Irdeto Access to demonstrate POD prototype

SAN DIEGO -- At the Western Show 2000, Irdeto Access will demonstrate a prototype version of the company's final form-factor point-of-deployment (POD) removable security module.

The Irdeto Access POD module will be demonstrated at the Irdeto Access (Mindport), and Microsoft booths at the Western Show. Microsoft will also show the Irdeto Access POD at its booth in the Western Show's CableNET pavilion.

Irdeto Access, an acknowledged world leader in conditional access technology, is the content protection and management company of Mindport, the technology subsidiary of MIH Limited (NASDAQ & AEX: MIHL).

The OpenCable POD was defined by CableLabs in response to the to FCC mandate that security functions of consumer devices used for broadband TV delivery be decoupled from the reception/navigation appliance. This that the conditional access (CA) function can be locally supplied by the content or service provider and the basic appliance such as STB, TV receiver, PC etc., can be acquired independently by the consumer from local retail channels.

When inserted into an OpenCable-compliant cable or satellite receiver, the POD module provides the security required to descramble the encrypted digital television signal. All POD modules work with all OpenCable-compliant set-top boxes.

The Irdeto Access POD also has applications beyond the set-top box. When used with the SCM/Microsoft St@rBay receiver in a PC-based entertainment box, the POD allows the secure delivery of premium digital cable television programming on systems that also provide a wealth of entertainment features, including DVD, Internet browsing, video games and personal video recording. The Irdeto Access POD supports all international digital television standards for removable security.

“This completion of the Irdeto Access POD is significant because it represents the opportunity for true retail distribution of OpenCable receivers,” said G.L. Wright, Sr. VP and General Manager of Irdeto Access USA. “At the same time, the various cable-to-PC demonstrations of the Irdeto Access POD conditional access highlight how our technology can be applied across both the television and PC platforms.”

“We see the POD as another flexible component that allows content owners to safely deliver their valuable programming over traditional pay television outlets and broadcast-quality broadband connections,” Wright continued. “We can open the door to many value-added services that can create new revenue streams for cable operators.”

SCM Microsystem’s vice president of Architecture and business development, Luc Vantalon, praised the “strong history of collaboration” between his company and Irdeto Access on the POD project. “The goal was to create a very portable, removable platform that equals the security of a set-top box,” Vantalon said. “We have achieved that goal.”

He noted that “The multi-standard international design of the new card will allow it to work anywhere in systems from multiple vendors, thus benefiting U.S. cable operators from the economies of scale."