Irdeto Access, SCM Microsystems Inc. and Royal Philips Electronics teamed up to produce the “Irdeto Chip On Board” module with an embedded smart-card chip.
The ICOB module is a secure, removable conditional-access module produced by SCM with a built-in high-security smart-card chip developed by Philips.
The three vendors said the new ICOB module is one of the first devices on the market to combine the features and security functions of a standard common-interface conditional-access module with an embedded smart-card chip.
The smart card is auto-expiring, meaning that it is only valid for a certain amount of time, after which a subscriber's access to the affected content stops automatically.
By integrating an auto-expiring Irdeto “Access” smart card with the ICOB module, content providers can distribute “teaser” promotional subscriptions with every CI-CAM purchased. Once the promotional subscriptions have expired, consumers can upgrade easily to normal subscriptions through the addition of a new smart card.
ICOB operates in any Digital Video Broadcast-compliant set-top that features a CI-CAM slot, enabling pay TV operators -- or even free-to-air operators -- to offer premium content.
