<s>
Downloadable	B-Device
Conditional	I-Device
Access	I-Device
System	I-Device
or	O
DCAS	O
was	O
a	O
proposal	O
advanced	O
by	O
CableLabs	O
for	O
secure	O
software	O
download	O
of	O
a	O
specific	O
Conditional	B-Architecture
Access	I-Architecture
client	O
(	O
computer	O
program	O
)	O
which	O
controls	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
(	O
DRM	O
)	O
into	O
an	O
OCAP-compliant	O
host	O
consumer	O
media	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
National	O
Cable	O
&	O
Telecommunications	O
Association	O
(	O
NCTA	O
)	O
proposed	O
that	O
DCAS	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
substitute	O
for	O
physical	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
,	O
a	O
standard	O
also	O
created	O
by	O
CableLabs	O
for	O
which	O
products	O
began	O
appearing	O
in	O
August	O
2004	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
industry	O
compliance	O
to	O
the	O
FCC	O
mandate	O
,	O
which	O
in	O
turn	O
is	O
pursuant	O
to	O
the	O
Telecommunications	O
Act	O
of	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DCAS	O
is	O
growing	O
in	O
popularity	O
as	O
a	O
less	O
expensive	O
alternative	O
for	O
CableCARD	B-Application
,	O
with	O
major	O
North	O
American	O
operator	O
deployments	O
from	O
Cablevision	O
and	O
Charter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DCAS	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
days	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
controversial	O
proposal	O
for	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
reasons	O
:	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
exist	O
,	O
had	O
no	O
set	O
deadlines	O
for	O
support	O
on	O
all	O
cable	O
systems	O
,	O
no	O
specification	O
even	O
in	O
draft	O
form	O
was	O
public	O
,	O
may	O
not	O
have	O
satisfied	O
FCC	O
requirements	O
that	O
security	O
modules	O
be	O
separable	O
,	O
and	O
required	O
an	O
operating	O
system	O
(	O
OCAP	B-Device
)	O
that	O
a	O
majority	O
of	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
(	O
CE	O
)	O
manufacturers	O
did	O
not	O
wish	O
to	O
implement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DCAS	O
,	O
as	O
envisioned	O
,	O
removed	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
physical	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
or	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
to	O
protect	O
encrypted	O
digital	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
circuitry	O
needed	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
OCAP	B-Device
operating	O
system	O
would	O
be	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OCAP	B-Device
programs	O
then	O
would	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
the	O
sole	O
method	O
of	O
interacting	O
with	O
DCAS	O
since	O
it	O
will	O
enable	O
cable	O
companies	O
to	O
force	O
the	O
download	O
of	O
new	O
security	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
thin	O
client	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
to	O
be	O
deployed	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
remotely	O
managed	O
,	O
in	O
lieu	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
expensive	O
cableCARD	B-Application
based	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
purpose	O
of	O
DCAS	O
was	O
to	O
implement	O
DRM	O
protection	O
in	O
software	O
,	O
supported	O
by	O
future	O
OCAP-compliant	O
consumer	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
digital	B-Application
televisions	I-Application
,	O
DVRs	O
,	O
and	O
set-top	O
boxes	O
(	O
still	O
required	O
to	O
support	O
legacy	O
non-OCAP-compliant	O
devices	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
scheme	O
could	O
possibly	O
be	O
used	O
more	O
broadly	O
and	O
was	O
being	O
advanced	O
by	O
Rupert	O
Murdoch	O
's	O
company	O
NDS	B-Device
as	O
a	O
DRM	O
method	O
useful	O
also	O
for	O
portable	O
media	O
players	O
and	O
other	O
devices	O
not	O
attached	O
to	O
cable	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
allegedly	O
working	O
DCAS	O
prototype	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
Samsung	B-Application
and	O
NDS	B-Device
for	O
the	O
cable	O
industry	O
and	O
was	O
demonstrated	O
to	O
the	O
FCC	O
in	O
November	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Detractors	O
noted	O
that	O
if	O
the	O
physical	O
circuitry	O
is	O
compromised	O
,	O
it	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
replaced	O
as	O
is	O
the	O
case	O
with	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
DCAS	O
scenarios	O
could	O
use	O
removable	O
cards	O
:	O
OCAP-based	O
devices	O
may	O
incorporate	O
internal	O
support	O
for	O
a	O
kind	O
of	O
"	O
smart	O
card	O
"	O
(	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
current	O
SIM	O
chip	O
in	O
a	O
GSM	O
cell-phone	O
)	O
to	O
identify	O
the	O
subscriber	O
and	O
provide	O
further	O
protection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Detractors	O
asserted	O
that	O
the	O
final	O
version	O
of	O
DCAS	O
may	O
require	O
a	O
physical	O
card	O
insertion	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
technicians	O
are	O
not	O
required	O
to	O
insert	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
anyway	O
,	O
since	O
they	O
are	O
merely	O
the	O
same	O
kind	O
of	O
cards	O
that	O
consumers	O
routinely	O
insert	O
in	O
their	O
laptops	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
asserted	O
that	O
if	O
cable	O
companies	O
were	O
finally	O
forced	O
to	O
agree	O
on	O
a	O
standard	O
for	O
two-way	O
communication	O
that	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
be	O
remotely	O
configured	O
as	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
case	O
with	O
DCAS	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
expectation	O
of	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
DCAS	O
as	O
a	O
possible	O
future	O
technology	O
was	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
reason	O
that	O
the	O
FCC	O
should	O
release	O
cable	O
companies	O
from	O
obligations	O
regarding	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Verizon	B-Protocol
FiOS	I-Protocol
wished	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
from	O
having	O
to	O
support	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
at	O
all	O
on	O
its	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cable	O
companies	O
point	O
to	O
DCAS	O
as	O
a	O
reason	O
that	O
they	O
should	O
be	O
released	O
from	O
their	O
obligation	O
to	O
use	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
in	O
their	O
devices	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
FCC	O
directed	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Association	O
representing	O
major	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
manufacturers	O
disagreed	O
with	O
these	O
applications	O
for	O
waivers	O
pointing	O
to	O
the	O
insubstantiality	O
of	O
the	O
proposal	O
and	O
that	O
cable	O
companies	O
are	O
notoriously	O
late	O
and	O
half-hearted	O
in	O
their	O
support	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
standards	O
,	O
as	O
evidenced	O
by	O
their	O
behavior	O
with	O
their	O
earlier	O
CableCARD	B-Application
proposal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consumers	O
are	O
motivated	O
to	O
hold	O
off	O
buying	O
CableCARD	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
CE	O
companies	O
are	O
wondering	O
whether	O
their	O
CableCARD	B-Application
technology	O
investments	O
will	O
soon	O
be	O
obsolete	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
causes	O
doubt	O
amongst	O
FCC	O
regulators	O
whether	O
they	O
should	O
enforce	O
deadlines	O
and	O
restrictions	O
placed	O
on	O
cable	O
companies	O
regarding	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cable	O
companies	O
counter	O
that	O
CableCARD	B-Application
devices	O
have	O
failed	O
in	O
the	O
marketplace	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
foolish	O
for	O
them	O
to	O
be	O
forced	O
to	O
use	O
CableCARDs	B-Application
when	O
the	O
superior	O
technology	O
of	O
DCAS	O
will	O
soon	O
be	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
