The original attempt for a North American digital signal encryption and compression standard was DigiCipher 1, which was used most notably in the now-defunct PrimeStar medium-power DBS system during the early 1990s. The DCII standard predates DVB-based digital television compression and therefore is incompatible with the DVB standard.
The primary difference between DigiCipher 2 and DVB lies in how each standard handles SI, or System Information. DigiCipher 2 also relies on the fact that its signals must be understood in terms of a virtual channel number in addition to the DCII signal's downlink frequency, whereas DVB signals have no virtual channel number.
Approximately 70% of newer first-generation digital cable networks in North America use the 4DTV/DigiCipher 2 format. The use of DCII is most prevalent in North American digital cable television set-top boxes. DCII is also used on Motorola's 4DTV digital satellite receiver and StarChoice's DBS receiver (StarChoice is based in Canada).