Design of video security systems for Pay-TV

This paper describes the requirements for developing video security systems for the new Pay-TV entertainment medium, and the specific design parameters necessary to comply with the FCC Standards and Bell System Practices, where the facilities of A. T.& T. are employed. Techniques of how the picture and/or sound are held secure, so that the entertainment offered will be available only to those willing to pay, and methods for reliable periodic collection of money for entertainment, as well as determining accurately each day how many subscribers purchased each program, are described to the extent that the designer will understand the concepts he must employ in approaching the end goals of effective video security and reliable billing. How the designer is responsive to the commercial requirements of the quality entertainment producers of Pay-TV and the Pay-TV operators who want to make the entertainment available only to those subscribers who indicate their willingness to pay is presented in a practical format showing actual design practices. This report defines and references the industry´s sophisticated approaches, but clearly indicates that a video and/or audio security system for Pay-TV need not meet the difficult requirements of a military security system; however, it must minimize the theft of the scrambled broadcast or coaxial subcarrier transmission to a degree which will assure that the system be commercially successful.