Microsoft will offer PlayReady encryption for live streams on Azure Media Services

Microsoft is adding another option for encrypting content that media companies choose to live-stream over the Internet. In addition to allowing for the use of AES encryption on the Azure Media Services cloud service, Microsoft today announced that customers can tap the Microsoft-developed PlayReady encryption technology.

“Microsoft PlayReady is an extensive, studio approved encryption technology that protects your content from piracy, and it is supported on a wide range of the most popular devices today. Now, you can use PlayReady to protect both Video-on-demand and live streams,” Microsoft Azure Media Services program manager Mingfei Yan wrote in a blog post on the news.

It’s not surprising Microsoft moved to make PlayReady — which the company introduced in 2007 — an option for video content being hosted from Azure, as PlayReady protection on Azure Media Services was announced on the very same day Live Streaming was launched in preview. It was only a matter of time.

The new feature should be interesting to big companies that pay Microsoft for software and have recently become more open to using cloud services. And a more full-fledged live-streaming service should help Microsoft make the argument that it’s distinct from other cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services and the Google Cloud Platform.

Android, the client software development kit for iOS, and Microsoft Silverlight enable people to play content protected with PlayReady, Yan wrote.

Microsoft announced support for AES encryption on Azure Media Services in November.