VideoCipher is a brand name of analog scrambling and de-scrambling equipment for cable and satellite television invented primarily to enforce Television receive-only (TVRO) satellite equipment to only receive TV programming on a subscription basis. The second version of Videocipher, Videocipher II, was the primary encryption scheme used by major cable TV programmers to prevent TVRO owners from receiving free terrestrial television programming. It was especially notable due to the widespread compromise of its encryption scheme. Background Satellite providers Though the first half of the 1980s, HBO, Cinemax and other premium television providers with analog satellite transponders faced a fast growing market of TVRO equipment owners. Satellite television consumers could watch these services simply by pointing their dish at a satellite, and tuning into the provider's transponder. Two open questions existed about this practice: whether the Communications Act of 1934 applied as a case of "unauthorized reception" by TVRO consumers; and to what it extent it was legal for a service provider to encrypt their signals in an effort to prevent its reception. The Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 clarified all of these matters, making the following legal: Reception of unencrypted satellite signals by a consumer Reception of encrypted satellite signals by a consumer, when they have received authorization to legally decrypt it This created a framework for the wide deployment of encryption on analog satellite signals. It further created a framework (and implicit mandate to provide) subscription services to TVRO consumers to allow legal decryption of those signals. HBO and Cinemax became the first two services to announce intent to encrypt their satellite feeds late in 1984. Videocipher technology Videocipher was invented in 1983 by Linkabit Corporation (later bought out by M/A-COM in 1985, operated as M/A-COM Linkabit). In the mid 1980s, M/A-COM began divesting divisions which fell outside their core RF & Microwave component and subsystem products. The Linkabit division was acquired by General Instrument in 1987. Videocipher was used throughout the 1990s by RCTI and SCTV to encrypt some foreign programs (such as sports events and movies) as part of the term of their rights, to prevent overseas access so that the programs could only be accessed through the RCTI and SCTV networks via UHF/VHF frequency in Indonesia. Indovision also used Videocipher to encrypt their channels as a counteract against piracy between 1994 and 1997. Variants There were several variants of the Videocipher scrambling system: Videocipher I