From: brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot)
Newsgroups: rec.video.cable-tv
Subject: Re: Cable descrambler vs. channel selector
Date: 4 Sep 92 05:53:29 GMT
Reply-To: brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot)
Organization: Vidiot's Hangout

In article <BtzEI2.FnE@comp.vuw.ac.nz> brian@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Brian Boutel) writes:
<
<In article <Btz9EB.KEG@news.orst.edu>, stanley@skyking.OCE.ORST.EDU (John Stanley) writes:
<|> In article <laird.715466064@stable.ecn.purdue.edu> laird@stable.ecn.purdue.edu (Kyler Laird) writes:
<|> >I want a descrambler that will sit in the loop of my TV and
<|> >descramble whatever I tune to WITH THE TV'S TUNER.  I can get to
<|> >the signals coming out of the tuner, and those going back to the
<|> >display circuits; I just need a descrambler to go in between.
<|> 
<|> You will not find a commercial product such as this, for several
<|> reasons. 
<|> 1. Cable companies would never provide such a unit, since it would
<|> remove their control over what signals you were able to view. 
<[...]
<|> 2. Installation of such a device would require extensive modification
<| >to the user's television.
<[...]
<|> >I got only stupid non-answers before.  
<|> 
<|> This is a marvelous way of enticing people to respond to you. I saw your
<|> first posting. When you ask a stupid question, in a stupid way, you 
<|> get stupid answers.
<|> 
<|> 
<
<I can get what is described, here, right now. Our local encrypted service
<provides two kinds of decoders, one with a tuner and one without. The 
<basic model with no tuner sits between your tuner and monitor and 
<decodes whatever it receives. No modifications are required, provided your tv has
<A/V inputs and either has baseband video tuner out (as opposed to monitor out) or
<you use the video out from a vcr's tuner.
<
<How does the supply company control what you can watch? The decoders have a
<smart card, which can be remotely authorised, to control whether decoding is
<permitted. As of now, all channels are provided in the basic service, but in
<future, as more channels are offered, it will be possible to have the card
<control which channels may be decoded. 
<
<This is the VideoCrypt system, which is not the scrambling method normally used
<in the US, so you may have to relocate if you want it. Even so, it's a
<counter-example to Mr Stanley's response.

Too bad no one that I know of does it in this country.  Sounds like they are
adding a signal to the vertical interval that is looked at to see if it is
to be decoded.  I'd like to see the video signal before decoding, but since
you are PAL, it will be a little tough.

In order for the box to be addressed remotely, it either has to have the
incoming cable connected to it (as well as the baseband video), or an outside
phone line so that it can be called (very unlikely).  There is probably a
signal that required from the cable for decoding to take place, besides the
addressing signal.

If the incoming cable is NOT connected to the box (without the tuner), then
all signals are contained in the vertical interval, kind of like VideoCipher
for satellites.

Interesting.  I'd like to know exactly how it works.  I didn't think of this
whe answering a previous posting.
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Newsgroups: rec.video.cable-tv