WRITTEN QUESTION E-2005/97 by Felipe Camisón Asensio (PPE) to the Commission (11 June 1997)

Subject: Disadvantages of the SIMULCRYPT system in digital TV services

As the Commission probably knows, the Executive Committee of DVB, Digital Video Broadcasting, decided at its meeting in Geneva on 16 April last to postpone making the Simulcrypt encoding system a European standard until the specification has been completed technically. Consequently, part 1 of the Simulcrypt specification, which is that already drawn up by DVB, will be applied as an ETSI technical specification (TS), but not as a European standard. It is therefore to be expected that there will not be a Simulcrypt European standard until the end of 1997 or the beginning of 1998.

Furthermore, the common interface for digital receivers (to be laid down in accordance with the Multicrypt concept) was approved by DVB in May 1996 after being ratified by the national standardization bodies during that year and was formally adopted by CENELEC as a European standard in February 1997. The common interface specification was also adopted by the Digital Audiovisual Council (DAVIC) as a safety interface and by the FCC in the United States (through the NRSS) as a single operational system.

In view of all this, and the fact that the operation under the Multicrypt concept, unlike Simulcrypt, is endorsed by a European standard, can the Commission answer the following questions:

- In view of the substantial problem concerning the degree of standardization of the Simulcrypt system, what does the Commission think about the situation and the adverse effects it may have as regards the aim of offering the whole population digital television services as soon as possible using a universal solution in a context of maximum plurality of information?

- More particularly, should the Member States wait or take any special precautions until the complete Simulcrypt specification becomes a European standard, in order to authorize its sale? In view of the foreseeable delay, is DG IV in favour of promoting or speeding up the introduction of Simulcrypt despite the fact that there are no standards to support it?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (17 July 1997)

Directive 95/47/EC of the Parliament and of the Council on the use of standards for the transmission of television signals ((OJ L 281, 23.11.1995. )) was adopted unanimously, on 24 October 1995, by the Council, having received a large majority in the Parliament.

The Directive requires the use of standardised transmission systems for digital television. In relation to conditional access to digital pay-TV service the Directive also requires the incorporation of a descrambler conforming to the common European scrambling system in all relevant consumer equipment, and that conditional access providers offer their services to broadcasters on fair reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. These requirements provide the basis for ensuring that all pay-TV service providers are able to supply their programme to all consumers.

The Directive does not impose any specific technical rules in addition to those mentioned for implementing conditional access systems in practice.

The digital video broadcasting project (DVB) has developed two optional technical methods - Simulcrypt and Multicrypt - of ensuring interoperation between conditional access systems and consumer equipment in the event that there is more than one conditional access system in use on a market. Either of these processes can, in practice, be used to achieve the objective. Neither is either required or forbidden by the Directive.

Following DVB procedures both systems have been submitted to the European standards bodies for standardisation. No practical market implementation problems are expected due to the standardisation schedule.