PowerVu

PowerVu is a conditional access system for digital television developed by Scientific Atlanta.

It is used for professional broadcasting, notably by Retevision, Bloomberg Television, Discovery Channel, AFRTS and American Forces Network. It is also used by cable companies to prevent viewing by unauthorized viewers.

PowerVu has decoders that decode signals from certain satellites for cable distribution services. These decoders can also be used just like the FTA (Free-To-Air) satellite receivers if properly configured. PowerVu is considered very secure and has not been compromised since it uses a complicated system to authorize each PowerVu receiver and trace its history of ownership and usage. Most PowerVu users are professional cable or satellite companies, using the service and equipment for signal redistribution, because regular users cannot afford it.