Irdeto Access Launches Irdeto PIsys, Next-Generation Conditional Access System.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NAB 2002

Booth No. S-7623

SAN DIEGO & LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 2002

Irdeto Access Monday announced the release of Irdeto PIsys, the company's latest DVB conditional-access system for large-scale satellite DTH, cable, IPTV, and terrestrial broadcasting.

Irdeto PIsys incorporates a wide range of innovative features to provide the highest level of security, flexibility, and ease of use for all forms of digital pay-media content.

Irdeto Access is a subsidiary of MIH Limited (Nasdaq:MIHL) (Euronext Amsterdam:MIHL), the subscriber platforms and supporting technologies group.

The Irdeto PIsys system is designed for large-scale installations and enables operators to secure content and manage entitlements for millions of subscribers. Irdeto PIsys allows users to configure, maintain, and monitor conditional access to content easily and quickly with a user-friendly graphical user interface.

The system is compatible with a wide range of set-top boxes, compression equipment, and subscriber management systems.

With Irdeto PIsys, subscribers access content with a personalized smart card that validates their entitlement. Powerful features include blackout control, positive and negative entitlements, and IRD (set-top box) fingerprinting.

Implemented by messages played out to the smart card using high-level industry-standard encryption in combination with Irdeto Access-patented technology, they make control over subscriber access more precise than ever, reducing the need for customer service calls and increasing the integrity of pay-media systems.

Even with these new features, Irdeto PIsys requires minimal bandwidth for conditional access control, while allowing conditional access messages to be cycled at higher rates than in previous-generation systems and thus reducing overall costs while increasing security.

Designed to allow operators to configure, maintain, and monitor their systems easily and quickly, enhanced Irdeto PIsys features include internal diagnostics and on-screen problem detection, allowing head-end users to view system status with a single glance, whether using Irdeto PIsys' powerful monitoring tools or SNMP-based monitoring systems.

Multiple security levels allow operational staff members to be assigned one of six degrees of access authorization within the system.

Providing a versatile base for continuous growth, Irdeto PIsys offers support for IPPV, OPPV, T-Commerce, Code Download, NVOD/VOD, and personal video recorders (PVRs) via optional modules. Designed for use worldwide, the Irdeto PIsys subscriber interface and messages can be localized for any environment, and a single Irdeto PIsys system can be used to support multiple operators on multiple sectors of a smart card.

When combined with Irdeto CypherCast -- the industry's premiere IP multicast security system -- Irdeto PIsys works as a convergent head-end to manage both TV and Internet content. With a single smart card, subscribers can access all of an operator's pay-media content packages, including TV channels and Internet streaming media.

This unique approach enables operators to tap revenue opportunities without having to build a parallel conditional access infrastructure.

Graham Kill, Irdeto Access chief executive officer, commented, "There is an increasing demand among developers and owners of intellectual property for large-scale protection systems that meet businesses' individual needs. That's why we designed Irdeto PIsys in close consultation with our customers and have used their feedback to help develop our technology road map.

"This solution takes advantage of recent advances in operating system, GUI, and user design while incorporating everything we've learned in our 30 years of experience in content protection. With Irdeto PIsys, we further strengthen our position as the content protection industry leader."

About Irdeto Access

Irdeto Access, a subsidiary of MIH Limited, the subscriber platforms and supporting technologies group, is a world leader in technology for the securing of content from concept to consumer. Irdeto Access specializes in designing, developing, and marketing end-to-end solutions to manage and protect content from unauthorized access in both the television broadcast and Internet environments.

Irdeto Access has been providing encryption technology for more than 30 years and was first to launch an MPEG-2/DVB-compliant digital conditional access (CA) system. Irdeto Access is the world's favorite CA system vendor with some 70 operators choosing to deploy product in more than 50 countries worldwide.

There are over 7 million Irdeto Access smart cards in circulation and a total of 9.5 million secured devices active in the field. The company is ISO9001 certified.

Irdeto Access was first to market with technology for secure Internet Protocol multicast scrambling with its Irdeto CypherCast product. Irdeto CypherCast can be used in combination with any streaming media application, including distance learning, corporate training/business TV, data caching, and entertainment business.

Consistent with its multifaceted approach to content protection, Irdeto Access is a founder and active member of the European Association Against Pay Media Piracy (AEPOC), as well as the DVB committee, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), IP Multicast Initiative (IPMI), and numerous other industry bodies. Additional information is available at www.irdetoaccess.com.