Oak Orion
Encyclopedia
The Oak Orion scrambling system was a form of television encryption
developed by Oak Industries in the early 1980s.
It was mainly used for encrypting the satellite
feeds of American and Canadian television
services transmitted by Cancom via the Anik
satellites, first on Anik B, and later on Anik D1 and Anik E2, beginning in 1982. Virtually all services uplinked by Cancom were encrypted via this method, with the exception of one channel, First Choice
, which chose to use the Videocipher
system adopted by U.S. programmers during the late 1980s-early 1990s. First Choice later switched to Orion.
This encryption system was discontinued by the mid-1990s in favor of digital delivery.
Television encryption
Television encryption, often referred to as "scrambling", is encryption used to control access to pay television services, usually cable or satellite television services.-History:...
developed by Oak Industries in the early 1980s.
It was mainly used for encrypting the satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
feeds of American and Canadian television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
services transmitted by Cancom via the Anik
Anik
Anik may refer to:* Anik , satellites launched by Canadian telecommunications company Telesat* Anik Bissonnette, a Canadian ballet dancer* Anik Matern, a Canadian actress and founder of the Dynamic Theater Factory* Anik Mountain...
satellites, first on Anik B, and later on Anik D1 and Anik E2, beginning in 1982. Virtually all services uplinked by Cancom were encrypted via this method, with the exception of one channel, First Choice
The Movie Network
The Movie Network is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service, owned by Astral Media. The service is licensed to operate east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, excluding the territories...
, which chose to use the Videocipher
Videocipher
VideoCipher is a brand name of analog scrambling and de-scrambling equipment for cable and satellite television invented primarily to keep consumer Television receive-only satellite equipment from receiving TV programing except on a subscription basis. It was invented in 1983 by Linkabit...
system adopted by U.S. programmers during the late 1980s-early 1990s. First Choice later switched to Orion.
This encryption system was discontinued by the mid-1990s in favor of digital delivery.