the "Overview of the Liberate Netrequest Function" document in the Downloads section. There is also some sample code, which can be obtained from your Virgin Media technical contact.
Update on our new VM Mirror CP environment
28th July 2008
Dear Content Partner
We have a "new" mirror environment available for you to explore. Please make sure you have configured the settings mentioned in the previous email attached.
There are some new settings that need to be updated within your emmy client before you can run the emmy application for the first time, as follows:
- Within the "emmy.ini" file the entry "firstUrl=http://nes.is.dtv/dtv/app/UK2Ethernet/dtv/app/firsturl/firsturl.html" has now been replaced with the entry "firstUrl=http://nes.is.dtv/dtv/app/firsturl/firsturl.html".
- Within the "emmy.TuningTable" file an extra line has been included to enable a greater level of provisioning to access the mirror environment.
- Run the emmy as normal, and then press the "CTRL+HOME" key, it should load the familiar INTERACTIVE menu with links to what should be on the "live" platform.
- We have moved the URL bar function, where you load your test urls. This can now be found on a menu which is one step back from the INTERACTIVE menu. To get to this, just press the "Home" key on your keyboard from the INTERACTIVE menu. Then select "Settings" and the "Load Url1" option, on this menu is the familiar URL bar function for testing.
We have attached the two files mentioned, and included all the necessary changes. It just remains for you to replace the existing files in your emmy directory with these ones and restart your emmy as normal. Alternatively, download a fresh version of the emmy client from the "Download" section.
Regards,
Virgin Media TV Application Delivery Team
Update on our new VM Mirror CP environment
10th July 2008
Dear Content Partner
As you should be aware over the last few weeks we have had to do some necessary changes to our mirror environments in order to give you a much more reliable and hopefully better supported emmy client in which to test your "live" interactive service and also to be able to continue testing any future developments you may have for your "live" service.
The ex-NTL mirror environment (80.5.177.6) which was situated in Winnersh, has now been moved to our Ops Lab in our Langley Office. It has been rebuilt and updated with the latest Liberate "patches", it has the latest UK3 interactive client code set, and it will have 2 links in which to load your "live" service or test urls. One is the normal url bar link and the other is similar but has options for testing full screen versions of urls.
We are in the final stages now of testing the mirror before releasing it to you, hopefully by the end of next week. In preparation for this, we have some new IP addresses that you need to include on your network firewalls in order to access both our Ops lab environment and Liberate Connect Suite.
- Can you please add 80.0.233.164 and 80.0.233.132 to your network firewalls for access to our Ops Lab
- Can you please point your "emmy.ini" file's httpaddr and sslOkeAddr to 80.0.233.132 the loacatiuon of our Liberate Connect Suite server
The only thing that needs to be clarified will be the new "firsturl" for the "emmy.ini" file to point to. I will be able to pass this on once we have fully tested the new mirror environment. So I will send another update next week with this information.
We will be decommissioning the ex-TW mirror environment (194.117.134.196) in Woking once we have this stable new VM mirror environment in place. So please do not point your emmy's at this address when you have the new mirror working for you, as it won't be active at this point.
Regards,
Virgin Media TV Application Delivery Team
