On all transmissions requiring viewing cards to access them, you will have to make sure that either the receiver has a card reader of the correct type, this is sometimes referred to as an embedded decoder, or that you are using a CAM ( Conditional Access Module ) to enable the card to be read.
Some embedded types work fine, but some cards do require the official CAM. The Technomate receiver TM5402 a popular model now in its 4th version (embedded type) and works with most older cards of ci type Viaccess, Iredeto, Conax and Cryptoworks.
For ci+ type systems the best choice is a Technisat receiver from Germany.
To ensure that your card works with any update that the broadcaster sends, be prepared to buy a CAM.
The card fits in the Cam module and the CAM fits in the CAM ( CI or CI+) slot in the receiver
To test if the card is the right way up, go to the main menu and find the CI menu section, if the card is correct the receiver will have read the information from the card and will usually display the card type eg conax, cryptoworks etc. You can then enter the menu and find the validity, dates, etc details
Note that not all transmissions have a CAM available, Spains Movistar for example uses the Nagravision 3 encryption or the SECA encryption, and as yet no suitable Nagra3 CAMs are available, so the original Digital Plus set top boxes are supplied Fransat Cards do work in the right cam, they changed the standard in 2016 to CI+. However our tests on various receivers have come up with very few compatible models! Technisat models all work the Fuba ODE825 and the UHD 4K Combo CI+ Telefunken S9130 The cam can be used in a TV with a satellite tuner, as long as the interface in the tv is version CI+ 1.3
What is CI+ CI Plus: This a new addition to the specification of the standard unit. It is an improvement on the electronics of the CI standard as far as video piracy is concerned.. The CI Plus interface is required to be able to use CI Plus modules for the cable network or other pay TV providers . They can be used independently to decode encrypted channels or more commonly used together with a SmartCard. The main difference and the reason for its introduction is it is now possible for broadcasters to impose restrictions for the recording of programmes. In doing so, the recorded encrypted signal is scrambled on the screen if the restriction is active.. Recordings will therefore have a limited time, if the broadcaster applies this, after which they will not be viewable. The CI Plus interface is also backwards compatible with old Common Interfaces (CI) and can also accommodate modules of this type. |
Here is a list of the CARDs I have been asked for, with all the information. |
| CARD | COUNTRY | POSITION West/East | SATELLITE | ENCRYPTION | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digiturk | Turkey | 7e | Eutelsat7 | Cryptoworks | |
| SkyLink | Czech Rep | 23.5e | Astra 3b | Viaccess Orca or Irdeto | Skylink cam only |
| Al Jazeera | Arab | 7w | NileSat Hotbird | Viaccess or Irdeto | |
| ART | Arab | 7w | NileSat Hotbird | Viaccess or Irdeto | |
| Bis | France | 13e | Hotbird | Viaccess Secure | Ensure that you have the latest version from 25th April 2016 |
| RTVi | Russia | 13e | Hotbird | Viaccess | |
| DigitAlb | Albania | 16e | Eutelsat 16 | Conax | |
| Nova | Greece | 13e | Hotbird | Irdeto | |
| UPC | Czech and Slovak | 1w | Thor | Iredeto | Skylink cam ok |
| MovieStar | Spain | 19.2e | Astra1 | Seca Mediaguard | |
| Meo | Portugal | 30w | Hispasat | ||
| NOS MEO | Portugal | 30w | Hispasat | Nagravision3 | Some cams work some do not : do not risk it !!! |
| Tring | Albania | 16e | Eutelsat16 | Conax | |
| TNTsat | France | 19.2e | Astra1 | Viaccess ( modified) | cam not available |
| FranSat | France | 5w | Eutelsat 5w | Viaccess (modified) | Only works in technisat boxes |
| Canal Digitaal | Netherlands | 23.5e | Astra 3b | ||
| TiVu | Italy | 13e | Hotbird | Nagravision | Tivu cams now available |
How Do CAMs Work with Cards
Smit CAM user pdf
The encryption of the digital stream with a CW (Crypto-Word) is achieved using an official subscription and card.
The various Conditional Access Systems are identified with an ID number
The CAS generates the EMM ( Entitlement Management Message ) which contains the The customers ID and package detail code.
The ECM ( Entitlement Control Message ) contains detail about the content and the CW which controls decoding of the signal.
The CW is extracted from the DVB data stream and decodes the signal within the CAM unit using the smartcard and a clear decoded signal is then available to view.
The ci+ CAM is a development designed to make it harder for hackers to extract codes
List of Services and Encryption types used
- CON – CONAX
- IRD – IRDETO
- VIA – VIACCESS
- NAG – NAGRAVISION
- CW – CRYPTOWORKS
- DRE – DRECRYPT
| SERVICE | ENCRYPTION |
|---|---|
| DigiTurk | CW |
| Diema | CW |
| BFBS | CW |
| ORF Austria | CW |
| JSTV Japan | CW |
| Skylink Cz/Sk | IRD ci+ |
| UPC | IRD ci+ |
| N Poland | IRD |
| Nova Gk | IRD |
| MCT | IRD |
| ART Arab | IRD |
| BIS France | VIA Orca |
| Fransat | VIA Orca mod ci+ |
| TNT | VIA Orca mod |
| RTVi | VIA |
| Al Jazeera | VIA |
| Viasat | VIA |
| Max TV | VIA |
| RTV rom | CON |
| DigitAlb | CON |
| N poland | CON |
| NRK | CON |
| Canal Digitaal | CON |
| Telenor | CON |
| Redlight | CON |
| Platforma ( obselete) | DRE |
| Virgin Media | NAG |
| Movistar | NAG |
| NOS port | NAG |
| Telenet Belgium | NAG |
| Tivu Italy | NAG |
| Digi Rom | NAG |
| Sky de and uk | NAG |