BISS — programmes scrambled with a fixed key
Updated 25 Oct 2026BISS is the fixed-key scrambling often used for contribution feeds over satellite: the sender gives you the key and the receiver descrambles with it, without an access card. Castreon descrambles BISS programmes directly from the mux, for each channel separately.
Available from Castreon 1.9.0, in all plans. Castreon does not supply keys or IDs: you get them from the sender or from the equipment manufacturer.
Which variants work
| Variant | Scrambling | Mode 1 (key) | Mode E (ESW + ID) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BISS-1 | DVB-CSA | 12-character hex key (or the full control word, 16 characters) | 16-character ESW + 14-character ID, injected or buried |
| BISS2 | DVB-CISSA (AES-128) | 32-character hex key | 32-character ESW + 32-character injected ID |
The length of the key (or of the ESW) selects the variant, as on professional receivers. Spaces, dashes and colons in what you paste are ignored. BISS-CA (with entitlements sent to the receiver) is not supported.
Receiver IDs (mode E only)
In mode E the key arrives encrypted (ESW) and is recovered with the receiver ID. You add the IDs once, in Settings → BISS — IDs → Add ID:
- Name — how you recognise it at the channel source (for example the name of the receiver it replaces);
- Type — injected (the ID given by the sender; BISS-1 or BISS2) or buried (the equipment manufacturer's ID; BISS-1 only);
- ID value — 14 hex characters (BISS-1) or 32 (BISS2).
After saving, the value is no longer shown anywhere — not in the panel, not through the API, not in the audit log. You can rename an ID without retyping its value. Only administrators add and change IDs; operators only see the names, so they can choose them for channels.
On the channel
Channels → edit the channel → DVB source → BISS descrambling:
- Mode 1 — key — fill in BISS key;
- Mode E — ESW + ID — fill in ESW and choose the Receiver ID from the list.
The key and the ESW are kept like passwords: after saving, the field only shows that they are saved; leave it empty to keep them, or type a new value to replace them. Before saving, the panel tells you if the length is wrong or if the ESW and the chosen ID belong to different versions.
A new key applies within a few seconds, without retuning the adapter and without stopping the other channels on the same mux.
How you see that it works
- In DVB adapters, in the adapter panel, next to the BISS service: BISS ✓ (valid picture and sound come out after descrambling), wrong BISS key? (nothing valid comes out after descrambling), BISS · clear (the programme is not scrambled right now), BISS: error (the key cannot be computed — for example the chosen ID was deleted; hover to see the reason) or BISS · waiting (not enough stream yet to judge). The state is judged over 10-second windows.
- On the channel, the BISS key alert appears when the key looks wrong or cannot be computed — also while the channel restarts because of it, so you see the cause and not only the restarts.
How much is verified: the key computation follows ITU-T J.96 (BISS-1, including the buried ID) and EBU Tech 3292 (BISS2); BISS2 mode E is verified with the official AES-128 test vector, BISS-1 mode E by encrypting and decrypting in automated tests. CSA and CISSA descrambling, changing the key on the fly and the alert are verified in automated tests and end to end with a BISS-1 stream we scrambled ourselves. If a real BISS feed does not descramble with a key you know is right, open a ticket.
What it does not do yet
- BISS-CA (the mode with entitlements and a management centre);
- BISS scrambling on the output.