SCM Microsystems has announced an agreement to supply Common Interface (CI) technology to Rover Laboratories. Rover, which develops broadcasting systems technology, is using SCM's CI chip implementation and its corresponding software drivers as part of its line of professional receivers for satellite, cable and terrestrial broadcasting.

An official release informs that the SCM technology enabled Rover to develop equipment compatible with the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) Common Interface (CI) standard for digital television broadcast Conditional Access Control. Worldwide around 350 companies have endorsed the DVB standard for digital TV security.

Rover has stated that the reliability requirements are much higher in the professional equipment sector than in consumer products. Based on its experience the SCM CI technology is up to the challenge. The SCM CI components the company is using deliver the performance and quality levels customers demand, adds the release.

Rover's broadcasting products include receivers, demodulators and modulators, signal analysers, monitoring instruments, multiplexers and re-broadcasting stations for both terrestrial and satellite TV signals. Rover used the SCM technology to create new solutions for use with single or multi-programme Common Interface Conditional Access broadcasting, including both a decoder and a re-broadcasting station. When used with Rover's professional satellite receivers, these devices can extract an Asynchronous Serial Interface (ASI) transport stream and through a simplified Remux can directly feed DVB satellite or terrestrial networks.

The California headquartered SCM Microsystems supplies 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.