# Common Interface (CI)

The Common Interface is needed for subscription of Pay-TV channels. There are two different CIs available.
One is the PCI slot verion and one is a 3.5"-floppy bay version. Both serve the the same purpose. The bay version was designed to fit into a floppy bay mount and therefore is ideal for solutions where you don't have a free PCI slot available.
To be able to watch encrypted programs, your provider will hand a smartcard to you (a card of the size of your ATM or VISA card).
This card contains information about you as the subscriber on a small embedded chip.
Depending on the encryption method used by your provider you will need a Conditional Access Module (CAM) like Betacam, Irdeto, or Viaccess.
In order to decrypt the channel you have to plug your CAM into the CI. The smartcard you got from your provider will be inserted into the CAM.

After you plugged in your CAM, with the smartcard inserted, into the CI, start the
application.
While
is starting you will see a second window poping up, displaying the CI slots and the CAMs installed in it. The Window will close itself after a few seconds.

Hint: Please note that you can insert and remove the CAM at anytime. Removing the CAM however will stop decrypting the channels it is needed for.

By clicking the CI button on the menu bar of
you can access the data on your CAM . In most cases this is not necessary. However, you might find it useful to set certain values your CAM does support.

On certain CAMs there are features included like parental control or language options.

Hint: Those options are usually protected by a pin code. Please refer to your manual on what the standard pin code is and change it to protect your settings from others.

Click the Menu option Parental Control. The submenu lets you change the age rating by simply clicking on it until the desired age is displayed.

By clicking Menu Options you enter the submenu for global settings of your CAM. Again click the option you would like to change until the desired value is shown.

Note: The options provided by your CAM can and will very likely differ from the ones shown above. Please refer to the CAM's manual on how to set up everything correctly.