Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcc3.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!hao!hplabs!sdcrdcf!sdcsvax!sdcc3!brian From: brian@sdcc3.UUCP (Brian Kantor) Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Re: Cable ready TV, etc. Message-ID: <2640@sdcc3.UUCP> Date: Fri, 18-Jan-85 08:15:19 EST Article-I.D.: sdcc3.2640 Posted: Fri Jan 18 08:15:19 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 21-Jan-85 04:30:03 EST References: <293@mhuxm.UUCP> <248@terak.UUCP> <282@lsuc.UUCP> <1597@ittvax.UUCP> <712@cbosgd.UUCP> Organization: UCSD wombat breeding society Lines: 23 > if you can buy a cable tuner from Jerrold (the same ones > the cable company rents you) why is an unscrambler box any different? More and more cable companies (especially those serving hi-tech areas like silicon valley and the like) are going to descramblers which are digitally addressable. These are individually numbered and can be individually turned on or off for each scrambled channel by the cable company. Thus buying a descrambler from a legit manufacturer would gain you nothing (except saving the monthly rental, if any) because you would still have to get the cable company to enable it for each scrambled channel you wanted to watch. Of course, a pirate descrambler could be built that ignores the on-off codes - probably would be cheaper that way too. I haven't seen any at our local swap meets, but its probably just a matter of time. Brian Kantor UC San Diego decvax\ brian@ucsd.arpa akgua >--- sdcsvax --- brian ucbvax/ Kantor@Nosc ``You unlock this door with the key of imagination...''