Case Study: PRIMA Cinema delivers first-run films to home theatres with Thales e-Security HSMs

Prima Cinema Develops New Market for First-Run Movies using Thales Hardware Security Modules (HSMs)

PRIMA Cinema, Inc. wanted to create a new market for just-released films by delivering them to home cinema systems at the same time they appeared in theatres. The main challenge was security, since studios and distributors were concerned about piracy and needed a way to protect premium content without hurting the viewing experience. PRIMA Cinema turned to Thales e-Security and its hardware security modules.

Using Thales e-Security HSMs, PRIMA Cinema built a multi-layer security system with 256-bit AES encryption, certificate-based authentication, TPM-protected device keys, and the Thales CodeSafe capability for handling cryptographic operations inside the HSM. The approach also used a biometric fingerprint reader and session-specific watermarking to deter camming. The system passed independent review, satisfied content providers’ security requirements, and allowed PRIMA Cinema to become the first company in cinema history granted rights to license and distribute theatrically released movies to private home theatres.

PRIMA Cinema, Inc.