Search:       

Wednesday, 23 July 2008       

 
Home / Technology / Cable and Satellite TV

Conditional Access - Cool Shows

By:Johnny Mayer


Conditional access (CA) lets viewers choose what to watch from thousands of programs at the touch of a button. This pay per view technology also lets parents block shows and games the don't want their kids to watch. All thanks to the little top boxes that sit on their television sets. This non technical article presents conditional access for home viewing.



Satellite Broadcasts - Conditional Access



Conditional Access enables broadcasters to block programs from some viewers and charge others to see the show. Broadcast options such as pay-per-view (PPV), video-on-demand (VOD) and broadcast video are all based on conditional access technology. The basis of conditional access technology rests on scrambling and descrambling the pictures on your screen. Just as important is entitlement and entitlement management to determine which viewers are permitted to the see the show and block other viewers.



Satellite digital TV - Conditional Access



While digital TV and conditional access seem to have been here forever, they are relative new comers compared to movies. The conditional access digital TV standards were first finalized in 1993. Since then, conditional access enables broadcasts and billing for satellite broadcasters, cable and terrestrial stations. Satellite Digital TV stations are major conditional access users and vital to their financial growth and product development.



Scrambling / Descrambling - Conditional Access



Conditional access is the gate keeper that lets subscribers see the show and makes the show incomprehensible to unauthorized users. Entitlement checking takes place simultaneously with the broadcasting of the show controlled by the conditional access gate keeper. The show broadcast also includes encrypted codes - “Control Words” - to enable the descrambling for authorized viewers with conditional access permission. These codes are sent inside dedicated messages called entitlement control messages for the “top box” on your TV set to decode.



Entitlement Management - Conditional Access



The entitlement management function consists of distributing entitlements to receivers. There are several kinds of entitlements that match different levels of subscriber service: As we all know, the most popular are monthly and pay per view. This info is sent inside dedicated messages entitlement management messages and Shazam! There’s the show you wanted to see, now all you need is a cold drink, popcorn and some friends to enjoy the show.



Article Source: http://www.dailynewarticles.com

NDS is a leading conditional access solutions provider and Interactive TV technology company. For more information, read the NDS conditional access white paper.








More Articles from Cable and Satellite TV Category:
Satellite TV System Offers Programming Options
Digital Entertainment from Space Satellite
CCTV: You Are Being Watched, No Matter Where You Are
Dish Network Online Sales
Pros of Digital Satellite TV
Some Things To Know About The Direct TV Satellite Service
Direct To Internet Satellite TV – The Demise Of Our Youth
DirecTV – Could You Possibly Get Ripped Off?
Looking for Dish Network? Not All Dealers Are Created Equal
Direct TV vs Dish Network
Dish Network vs. Cable
Dish Network Smart Card
Purchasing Satellite TV Equipment
Satellite TV - My search for reality in TV revealed television's future, now
Choosing a Satellite TV Provider

 


Main Menu
Home
Most Popular Articles
Top Authors
Submit Articles
Submission Guidelines
Link to Us
Bookmark
Contact Us

Partners
Blue Articles

 

 

- Privacy Policy -