Dutch DTH platform Canal Digitaal Satelliet and its Belgian counterpart TV Vlaanderen will switch to MediaGuard 3 encoding during the next few months. The operator is following in the footsteps of Canal Satellite Numérique and Cyfra+.
Before the end of the year the operator will start issuing the card to new customers, while a major swap operation among existing subscribers is planned for the first quarter of 2009. For the time being, Canal Digitaal will continue to use simulcrypt in both MediaGuard 2 and MediaGuard 3. Some of the channels are also encrypted in Irdeto 2.
Since last week the operator has been testing simulcrypt resulting in some reception problems with unauthorised Common Interface receivers. According to a spokesperson for the company all certified receivers have no problems with the simulcrypt.