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Cires21 Streaming Platform

Cires21 Streaming Platform is an AI-driven live video streaming solution that provides end-to-end live channel orchestration, encoding, and packaging. It can be integrated with Axinom DRM Key Service using the SPEKE v2 protocol (Secure Packager and Encoder Key Exchange) over CPIX 2.3.

The platform consists of two main components in the DRM pipeline:

ComponentRole
C21 Live ControlLive streaming orchestrator — service configuration, DRM provider setup, destination management, and channel orchestration.
C21 Live EncoderEncoder/Packager — encodes and packages outputs as HLS (CMAF/fMP4) and/or MPEG-DASH, and requests encryption keys via SPEKE v2 during packaging.

Prerequisites​

To use Axinom DRM:

  • Register on the Axinom Portal
  • Start a free trial
  • Go to My Mosaic / DRM and acquire credentials
  • You will need the following information:
  • Once you are ready to go to production, upgrade your Axinom account to a paid plan.

To use Cires21 streaming platform:

  • A C21LiveDRM license active on the Cires21 platform.

For later playback you will also need:

  • Communication Key ID
  • Communication Key (can be revealed under My Mosaic / DRM using the License Service Management Key)

Configuration​

  1. Register Axinom as a DRM Provider

    In C21 Live Control, navigate to Settings > Integrations > DRM Providers and click New DRM Provider. Fill in the following fields:

    FieldValue
    NameA descriptive name (e.g., Axinom-Production)
    Provider TypeAxinom
    SPEKE URLYour Axinom SPEKE v2 endpoint
    SPEKE URL (Backup)(Optional) Failover endpoint
    Tenant IDYour Axinom Tenant ID
    Management KeyYour Axinom Management Key

    After saving, select the provider and click Validate to verify connectivity with the SPEKE endpoint.

  2. Configure a DRM-protected Destination

    Navigate to Publishings > Destinations. Create or edit a destination of type CMAF or DASH, then enable DRM Protection and configure:

    • Content ID — Unique identifier for the stream. The platform derives the Key ID deterministically (UUID v5), ensuring key continuity across restarts.
    • DRM Provider — Select the Axinom provider configured in Step 1.
    • DRM Systems — Choose one or more: Widevine, PlayReady, FairPlay.
tip
  • CENC (Widevine + PlayReady) and CBCS (FairPlay) use incompatible encryption schemes. To cover all players, create two destinations — one for Widevine/PlayReady and one for FairPlay — using the same Content ID.

  1. Start the Broadcast

    When the channel starts, the platform automatically:

    1. Derives the Key ID from the Content ID.
    2. Sends a CPIX request to the Axinom SPEKE v2 endpoint (authenticated via Authorization: Basic base64(tenant_id:management_key)).
    3. Receives the encryption key, PSSH data (Widevine/PlayReady), and skd:// URI (FairPlay).
    4. Encrypts fMP4 segments and generates DASH/HLS manifests with the appropriate ContentProtection / EXT-X-KEY tags.

    Supported Output Formats

    DRM SystemsEncryption SchemeOutput Format
    Widevine + PlayReadyCENC (AES-CTR)CMAF, DASH
    FairPlayCBCS (SAMPLE-AES)CMAF, HLS

Testing playback​

Once you have produced a DRM-protected video or stream, you can test the playback using Axinom’s DRM Video Playback tool. Hints for filling out the form:

  • Video Source URL: the URL of the generated manifest file, e.g., https://your-server/manifest.mpd
  • Content Keys: the Key ID (CPIX KID) you have generated and used in the encoding process. You don’t need to specify the key value (you don’t even have it)
  • Communication Key and Communication Key ID: The values you received from Axinom DRM configuration (see the prerequisites above)
  • License Service: keep defaults (or enter the value you received from Axinom DRM configuration)
  • Player: pick any

See also​

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