Introduction

In this chapter I will dig a little bit deeper into the technical backgrounds of DVB / MPEG broadcasting systems in general and the various coding systems in particular. My aim is to provide a certain amount of basic knowledge, not a guideline to creating pirate Smart Cards. By the time you understand all that's explained here in this chapter, you may truly call yourself an experienced hobbyist :-))

Please be aware that, although I have tried my best to keep this explanation simple, this really is a very technical advanced matter and for some of you this information might be just one step too far (for now). Just don't give up too quickly, that's all.

The information, found in this introduction page is just general information. You'll find more detailed information about each coding system on its own dedicated page.

About hacking:
You often read that a system has been hacked. That's not completely accurate in most cases though. The systems described in this site are not hacked completely. They all still have some secrets of their own. But parts of the system have been hacked for most of them. And as soon as you have hacked enough parts, you can start building a new method of decoding :-))
The files you will find on the Internet are in fact a combination of hacked parts of the original coding system and added clever routines to bypass some of the still secret parts.
Many of you will know examples from the software business. A software program like Autocad for instance is normally copy protected through the use of a dongle. Still there are fully working duplicates around, that don't need a dongle to work. That's because the hackers did not try to clone the dongle, but instead they built some clever software routines that make the use of a dongle obsolete.
Well, with decoding satellite transmissions it's the same; You don't have to clone a original Smart Card, you can also built some clever software to emulate such a card. That's what GW files, Fun card files etc. all do. They emulate a original Smart Card.

About scrambling and coding:
There is a difference between the two and you need to understand what each of these terms means exactly.
Scrambling means the technique, used to deform the MPEG-2 signal in such a way that your TV tuner won't be able to turn the signal into a proper TV image. It is called the common scrambling algorithmand all providers have to conform to this scrambling method.
With coding, we mean the technique to even further transform the already scrambled signal. This coding is done according to a certain algorithm and there is a unique algorithm for each coding variant. The algorithm is part of the CAM's software and is activated by a command in the data stream of the provider signal. Such a command is called a control word.

Auto Update:
This probably is the most confusing term for newbies. Auto Update or AU for short.
Well, it's probably not the term or function as such that is misunderstood, but more how they work. Or better said in many cases; how they do NOT work.

Maybe you recognize (or vaguely remember) these thoughts:
Yessssss, finally found them. A site where I can download files.
But hey, what's that......
Well, this must be my lucky day.
They even have a fully Auto Update file set, see, it says so there: "guaranteed 100% Auto Update"
Well now I won't have to go out looking for new keys every few days.

Doesn't that sound just too good to be true??
Well, guess what. It is to good to be true.
Some of the files, found on Internet are indeed capable auto updating. Provided, you have necessary keys to support will need understand one very important thing about files use:>
There are generally spoken to types of files: the operational files (these will decode the signal) and management keys (they will make sure your operational keys are updated automatically).

File sets:
Your card needs to be programmed with files. Such files generally come as a set of 2 or 3 files. If it's a PIC type card you are going to program, you need 2 files. If it's a AVR type card, you need 2 or 3, depending of the type of files you have. AVR type files for 1-in-1 consist of 3 files, the 3-in-1 files for AVR type cards consist of 2 files.

For your file set to work properly, 2 conditions have to be met:
1. The file set has to be compatible with the CAM's coding system.
So let's for the sake of this example assume that you have got a Seca 1.03 CAM. What do you need.
You need a file set for Seca decoding. And the file set needs to comply to the specifications of Aston 1.03. In other words, a Irdeto file set will not do for you, but neither will a Seca file set which was built to work on Aston 1.04 or higher.

2. You will need the the proper operational keys in your eeprom file. As explained above, the operational keys are the actual keys that are used to decode the signal. So those are the ones that need to be up-to-date.

Although many file sets are offered on the Internet, you can be pretty sure that none of them will actually contain valid management keys for auto updating your card. And if ever you find such a file set, be prepared to find those management keys not working anymore, very soon. The providers also check the Internet.

What is it that makes a file set AU:
As mentioned above, you need management keys in order to automatically update the operational keys on your card. But somehow that update procedure has to be triggered and executed. Triggering is not really an issue. That is done by commands that are part of the algorithm of the coding system. Executing can be an issue though.
Original provider smart cards (MOSC) are updated all the time. This is done by the CAM upon request by the provider. The CAM will send a command to the card and it is updated. But with all the different types of wafer cards around, that will not always work. card needs to be capable reprogram eeprom through processor. If it lacks proper routines in processor file, update string never even reach eeprom.>
So not only do you need to load your eeprom file with the proper functioning management keys, you will need a file set of which the processor file is capable of reprogramming the eeprom.

Blockers:
Sometimes, you might want to prevent certain parts of a signal to reach your card at all. A signal as it's broadcasted by the provider contains a lot more than just the signal that's needed for a TV image. The signal is comprised of a MPEG video-, a MPEG audio- and a Data signal. The Data signal contains for instance the EPG and teletext data, but it also contains all the commands that the receiver needs in order to activate, edit or deactivate your card, to decode the provider specific scrambling etc.

Activation is the first thing that will happen after you have subscribed to a providers service. The provider will send the necessary commands to activate your card.
Deactivation is done only at the end of your subscription period or if the provider discovers that you have illegally used the information contained on your card.
Adjustments to the card are made regularly during the subscription period. Providers do make these adjustments to make sure that deactivated cards will no longer be able to decode the signal. That's why new keys are sent regularly.

A lot of pirate cards do not contain the proper software routines to cope with all the commands, that the provider sends, correctly. This makes them vulnerable to "sabotage" by the providers. Some providers will regularly send all kind of codes to which only pirate cards will respond while original cards ignore these commands. These commands are intended to shut down pirate cards completely. That is why people have invented blockers.
Blockers do exactly what their name implies; they block signals from the provider.
The obvious advantage is that this prevents the signal from doing any harm to the card. But as you might guess, the disadvantage is that AU signals will not reach the card either. So if you use a blocker, it is no use to bother about AU. And the some goes the other way around. If you want your card to be AU, you cannot use a blocker.

Blockers can be found as software blockers, or as hardware blockers:
1. A hardware blocker is a card that slides into the CAM in which the smart card is then put. A chip on the blocker card prevents all unwanted signals from reaching the card.
2. A software blocker can be part of the file set. In that case, the first provider on the card is a dummy provider that serves as a catcher for all unwanted commands. But it can also simply be done by telling the CAM to block the signals to the card. In that case the CAM's software will stop the unwanted commands.