BSI Selects SCM Microsystems and NDS to Provide OpenCable CableCARD Solution For Korean Digital Cable TV
May 03 2004 - 3:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
BSI Selects SCM Microsystems and NDS to Provide OpenCable CableCARD
Solution For Korean Digital Cable TV FREMONT, Calif., May 3
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SCM Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCMM;
Prime Standard: SMY) and NDS Group plc. today announced that
Broadband Solutions Inc. (BSI) of Seoul, Korea, has become the
first Korean digital television operator to select SCM's
CableCARD(TM) removable security module, incorporating NDS
VideoGuard(R) conditional access system. SCM and NDS were recently
awarded certification by the Telecommunications Technology
Association (TTA) of Korea for compliance with the Korean
OpenCable(TM) standard for digital cable television broadcasts.
Signing the first Korean operator demonstrates the success of the
cooperation between NDS and SCM to provide cable operators in Korea
and the U.S. with proven, reliable and cost-effective solutions
based on the CableLabs(R) OpenCable CableCARD interface
specification. BSI's deployment in Korea is the first substantial
OpenCable rollout in the world, involving significantly more than
150,000 units over a period of about 18 months. "BSI selected SCM
as it provides the proven, competitive CableCARD solution to
immediately deploy the required OpenCable technology," said S.Y.
Lee, chief technology officer of BSI. Operating one of the largest
digital media centers in Korea, BSI's services include aggregating
digital video and managing the end-to-end infrastructure for the
delivery of DTV broadcasting from the head-end to the home. The
company is at the forefront of the digital broadcasting rollout in
Korea. Dacom, Korea's second largest communications service
provider, committed an investment of US$20 million in BSI to create
a strategic partnership between BSI and Dreamcity Media, one of
Korea's largest cable operators. In 2004, BSI plans to construct
regional digital broadband media centers controlled by a
centralized digital head-end. Initially these centers will serve
the Dreamcity Media cable TV network, followed by Gangnam Cable TV
and eventually aggregating additional cable TV networks. Robert
Schneider, chief executive officer of SCM Microsystems said: "The
BSI deployment in Korea uses SCM technology that is based on years
of experience in working with the OpenCable standard and with NDS.
It demonstrates conclusively that SCM's technology is able to
immediately and competitively support the business requirements of
one of Korea's largest cable TV digital media centers. We believe
that BSI and other operators will reap the benefits of the open
technology and the greater choices these modules will bring to
their customers." Sue Taylor, vice president and general manager,
NDS Asia Pacific, added, "This agreement with BSI, and the rapid
deployment our companies will achieve together, pave the way for
further deployments of our CableCARD solution to operators
throughout Korea, as part of the cooperation agreement between the
NDS and SCM. NDS is the first conditional access vendor to deploy a
commercial implementation of OpenCable in Korea." The Digital TV
Market in Korea The Korean government is preparing to deploy
digital cable television to between six and nine million households
in Korea over the next several years. In November 2001, the Korean
government selected OpenCable as the technical standard for
securing the country's digital cable TV broadcasts. OpenCable,
originally developed by Cable Television Laboratories Inc.
(CableLabs) for the North American cable TV market, includes both
hardware and software specifications. One important feature of the
standard is the CableCARD interface specification. Unlike earlier
generation set-top boxes, this removable security module provides
interoperability with multiple cable systems. It is a small device
-- like a PCMCIA card for a laptop computer -- that can be sold at
retail locations. Eventually, digital televisions will also accept
the CableCARD module directly, eliminating the need for a set-top
box. By adopting this open standards-based broadcast security
model, the Korean government hopes to create a digital television
industry that is both competitive for consumers and profitable for
operators. Although the Korean security module is based on the same
OpenCable CableCARD interface specification used in the U.S., the
Korean security modules will not operate with U.S. OpenCable
devices, nor vice versa, for regional security purposes. The
software specification, known as the OpenCable Application Platform
(OCAP), provides a common software environment for deploying
interactive services. In February 2002, the Korean government also
mandated that cable operators adopt the OCAP standard, a decision
that cable operators, vendors and related organizations supported
unanimously. Digital cable TV broadcasting services in Korea are
scheduled to begin during 2004. Korean consumer electronics
manufacturers are working on a fast track to build OpenCable- and
OCAP-based devices in order to meet this schedule and satisfy
market demand from both cable operators and consumers. About
Broadband Solutions Inc. Broadband Solutions Inc. is a leading
provider of broadband services such as digital cable TV,
interactive TV and High Speed Internet Access Service to cable TV
system operators in Asia. Broadband Solutions provides a
comprehensive suite of media and network service, hosted DTV and
interactive TV applications and services. Serving cable TV
operators, BSI facilitates the swift and cost-effective deployment
of enhanced services like interactive TV, video on demand,
telephony, broadband internet and "walled garden" content. BSI
engages best-of-breed technology partners to make the most
economically compelling and technologically advanced solutions
available to the Korean cable TV operators. Broadband Solutions
Inc. is a Korean company, with headquarters in Seoul. For more
information, visit http://www.bsiasia.com/ About NDS NDS Group plc
(Nasdaq: NNDS; Euronext Brussels) is a leading provider of open
end-to-end digital pay-TV solutions for the secure delivery of
entertainment and information to television set-top boxes and IP
devices. See http://www.nds.com/ for more information about NDS.
About SCM Microsystems SCM Microsystems is a leading supplier of
solutions that open the Digital World by enabling people to
conveniently access digital content and services. The company
markets and sells its smart card reader technology for network and
physical access and conditional access modules for secure digital
TV decryption to OEM customers in the government, financial,
enterprise and broadcasting markets worldwide. Global headquarters
are in Fremont, California, with European headquarters in Ismaning,
Germany. For additional information, visit the SCM Microsystems web
site at http://www.scmmicro.com/. NOTE: CableLabs, CableCARD and
OpenCable are trademarks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.
VideoGuard is a registered trademark of NDS Group plc. All other
trade names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders. DATASOURCE: SCM Microsystems, Inc. CONTACT:
Manfred Mueller of SCM Microsystems, +49 89 95 95 5140, or ; or Deb
Montner of Montner & Associates, +1-203-226-9290, or , for SCM
Microsystems Web site: http://http//www.nds.com Web site:
http://www.bsiasia.com/ Web site: http://www.scmmicro.com/
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