Standardization of conditional access systems for digital pay television

Pay television (pay TV) systems are presented as they are envisaged in the near future when broadcasters will switch over from analogue to digital transmission formats. Special attention is given to the standardization of pay TV systems by the DVB standardization organization. Philips firmly believes in standardization and aims at a high level of commonality at both ends of the transmission channel. This will reduce the price of the equipment, especially the decoders, and also facilitate interaction with studio equipment supplied by other manufacturers. The standardization is all the more important since we are on the verge of the new digital transmission era in which the consumer will be confronted with a wide range of new services.