The German cable operator KabelBW has started distribution of the NDS VideoGuard smart cards to its customers in the city of Stuttgart. A simultaneous upload of new software will allow customers to access new services including VOD and interactivity. The operator plans the switch city by city and hopes to complete the process by the end of March. The operation involved a swop of cards at no expense to the consumer, as well as on over-the-cable software update of the cable tuner. If the tuner at the customers’ premise is not compatible with the new software, KabelBW offers a subsidised set-top for €29.90. For the time being, the cabler will simulcrypt its digital signals in both VideoGuard and Nagravision.
