In order to de-scramble them you need a decoder. The usual type of UK decoder is called "Videocrypt" which is licensed by Thomson plc. This type of decoder is usually built inside a receiver. For most scrambled channels you will also need a Smartcard to allow the decoder to work. Smartcards are generally available by subscription in specific countries. This is because the programme providers are licensed to broadcast films etc, only to certain countries for which they pay a fee. Apart from "Videocrypt" the next most common type of decoder is called a "D2MAC" transcoder. This is not really a decoder but simply a means of translating a different transmission standard. (Most European broadcasts transmit using the "PAL" system, but D2MAC, DMAC, SECAM are also used. In the USA "NTSC" is used.) Inside most DMAC/D2MAC transcoders is a "Eurocrypt" decoder as well. This works very much like "Videocrypt" and has its own Smartcards.
