CANAL READY certification obtained by SmarDTV's latest CI Plus module

This certification enables French leading pay TV operator CANAL+ Group’s channels and services to be received directly on TV sets

CHESEAUX, Switzerland — SmarDTV, a Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.VX) company, today announced the availability of a new Conditional Access Module (CAM) for France.

The SmarCAM-3 CANAL READY module enables CANAL+ Group’s DTT offer to be viewed without a set-top and comes bundled with a CANAL+ smart card. Therefore it can be used by subscribers to access CANAL+ channels, including high-definition, directly on their CANAL READY TV sets. The SmarCAM-3 CANAL READY module will be soon available in shops in France.

SmarCAM-3 is the first SmarDTV module to implement the CI Plus specification which guarantees the content protection and security, in line with CANAL+ Group requirements for premium HD channels.

“It is indeed symbolic that SmarDTV has collaborated with CANAL+ to launch its first CI Plus module” said Eric Chaubert CEO of SmarDTV. “CANAL+ is historically an innovative company and has been a key customer and partner of the Kudelski group since the era of analog pay TV and the CANAL READY program follows in the tradition of innovative partnerships between both companies”

“We are really happy about our partnership. It’s always exciting to work with dynamic, innovative and reactive companies. SmarDTV is one of them. Thanks to its expertise, we manage to reach a new step in the CANAL READY adventure and it’s a great satisfaction for us,” said Guy Lafarge, DGA Distribution of CANAL+ Group. As you know, we decided to create this label to make our channel offering available to everybody and in any devices. Our aim is to help the consumer who is about to buy a new TV equipment to be ensured that it will be able to receive CANAL+ Group’s premium and thematic channels, including HD, in a perfect and secure way. The presence of CANAL READY on SmarDTV module is a new and important step after our first launch on DTT boxes and not the last! We expect great interest in this program from retailers and manufacturers. With this innovation, we are indeed convinced that they are willing to share our ambition which is to offer to all French TV households the most unusual, modern, free and simplest TV experience”.

As the SmarCAM-3 CANAL READY module is plugged directly in the digital TV using the industry standard DVB-CI physical interface, the signal is always in digital format. Therefore, it assures the viewer perfect audio and video reception quality

About CANAL READY

Launched in May 2009 by CANAL+ Group, the CANAL READY label informs French consumers that the equipment they want to buy allows CANAL+ channels and services reception. Given to industrial partners, the label integrates technical and functional quality specifications. Besides, it must be conformed to right’s holders security issues / demands, notably in high definition. Present today in some satellite and DTT boxes, CANAL READY label will concern progressively other devices like computers or game consoles