SmarDTV partners with tivù to launch CI-based TV-Stick

SmarDTV Global partners with tivù to showcase its new TV-Stick

LA CIOTAT, France and ROME, Italy — 17° Forum Europeo Digitale — SmarDTV Global, the leading international provider of secure devices for the digital pay-TV, today unveils, during the 17° Forum Europeo Digitale event held in Lucca, Italy, its latest device – the TV-Stick – relying on DVB-CI Plus 2.0. and able to descramble live channels from tivù, the Italian satellite operator.

SmarDTV’s latest product, TV-Stick, integrated with NAGRA content protection and adhering to the DVB CI Plus 2.0. standard defines a new direct-to-TV experience: by combining the best of OTT and Broadcast content, within a single interface, the TV set becomes a unique Digital TV Hub: no HDMI switch, no cables and no additional RCU. This is a versatile and simple hybrid solution with no more box.

Thierry Legrand, SVP EMEA, at NAGRA: “We’re excited to partner with SmarDTV Global and tivù on their first deployment of our broadcast security technology in TV - Stick.

NAGRA, as tivù’ s long-term content protection partner is always looking to help our customers identify new and innovative ways they can address the widest possible customer base and we look forward to supporting the success of TV-Stick.”

Delivering a completely new and integrated TV experience with the TV-Stick has been achieved thanks to close cooperation with tivù, which provides tivùsat, the free Italian satellite platform. Tivù, at the forefront of the Technology, can claim multiple success stories in providing UHD Services and deploying the first CI Plus ECP (Enhanced Content Protection) CAM in late 2019. Tivù actively contributes to make this first step happen in 2020.

Erik Gazzoni, TV-Stick Product Manager at SmarDTV Global: “Together, with tivù, we believe that DVB-CI Plus 2.0 can provide a simple and unified enriched TV experience expected by any of end-users today. We are confident in shaping this new way of consuming TV content with the TV-Stick, and we are delighted to start with such a customer leveraging NAGRA’s content protection technology.”

Fabrizio Lega, CTO of tivù: “We’re proud to be the first free-to-view TV operator to support a device relying on DVB-CI Plus 2.0., thanks to a great working relationship with our partners SmarDTV and NAGRA.

This TV-Stick, even if is still a Proof of Concept, combines the usability of interactive services and the broadcast experience increasing the TV’s user experience always without any subscription fee for tivùsat viewers.”

With the new CI Plus Specification V2.0 release, the industry is moving from an old parallel technology (PCMCIA) to an all device-available serial interface (USB). This standard evolution of the Conditional Access Module becomes an easy and secure direct-to-TV solution, overcoming PCMCIA barrier. This interface will indeed improve and facilitate the usage because of its universal availability and lower hardware impact.

The DVB CI Plus 2.0 standard has been recently introduced in the UHD Book, the Italian Book of specifications and guidelines for the development of the DTT and DTH receiving devices.

TV-Stick is now ready for certification and to be deployed worldwide.