Irdeto has announced the commercial launch of its CI Plus 2.0 USB Conditional Access Module (CI Plus 2.0 USB CAM) in partnership with consumer electronics manufacturer Skardin.
Irdeto’s CI Plus 2.0 USB CAM is built on the CI Plus 1.4 solution, offering all the mandatory features of the 1.4 specification. It goes a step further by adding Enhanced Content Protection (ECP) support, specifically designed for safeguarding UHD content in accordance with the MovieLabs specification. CAMs also do not create legacy, as they are codec and resolution agnostic, enabling pay-TV operators to introduce new compression techniques and higher resolution broadcasts such as UHD without the need to replace CAMs.
CI Plus 2.0 comes in a new form factor that replaces the traditional PCMCIA design. While CI Plus 1.4 relies on this legacy interface that is now non-standard across TVs globally, Irdeto’s CI Plus 2.0 USB CAM addresses this challenge by moving to the globally adopted USB interface.
The USB module, when inserted into a compatible TV’s USB port, handles the decryption of encrypted TV signals. Users can control channels, volume, and more via their TV remote. In addition, it is environmentally friendly and cost-effective, with power consumption up to 10 times lower than STBs. The number of components compared to PCMCIA CAMs are reduced thus decreasing their carbon footprint and electronic waste generation.
In countries where CI Plus 2.0 ready TVs are not yet prevalent, Skardin offers white label TV solutions that operators can use to launch in their markets. TV sets can be bundled with the Irdeto USB CAM, creating new business models for operators, and providing consumers with an effortless and high-quality viewing experience.
“This is a game-changing product,” said Kevin Yu, Chairman of Skardin Industry. “Its beauty of simplicity will create excellent user experience and make a lot of noise in the industry. Skardin is reputed for high-quality manufacturing and evolution with customers, we are excited to partner with Irdeto to bring this worldclass product to the consumers towards the massive adoption of CI Plus 2.0 USB CAM globally. Skardin will continue delivering valuable solutions with Irdeto.”
“Irdeto is one of the only companies in the industry to provide the 2.0 version of Common Interface Plus,” said Andrew Bunten, COO for Video Entertainment at Irdeto. “This is a monumental shift for the industry, as the prevalence of USB ports in TVs is a global trend. We’ve made a substantial investment in launching our Irdeto USB CAM, ensuring that our CI+ offering remains at the forefront of technology for the next decade.”
