Cabot Communications Becomes First Middleware Vendor to Successfully Complete SmarDTV CI+ Interoperability Testing

BRISTOL, England--(Business Wire)--
Cabot Communications, the specialist digital TV software supplier, today
announces that it has successfully completed interoperability testing between
its CI+ software solution and the SmarDTV CI+ reference module, becoming the
first middleware vendor known to do so.

Cabot`s CI+ solution, known as Keystone, provides an enhanced security system
that uses key exchange technology to secure an un-hackable data link. The data
itself is also encrypted with triple-DES or AES technology. This protects the
high value content that broadcasters want to offer viewers and means that at no
stage in the stream, from transmission to display, is unencrypted video
accessible. Cabot selected the SmarDTV test suite and tools to thoroughly test
its CI+ solution. Following a comprehensive testing process, Keystone passed the
full range of tests from secure channel negotiation, key exchange, certificate
handling, and ultimately successful video decryption. In addition, Cabot wrote
several CI+ test applications in MHEG to further test the functionality beyond
the SmarDTV scope.

Bob Lamb, Managing Director of Cabot Communications commented "Though the
original CI specification was adequate for the market when it was first
introduced, CI no longer provides the protection required by today`s content
providers. As technology has developed over time, it has become possible for
someone with the correct tools to hack the data decrypted by the CAM. Cabot
created Keystone to provide the ultimate in security for our customers, while
still being compatible with legacy CI systems. Cabot is delighted to have
successfully completed SmarDTV CI+ interoperability testing and is now engaging
with several manufacturers regarding deploying our CI+ stack to their hardware."

Conor Ryan, Vice-President Marketing at SmarDTV added "We are delighted that
Cabot has successfully confirmed interoperability with our modules, and that
this type of collaboration will accelerate host time to market and ecosystem
interoperability."

Keystone also offers manufacturers additional advantages including a rich
application environment using MHEG-5, which allows CAM manufacturers to present
a more professional, high-end application to the user than was possible with CI
MMI Messages alone. In addition, the CI+ Profile in MHEG provides restrictions
on what MHEG Application Authors can do in line with the CI+ specification. It
also implements downloadable fonts that enables better broadcaster branding in
the market.

Cabot has attributed the speed of their CI+ solution development to an emulated
CI+ CAM written in the Python programming language which they developed
in-house. Cabot found this to be a hugely valuable tool that accelerated their
CI+ development, even when there was no hardware available. In addition, it
enabled them to test and verify areas of the CI+ specification not normally
tested by CI+ test suites.

For further information visit our web site at www.cabot.co.uk

Robert Huntley
Publitek Ltd
+44 1225 470000
robert.huntley@publitek.com
or
Sharon Porton
Cabot Communications
+44 (0)117 958 4232
Sharon.Porton@cabot.co.uk

Copyright Business Wire 2009