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I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants
$10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: To representative? I am a Time Warner Cable subscriber. I want to add cable service for a new television that I just purchased. Time Warner Cable wants me to pay $10 per month for another box. I just bought the same box that Time Warner uses for $30. Time Warner refuses to recognize this box even though it is in perfect condition. I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. An Angry Citizen I sent it to: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton New York City 780 Third Ave, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 688-6262 Fax: (212) 688-7444 Senator Charles E. "Chuck" Schumer New York City 757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-486-4430 Fax: 212-486-7693 Representative Gary L. Ackerman (D - 05) Phone: 202-225-2601 fax: 202-225-1589 http://www.house.gov/ackerman/pages/contact.html District Office: 218-14 Northern Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361-3580 Voice: 718-423-2154 FAX: 718-423-5053 Representative Anthony Weiner (D - 09) Phone: 202-225-6616 fax: 202-226-7253 Email: |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Zalek Bloom sent a protest letter....
Helps if you spell check it first. eg "Satelite" Ian Singer -- ================================================== ======================= See my homepage at http://www.iansinger.com hosted on http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=10623894 All genealogy is stored in TMG from http://www.whollygenes.com Charts and searching using TNG from http://www.tngsitebuilding.com I am near Toronto Canada, can I tell where you are from your reply? ================================================== ======================= |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants $10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: To representative? I am a Time Warner Cable subscriber. I want to add cable service for a new television that I just purchased. Time Warner Cable wants me to pay $10 per month for another box. I just bought the same box that Time Warner uses for $30. Time Warner refuses to recognize this box even though it is in perfect condition. I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. An Angry Citizen I sent it to: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton New York City 780 Third Ave, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 688-6262 Fax: (212) 688-7444 Senator Charles E. "Chuck" Schumer New York City 757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-486-4430 Fax: 212-486-7693 Representative Gary L. Ackerman (D - 05) Phone: 202-225-2601 fax: 202-225-1589 http://www.house.gov/ackerman/pages/contact.html District Office: 218-14 Northern Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361-3580 Voice: 718-423-2154 FAX: 718-423-5053 Representative Anthony Weiner (D - 09) Phone: 202-225-6616 fax: 202-226-7253 Email: I'd think a cable company can choose whether or not to authorize a box. If they don't allow outside boxes, then you're forced to pay them for one. Plain and simple. Dave |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
David Moran wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants $10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: To representative? I am a Time Warner Cable subscriber. I want to add cable service for a new television that I just purchased. Time Warner Cable wants me to pay $10 per month for another box. I just bought the same box that Time Warner uses for $30. Time Warner refuses to recognize this box even though it is in perfect condition. I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. An Angry Citizen I sent it to: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton New York City 780 Third Ave, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 688-6262 Fax: (212) 688-7444 Senator Charles E. "Chuck" Schumer New York City 757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-486-4430 Fax: 212-486-7693 Representative Gary L. Ackerman (D - 05) Phone: 202-225-2601 fax: 202-225-1589 http://www.house.gov/ackerman/pages/contact.html District Office: 218-14 Northern Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361-3580 Voice: 718-423-2154 FAX: 718-423-5053 Representative Anthony Weiner (D - 09) Phone: 202-225-6616 fax: 202-226-7253 Email: I'd think a cable company can choose whether or not to authorize a box. If they don't allow outside boxes, then you're forced to pay them for one. Plain and simple. Dave And I think there should be a law that protect citizens from a monopoly - I cannot choose other service. Zalek |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Zalek Bloom" wrote in message
... . Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. A law has been passed by the FCC. It's called CableCard. Buy a TV or other TV reception device that has a CableCard slot and the cable company is required to rent you a card to provide authorization of scrambled signals. In regards to the box you bought "on the street", do you even know if it is compatible? Just because the outside is the same doesn't mean some internal parts are different. Like the authorization daughter board may be registered to a different cable box. I know at work (I'm in the IT field) I can't authorize an RSA token on my system where the license number belongs to someone else. Your campaign will go nowhere if you don't do some research first. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:13:44 GMT, Zalek Bloom
wrote: I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. If you have a balcony or a porch where you can set up a satellite dish, there is a law that says you can do so (providing it's less than 39 inches in diameter IIRC). |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Dave Clary wrote:
On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:13:44 GMT, Zalek Bloom wrote: I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. If you have a balcony or a porch where you can set up a satellite dish, there is a law that says you can do so (providing it's less than 39 inches in diameter IIRC). Yup, and it also covers OTA antennas as well. The Winegard SquareShooter is a good candidate. Read the FCC rules here. http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html GG |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"zalek" shaped the electrons to say:
And I think there should be a law that protect citizens from a monopoly - I cannot choose other service. They have the right not to authorize some random box on their network. A box that could be hacked in any one of any ways to allow access to content, disable copy protection, etc. And if you only paid $30 for the box - it was hot. They cost a lot more than that new, wholesale. -MZ -- URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me. "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171 URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Zalek Bloom" wrote in message
I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants $10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: snip Comcast only charges $5.10 a month for an extra box and remote. -- Travis in Shoreline Washington |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
zalek wrote:
David Moran wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message . .. I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants $10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: To representative? I am a Time Warner Cable subscriber. I want to add cable service for a new television that I just purchased. Time Warner Cable wants me to pay $10 per month for another box. I just bought the same box that Time Warner uses for $30. Time Warner refuses to recognize this box even though it is in perfect condition. I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. An Angry Citizen I sent it to: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton New York City 780 Third Ave, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 688-6262 Fax: (212) 688-7444 Senator Charles E. "Chuck" Schumer New York City 757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-486-4430 Fax: 212-486-7693 Representative Gary L. Ackerman (D - 05) Phone: 202-225-2601 fax: 202-225-1589 http://www.house.gov/ackerman/pages/contact.html District Office: 218-14 Northern Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361-3580 Voice: 718-423-2154 FAX: 718-423-5053 Representative Anthony Weiner (D - 09) Phone: 202-225-6616 fax: 202-226-7253 Email: I'd think a cable company can choose whether or not to authorize a box. If they don't allow outside boxes, then you're forced to pay them for one. Plain and simple. Dave And I think there should be a law that protect citizens from a monopoly - I cannot choose other service. Zalek I think your building is in violation of FCC rules, which allow a satellite dish so long as it is mounted within the rules. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
MegaZone wrote: "zalek" shaped the electrons to say: And I think there should be a law that protect citizens from a monopoly - I cannot choose other service. They have the right not to authorize some random box on their network. A box that could be hacked in any one of any ways to allow access to content, disable copy protection, etc. And if you only paid $30 for the box - it was hot. They cost a lot more than that new, wholesale. -MZ -- URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me. "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171 URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris After rethinking - I think you are right. We have the best government money can buy. Companies have the right to milk American citizens as long as they help our politicians. Citizens have no right to buy used cheaper equipment - it hurts company's profit. Please - do not write letter to your representatives - it is our patriotic duty as Americans to be milked by corporations Zalek |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Seth wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... . Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. A law has been passed by the FCC. It's called CableCard. Buy a TV or other TV reception device that has a CableCard slot and the cable company is required to rent you a card to provide authorization of scrambled signals. In regards to the box you bought "on the street", do you even know if it is compatible? Just because the outside is the same doesn't mean some internal parts are different. Like the authorization daughter board may be registered to a different cable box. I know at work (I'm in the IT field) I can't authorize an RSA token on my system where the license number belongs to someone else. Your campaign will go nowhere if you don't do some research first. Seth, Thanks for your answer - I will try to find this law and to see if it apply to my case. The box IS COMAPTABLE - I bought it from a person that was using the same cable company in the same city as me - Time Warner in NYC. I have exectly the same box for my TV - Scientific Atlanta - Explorer 2100. Cable company recognized this box - the box was displaying a message to call operator because the service was cancelled - other box worked OK. Thanks again, Zalek |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Sam Spade wrote: zalek wrote: David Moran wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message . .. I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants $10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: To representative? I am a Time Warner Cable subscriber. I want to add cable service for a new television that I just purchased. Time Warner Cable wants me to pay $10 per month for another box. I just bought the same box that Time Warner uses for $30. Time Warner refuses to recognize this box even though it is in perfect condition. I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. An Angry Citizen I sent it to: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton New York City 780 Third Ave, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 688-6262 Fax: (212) 688-7444 Senator Charles E. "Chuck" Schumer New York City 757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-486-4430 Fax: 212-486-7693 Representative Gary L. Ackerman (D - 05) Phone: 202-225-2601 fax: 202-225-1589 http://www.house.gov/ackerman/pages/contact.html District Office: 218-14 Northern Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361-3580 Voice: 718-423-2154 FAX: 718-423-5053 Representative Anthony Weiner (D - 09) Phone: 202-225-6616 fax: 202-226-7253 Email: I'd think a cable company can choose whether or not to authorize a box. If they don't allow outside boxes, then you're forced to pay them for one. Plain and simple. Dave And I think there should be a law that protect citizens from a monopoly - I cannot choose other service. Zalek I think your building is in violation of FCC rules, which allow a satellite dish so long as it is mounted within the rules. Unfortunately - it is not. I checked the law - the law specifies that coops have right not to allow installation dishes on common property like roof. I will try to organize tenant rebellion - even majority of apartments are rental. Zalek |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
G-squared wrote: Dave Clary wrote: On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:13:44 GMT, Zalek Bloom wrote: I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. If you have a balcony or a porch where you can set up a satellite dish, there is a law that says you can do so (providing it's less than 39 inches in diameter IIRC). Yup, and it also covers OTA antennas as well. The Winegard SquareShooter is a good candidate. Read the FCC rules here. http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html GG I am not a lawyer, but it says: "The rule does not apply to common areas that are owned by a landlord, a community association, or jointly by condominium or cooperative owners where the antenna user does not have an exclusive use area. Such common areas may include the roof or exterior wall of a multiple dwelling unit. Therefore, restrictions on antennas installed in or on such common areas are enforceable". And I don't have balcony :-----------------((( Zalek |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Travis M. wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants $10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: snip Comcast only charges $5.10 a month for an extra box and remote. -- Travis in Shoreline Washington No rescue for me - I checked comcast site - after entering my info I got: "We are unable to find a match in our system for the address and/or ZIP Code you entered. Go to www.thisiscable.com or call 866-49Cable to reach the cable company serving your area!" I called the number and was told that Time Warner can supply me cable services :-----------------------((( Zalek |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
zalek wrote:
Seth wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... . Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. A law has been passed by the FCC. It's called CableCard. Buy a TV or other TV reception device that has a CableCard slot and the cable company is required to rent you a card to provide authorization of scrambled signals. In regards to the box you bought "on the street", do you even know if it is compatible? Just because the outside is the same doesn't mean some internal parts are different. Like the authorization daughter board may be registered to a different cable box. I know at work (I'm in the IT field) I can't authorize an RSA token on my system where the license number belongs to someone else. Your campaign will go nowhere if you don't do some research first. Seth, Thanks for your answer - I will try to find this law and to see if it apply to my case. The box IS COMAPTABLE - I bought it from a person that was using the same cable company in the same city as me - Time Warner in NYC. I have exectly the same box for my TV - Scientific Atlanta - Explorer 2100. Cable company recognized this box - the box was displaying a message to call operator because the service was cancelled - other box worked OK. Thanks again, Zalek This give a little bit clearer picture of what's happening. Sounds like the person you bought it from was a TW customer who was renting this box, but canceled his service, correct? Then he sold the box to you, correct? Well, what he did is sold you something that didn't belong to him. His service was canceled. The box is the property of TW. Maybe THAT is why they refuse to activate it for you. It isn't yours! If that is the case, and you leave the sucker plugged in, you'll be lucky if they don't hunt it down on the network, find out the serial # is for one that never got returned and you get a knock on your door from one of NY's finest (in about 3 months or so based on my experience with response times) asking you to accompany them to the precinct house. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Ed wrote: zalek wrote: Seth wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... . Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. A law has been passed by the FCC. It's called CableCard. Buy a TV or other TV reception device that has a CableCard slot and the cable company is required to rent you a card to provide authorization of scrambled signals. In regards to the box you bought "on the street", do you even know if it is compatible? Just because the outside is the same doesn't mean some internal parts are different. Like the authorization daughter board may be registered to a different cable box. I know at work (I'm in the IT field) I can't authorize an RSA token on my system where the license number belongs to someone else. Your campaign will go nowhere if you don't do some research first. Seth, Thanks for your answer - I will try to find this law and to see if it apply to my case. The box IS COMAPTABLE - I bought it from a person that was using the same cable company in the same city as me - Time Warner in NYC. I have exectly the same box for my TV - Scientific Atlanta - Explorer 2100. Cable company recognized this box - the box was displaying a message to call operator because the service was cancelled - other box worked OK. Thanks again, Zalek This give a little bit clearer picture of what's happening. Sounds like the person you bought it from was a TW customer who was renting this box, but canceled his service, correct? Then he sold the box to you, correct? Well, what he did is sold you something that didn't belong to him. His service was canceled. The box is the property of TW. Maybe THAT is why they refuse to activate it for you. It isn't yours! If that is the case, and you leave the sucker plugged in, you'll be lucky if they don't hunt it down on the network, find out the serial # is for one that never got returned and you get a knock on your door from one of NY's finest (in about 3 months or so based on my experience with response times) asking you to accompany them to the precinct house. I don't think this is the case - TW HAVE MY INFO and HAVE BOX NUMBER. If the box is stolen - TW can inform NY Fattest. I LEGALY purchased this box on ebay. This can be other case - someone cancelled service, keept the box and paid penalty for not returning the box. After paying penalty - he sold the box. Zalek |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants $10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: To representative? I am a Time Warner Cable subscriber. I want to add cable service for a new television that I just purchased. Time Warner Cable wants me to pay $10 per month for another box. I just bought the same box that Time Warner uses for $30. Time Warner refuses to recognize this box even though it is in perfect condition. I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. An Angry Citizen I sent it to: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton New York City 780 Third Ave, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 688-6262 Fax: (212) 688-7444 Senator Charles E. "Chuck" Schumer New York City 757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-486-4430 Fax: 212-486-7693 Representative Gary L. Ackerman (D - 05) Phone: 202-225-2601 fax: 202-225-1589 http://www.house.gov/ackerman/pages/contact.html District Office: 218-14 Northern Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361-3580 Voice: 718-423-2154 FAX: 718-423-5053 Representative Anthony Weiner (D - 09) Phone: 202-225-6616 fax: 202-226-7253 Email: You might try the following contacts for any issues or concerns you have: Federal Communications Commission Cable Services Bureau Office of Government and Public Outreach, Room 250 2033 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20554 1-202-418-0200 Customer Service Representative New York State Public Service Commission 3 Empire State Plaza Albany, New York 12223-1350 1-800-342-3330 |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"zalek" wrote in message ps.com... Ed wrote: zalek wrote: Seth wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... . Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. A law has been passed by the FCC. It's called CableCard. Buy a TV or other TV reception device that has a CableCard slot and the cable company is required to rent you a card to provide authorization of scrambled signals. In regards to the box you bought "on the street", do you even know if it is compatible? Just because the outside is the same doesn't mean some internal parts are different. Like the authorization daughter board may be registered to a different cable box. I know at work (I'm in the IT field) I can't authorize an RSA token on my system where the license number belongs to someone else. Your campaign will go nowhere if you don't do some research first. Seth, Thanks for your answer - I will try to find this law and to see if it apply to my case. The box IS COMAPTABLE - I bought it from a person that was using the same cable company in the same city as me - Time Warner in NYC. I have exectly the same box for my TV - Scientific Atlanta - Explorer 2100. Cable company recognized this box - the box was displaying a message to call operator because the service was cancelled - other box worked OK. Thanks again, Zalek This give a little bit clearer picture of what's happening. Sounds like the person you bought it from was a TW customer who was renting this box, but canceled his service, correct? Then he sold the box to you, correct? Well, what he did is sold you something that didn't belong to him. His service was canceled. The box is the property of TW. Maybe THAT is why they refuse to activate it for you. It isn't yours! If that is the case, and you leave the sucker plugged in, you'll be lucky if they don't hunt it down on the network, find out the serial # is for one that never got returned and you get a knock on your door from one of NY's finest (in about 3 months or so based on my experience with response times) asking you to accompany them to the precinct house. I don't think this is the case - TW HAVE MY INFO and HAVE BOX NUMBER. If the box is stolen - TW can inform NY Fattest. I LEGALY purchased this box on ebay. This can be other case - someone cancelled service, keept the box and paid penalty for not returning the box. After paying penalty - he sold the box. Zalek So what? It still belongs to the cable company. You got took when you bought the box. Dave |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
TW does not sell boxes.
TW does not authorize non-leased boxes or cable cards. If TW authorized non-leased boxes that are used or stolen leased boxes or boxes that were taken from TW and not returned it would create a huge market for stolen TW owned boxes. The FCC has passed a confussing regulation that requires the cable companies to get out of the business of leasing boxes. There is a huge fight going on between the electronics industry and the cable industry over this issue. Just look how long it is taking to get two way cable cards out into the field. The cable industry is working on a pure software solution to copyright control such that your purchased box or recorder or digital TV will contain the cable tuner and the cable company will control access through software. This is not a mature solution. In my opinion the FCC should have forced a solution to this issue at the same time it authorized digital TV. In Japan both digital cable and satalite TV are fully integrated into their sets, the US is much more into letting market forces control these decisions. I own a Motorola receiver with a digital TV tuner built in that TW will not authorize for use on its system. I feel your fustration. I guess this is why I was able to pick up this receiver with an 80% discount. Richard. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Unfortunately - it is not. I checked the law - the law specifies that coops have right not to allow installation dishes on common property like roof. I will try to organize tenant rebellion - even majority of apartments are rental. Zalek You don't have a balcony or a window that faces in the right direction? |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Sam Spade wrote in :
Unfortunately - it is not. I checked the law - the law specifies that coops have right not to allow installation dishes on common property like roof. I will try to organize tenant rebellion - even majority of apartments are rental. Zalek You don't have a balcony or a window that faces in the right direction? we USUALLY ALLOW THEM TO BE PUT UP ON VENT PIPES |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"zalek" wrote in message
ups.com... Seth wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... . Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. A law has been passed by the FCC. It's called CableCard. Buy a TV or other TV reception device that has a CableCard slot and the cable company is required to rent you a card to provide authorization of scrambled signals. In regards to the box you bought "on the street", do you even know if it is compatible? Just because the outside is the same doesn't mean some internal parts are different. Like the authorization daughter board may be registered to a different cable box. I know at work (I'm in the IT field) I can't authorize an RSA token on my system where the license number belongs to someone else. Your campaign will go nowhere if you don't do some research first. Seth, Thanks for your answer - I will try to find this law and to see if it apply to my case. The box IS COMAPTABLE - I bought it from a person that was using the same cable company in the same city as me - Time Warner in NYC. I have exectly the same box for my TV - Scientific Atlanta - Explorer 2100. A) They didn't have it working as an authorized box (maybe cause it's a bootleg box). The cable company has no obligation to authorize a bootleg box. B) It's stolen. If it was a legitimate box it wasn't theirs to sell as they were only renting it. The cable company has no obligation to support stolen equipment. Cable company recognized this box - the box was displaying a message to call operator because the service was cancelled - other box worked OK. Call operator is most likely very generic to the entire series. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"zalek" wrote in message
ps.com... I don't think this is the case - TW HAVE MY INFO and HAVE BOX NUMBER. If the box is stolen - TW can inform NY Fattest. I LEGALY purchased this box on ebay. You can't legally buy something that can't be legally sold. This can be other case - someone cancelled service, keept the box and paid penalty for not returning the box. After paying penalty - he sold the box. Just because they paid the no turn-in fee doesn't make it theirs to sell. The proper thing to do under that scenario is to return the box and get the deposit back. That is the only /legitimate/ way to recoup one's expenses in that scenario. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"zalek" wrote in message
oups.com... MegaZone wrote: "zalek" shaped the electrons to say: And I think there should be a law that protect citizens from a monopoly - I cannot choose other service. They have the right not to authorize some random box on their network. A box that could be hacked in any one of any ways to allow access to content, disable copy protection, etc. And if you only paid $30 for the box - it was hot. They cost a lot more than that new, wholesale. -MZ -- URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me. "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171 URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris After rethinking - I think you are right. We have the best government money can buy. Companies have the right to milk American citizens as long as they help our politicians. Citizens have no right to buy used cheaper equipment - it hurts company's profit. Please - do not write letter to your representatives - it is our patriotic duty as Americans to be milked by corporations Dude, TV is a luxury, not a right. If you live in NYC you can get all the TV you need with tin foil rabbit ears. You can't get milked on a luxury item. It's totally optional. Next you'll bitch about how Mercedes gets so many times the price of a Hyundai and write your congresspeople to fix that as well. You want a (non essential) service someone offers, you pay their price, period. If I want to charge $500 to mow people's lawns, so be it. I may not get much business cause cheaper alternatives exist, but that's my business. You don't like TW, then use rabbit ears or move to some place that has someone other than TW as a cable company or has an appropriate place to put a dish. People whine and whine and whine that the government doesn't do enough to protect them, but god forbid the government ever told you how to run your business you would be crying bloody murder. When the only place within 5 miles of you to carry milk starts charging $10 a gallon, then you have something to whine about. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Jukka Aho" shaped the electrons to say:
2) You carry the device home and plug it to the cable outlet - and bingo, you'll already see the "must carry" channels. 3) If you want to see more channels, you'll contact your cable operator, get a smartcard, and stick it into the card reader slot on the front panel of your set-top box - and hey presto, you'll see whatever channels or channel packages you have ordered and paid for. That's how it works here in the US too in most areas. Analog cable is a standard, any device with a 'Cable Ready' tuner can connect and tune analog channels. Most TVs, VCRs, DVRs, etc, sold for the past couple of decades are Cable Ready. For digital cable until a couple of years ago you were stuck with the cable company's STB. But now we have CableCARD. There are CableCARD TVs, CableCARD DVRs (like the TiVo Series3), and generic CableCARD STBs. These are labeled as Digital Cable Ready. Digital cable is QAM modulated in the US. Some digital cable channels can be sent as 'clear QAM', no encryption. Any QAM tuner can tune those - any DCR device has a QAM tuner, and there are other devices with QAM (but no CableCARD), including PCI tuner cards. You only need CableCARD for encrypted digital channels. A CableCARD is a decryption token, pretty much the same form factor as a PCMCIA drive. I have a TiVo Series3 dual-tuner DVR using CableCARD for digital cable. -MZ -- URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me. "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171 URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Zalek Bloom wrote:
I am a Time Warner Cable subscriber. I want to add cable service for a new television that I just purchased. Time Warner Cable wants me to pay $10 per month for another box. I just bought the same box that Time Warner uses for $30. Time Warner refuses to recognize this box even though it is in perfect condition. I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. I don't know if laws has been passed to that effect here but the change you're proposing is basically how it works in Finland today. 1) You buy a DVB-C [1] set-top box from any place that sells consumer electronics. (You can freely choose the make and model: there are those with only a single tuner, those with a single tuner and an HDD for PVR functionality, those with two tuners and an HDD, those with two tuners, an HDD, and a USB connector for transferring your recordings to a PC, and even those with an Ethernet connector for the same purpose. DVB-C tuners are also available in the form of PCI cards and USB devices, for your computer, if you'd like to watch [and record] cable tv that way or build a VDR box with Linux, or something.) 2) You carry the device home and plug it to the cable outlet - and bingo, you'll already see the "must carry" channels. 3) If you want to see more channels, you'll contact your cable operator, get a smartcard, and stick it into the card reader slot on the front panel of your set-top box - and hey presto, you'll see whatever channels or channel packages you have ordered and paid for. There are some tv sets with integrated DVB-C tuners (and card readers, or options for them) as well, but the selection isn't too good yet. _____ [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-C -- znark |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
zalek wrote:
Ed wrote: zalek wrote: Seth wrote: "Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... . Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. A law has been passed by the FCC. It's called CableCard. Buy a TV or other TV reception device that has a CableCard slot and the cable company is required to rent you a card to provide authorization of scrambled signals. In regards to the box you bought "on the street", do you even know if it is compatible? Just because the outside is the same doesn't mean some internal parts are different. Like the authorization daughter board may be registered to a different cable box. I know at work (I'm in the IT field) I can't authorize an RSA token on my system where the license number belongs to someone else. Your campaign will go nowhere if you don't do some research first. Seth, Thanks for your answer - I will try to find this law and to see if it apply to my case. The box IS COMAPTABLE - I bought it from a person that was using the same cable company in the same city as me - Time Warner in NYC. I have exectly the same box for my TV - Scientific Atlanta - Explorer 2100. Cable company recognized this box - the box was displaying a message to call operator because the service was cancelled - other box worked OK. Thanks again, Zalek This give a little bit clearer picture of what's happening. Sounds like the person you bought it from was a TW customer who was renting this box, but canceled his service, correct? Then he sold the box to you, correct? Well, what he did is sold you something that didn't belong to him. His service was canceled. The box is the property of TW. Maybe THAT is why they refuse to activate it for you. It isn't yours! If that is the case, and you leave the sucker plugged in, you'll be lucky if they don't hunt it down on the network, find out the serial # is for one that never got returned and you get a knock on your door from one of NY's finest (in about 3 months or so based on my experience with response times) asking you to accompany them to the precinct house. I don't think this is the case - TW HAVE MY INFO and HAVE BOX NUMBER. If the box is stolen - TW can inform NY Fattest. I LEGALY purchased this box on ebay. This can be other case - someone cancelled service, keept the box and paid penalty for not returning the box. After paying penalty - he sold the box. Zalek Just because you bought it on ebay, doesn't make it legal or legit. So far as I know, Time Warner does not sell them, therefore the seller did so without the permission of the owner (Time Warner). That's called theft. Whether you were aware of the legal state of the box or not, you may be guilty of receiving stolen property. I'd be trying to get my money back by filing whatever formal complaint you need to file with ebay if you can't get the seller to give you a refund. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Seth" wrote in message ... "zalek" wrote in message oups.com... MegaZone wrote: "zalek" shaped the electrons to say: And I think there should be a law that protect citizens from a monopoly - I cannot choose other service. They have the right not to authorize some random box on their network. A box that could be hacked in any one of any ways to allow access to content, disable copy protection, etc. And if you only paid $30 for the box - it was hot. They cost a lot more than that new, wholesale. -MZ -- URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me. "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171 URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris After rethinking - I think you are right. We have the best government money can buy. Companies have the right to milk American citizens as long as they help our politicians. Citizens have no right to buy used cheaper equipment - it hurts company's profit. Please - do not write letter to your representatives - it is our patriotic duty as Americans to be milked by corporations Dude, TV is a luxury, not a right. If you live in NYC you can get all the TV you need with tin foil rabbit ears. You can't get milked on a luxury item. It's totally optional. Next you'll bitch about how Mercedes gets so many times the price of a Hyundai and write your congresspeople to fix that as well. You want a (non essential) service someone offers, you pay their price, period. If I want to charge $500 to mow people's lawns, so be it. I may not get much business cause cheaper alternatives exist, but that's my business. You don't like TW, then use rabbit ears or move to some place that has someone other than TW as a cable company or has an appropriate place to put a dish. People whine and whine and whine that the government doesn't do enough to protect them, but god forbid the government ever told you how to run your business you would be crying bloody murder. When the only place within 5 miles of you to carry milk starts charging $10 a gallon, then you have something to whine about. You know it's almost impossible to get a signal with rabbit ears in NYC. One would almost think it's a conspiracy. In New York City, almost all buildings do not allow dishes for liability reasons (they might fall off). It's a result of this that cable could almost charge what they want. Where I live in NYC we had Direct TV. Out of no where, a lawsuit was filed by the FDNY stating it was a hazard and we had to switch to cable. Someone must've paid one helluva campaign donation. All city owned/serviced buildings cannot have a satellite dish on them. Most private buildings are usually fined by Sanitation and Fire, and they have returned to cable. Not good for the consumer. Gus |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Gus" wrote in message
... You know it's almost impossible to get a signal with rabbit ears in NYC. One would almost think it's a conspiracy. In New York City, almost all buildings do not allow dishes for liability reasons (they might fall off). It's a result of this that cable could almost charge what they want. Where I live in NYC we had Direct TV. Out of no where, a lawsuit was filed by the FDNY stating it was a hazard and we had to switch to cable. Someone must've paid one helluva campaign donation. All city owned/serviced buildings cannot have a satellite dish on them. Most private buildings are usually fined by Sanitation and Fire, and they have returned to cable. Not good for the consumer. That's a case where you may want a lawyer to review the FCC rulings and possibly pursue. The FCC says under certain conditions you can't be prohibited from having a satellite dish. And when did rabbit ears stop working in NYC? I sued to live there (65th and 3rd) and they worked fine. Post 9/11 I thought most of the transmitters were relocated to the Empire State Building (although I know a couple were moved to Alpine, NJ but with the intention of moving them to the Empire State Building once some upgrades were completed). |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
David Moran wrote:
"Zalek Bloom" wrote in message ... I wanted to add new cable box for my cable TV - Time Warner wants $10/month for a box. I bought a cable box on the street the same one I have - for $30. After connecting to a cable it says "call operator" - so I called. They told me that they will not support this box - I have to buy a box from them for a price of $10/month. The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck. Here is the fax I am sending to my representative - if you are stuck with cable as me, please to the same: To representative? I am a Time Warner Cable subscriber. I want to add cable service for a new television that I just purchased. Time Warner Cable wants me to pay $10 per month for another box. I just bought the same box that Time Warner uses for $30. Time Warner refuses to recognize this box even though it is in perfect condition. I live in New York City and there is no competition for Time Warner. I live in a building where management does not allow us to have a Satelite Dish. Please pass a law that allows consumers to purchase equipment from someone other than a company that has a monopoly on a service. I plan to start a campaign on the internet about this problem and I will publish your response - or lack of - on the internet. An Angry Citizen I sent it to: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton New York City 780 Third Ave, Suite 2601 New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 688-6262 Fax: (212) 688-7444 Senator Charles E. "Chuck" Schumer New York City 757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-486-4430 Fax: 212-486-7693 Representative Gary L. Ackerman (D - 05) Phone: 202-225-2601 fax: 202-225-1589 http://www.house.gov/ackerman/pages/contact.html District Office: 218-14 Northern Boulevard Bayside, NY 11361-3580 Voice: 718-423-2154 FAX: 718-423-5053 Representative Anthony Weiner (D - 09) Phone: 202-225-6616 fax: 202-226-7253 Email: I'd think a cable company can choose whether or not to authorize a box. If they don't allow outside boxes, then you're forced to pay them for one. Plain and simple. Dave I got Comcast in CA to authorize the cable box in my old Motorola commercially available DCP501 home theater box. It took about three weeks, but I finally found someone at the local facility that would enter the box number into their received database as so they could address and authorize it. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
MegaZone wrote: "Jukka Aho" shaped the electrons to say: 2) You carry the device home and plug it to the cable outlet - and bingo, you'll already see the "must carry" channels. 3) If you want to see more channels, you'll contact your cable operator, get a smartcard, and stick it into the card reader slot on the front panel of your set-top box - and hey presto, you'll see whatever channels or channel packages you have ordered and paid for. That's how it works here in the US too in most areas. Analog cable is a standard, any device with a 'Cable Ready' tuner can connect and tune analog channels. Most TVs, VCRs, DVRs, etc, sold for the past couple of decades are Cable Ready. For digital cable until a couple of years ago you were stuck with the cable company's STB. But now we have CableCARD. There are CableCARD TVs, CableCARD DVRs (like the TiVo Series3), and generic CableCARD STBs. These are labeled as Digital Cable Ready. Digital cable is QAM modulated in the US. Some digital cable channels can be sent as 'clear QAM', no encryption. Any QAM tuner can tune those - any DCR device has a QAM tuner, and there are other devices with QAM (but no CableCARD), including PCI tuner cards. You only need CableCARD for encrypted digital channels. A CableCARD is a decryption token, pretty much the same form factor as a PCMCIA drive. I have a TiVo Series3 dual-tuner DVR using CableCARD for digital cable. -MZ MegaZone, Does it means you don't need a cable box if you TiVo Series3 dual-tuner DVR? Thanks, Zalek -- URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me. "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171 URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"zalek" wrote in message
oups.com... Does it means you don't need a cable box if you TiVo Series3 dual-tuner DVR? You still need to rent a CableCARD (or 2) from the cable company. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Zalek Bloom" wrote in message The building I am living does not allow satellite dishes - so I am stuck Federal law prohibits building owners or homeowner associations from preventing you from mounting a sat dish where no structural damage will occur. Check the FCC website for help. All you have to do is send them the name of the offending party, their lawyers do the rest. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
Federal law prohibits building owners or homeowner associations from
preventing you from mounting a sat dish where no structural damage will occur. Not strictly true... or, at least, that's not the whole story. You have the right to install a cable dish in an area which is exclusively for your own use... indoors (looking out a window), or on a balcony or porch or in an exterior private yard. You do not necessarily have the right to install the dish in a location which projects into any "shared use" area. Such shared-use areas usually include the roof, the exterior walls, and any area outside the physical boundaries of the building which are not reserved for one specific tenant (e.g. common walkways). A landlord may require a tenant to take reasonable precautions to ensure that the system is safely installed - i.e. it has to be up-to-code electrically and be securely mounted. Check the FCC website for help. All you have to do is send them the name of the offending party, their lawyers do the rest. Good advice! http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/consumerdish.html is probably the place to start reading. -- Dave Platt AE6EO Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads! |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"zalek" shaped the electrons to say:
Does it means you don't need a cable box if you TiVo Series3 dual-tuner DVR? Exactly. -MZ -- URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me. "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171 URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"Seth" shaped the electrons to say:
You still need to rent a CableCARD (or 2) from the cable company. Only if you want encrypted channels - it works as is for analog cable and clear QAM channels. Of course, more people want access to encrypted channels and will rent a couple of CableCARDs. But CableCARDs are cheaper to rent than a box. -MZ -- URL:mailto:megazoneatmegazone.org Gweep, Discordian, Author, Engineer, me. "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men" 508-852-2171 URL:http://www.megazone.org/ URL:http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ Eris |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
"MegaZone" wrote in message
... "Seth" shaped the electrons to say: You still need to rent a CableCARD (or 2) from the cable company. Only if you want encrypted channels - it works as is for analog cable and clear QAM channels. Of course, more people want access to encrypted channels and will rent a couple of CableCARDs. But CableCARDs are cheaper to rent than a box. Yes, but considering his misconception that a box from eBay would get him the channels he wanted, I wanted to make sure the same mistake wasn't made 2x. That buying some device won't get him around the need to rent something should he want encrypted channels. |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
zalek wrote:
GG I am not a lawyer, but it says: "The rule does not apply to common areas that are owned by a landlord, a community association, or jointly by condominium or cooperative owners where the antenna user does not have an exclusive use area. Such common areas may include the roof or exterior wall of a multiple dwelling unit. Therefore, restrictions on antennas installed in or on such common areas are enforceable". And I don't have balcony :-----------------((( Zalek Do you have a window that faces in the right direction? |
I got kidnapped by Time Warner :-----(((
MegaZone wrote:
[In Finland: Buy any cable box from any consumer electronics retailer, watch "must carry" channels (and possible other freebies), get a smartcard from the cable operator for accessing the rest.] That's how it works here in the US too in most areas. Analog cable is a standard, any device with a 'Cable Ready' tuner can connect and tune analog channels. Most TVs, VCRs, DVRs, etc, sold for the past couple of decades are Cable Ready. Sounds similar to the analog cable system here. Back in the 80s some of the older tv sets couldn't tune all analog cable channels. (This was because some of the channels used on cable fell in-between the frequency bands used in terrestrial broadcasts, and the tuners in the older sets were only designed to handle terrestrial broadcasts.) However, the capability of tuning the cable channels soon became a standard in the newer sets. Meanwhile, some people used the built-in tuner of a VCR or an external STB as a workaround. For digital cable until a couple of years ago you were stuck with the cable company's STB. But now we have CableCARD. There are CableCARD TVs, CableCARD DVRs (like the TiVo Series3), and generic CableCARD STBs. These are labeled as Digital Cable Ready. Europe (Finland, too) has standardized on DVB-C as the digital cable platform. Finland, in particular, has additionally standardized on an encryption method called "Conax". All locally sold DVB-C set-top boxes appear to have Conax cardreader slots now. I'm not sure what direction digital cable is taking in European-wide perspective. It's clear that the same DVB-C technology is being applied for digital cable all over Europe, but the encryption standard may vary from one country to the other. It is also likely that some countries may still have cable operators with competing encryption standards and closed systems - even several such systems within one country. Fortunately, that's not the case in Finland: here all operators have already agreed on a single encryption standard and an open market for the cable STBs (or the built-in tuners in the sets) - apparently much the same way as the CableCARD / Digital Cable Ready system works in the US. (I'd expect there to be some EU-wide harmonization attempt for opening up the cable STB market in countries where it is still closed but I have no direct knowledge of any efforts like that.) Digital cable is QAM modulated in the US. Some digital cable channels can be sent as 'clear QAM', no encryption. Any QAM tuner can tune those - any DCR device has a QAM tuner, and there are other devices with QAM (but no CableCARD), including PCI tuner cards. DVB-C is also based on QAM modulation. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-C Actually, Wikipedia seems to claim that the QAM modulation, as used in the US digital cable system, would actually have been borrowed from the DVB-C standard. I'm not sure if I'm interpreting the text right, though, or if there's any truth to that claim. See the beginning of the "Technical Information" section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cable You only need CableCARD for encrypted digital channels. A CableCARD is a decryption token, pretty much the same form factor as a PCMCIA drive. The DVB platform has this concept of "CI" (or Common Interface) slots. The CI slots are identical to PCMCIA slots in their form factor and physical appearance but they're not electrically or logically compatible. If you have a CI slot on your STB or TV set - not all of them have these - you can plug in a CAM. CAMs (or Conditional Access Modules!) are things that look just like PCMCIA cards. See he http://www.in-shop.sk/images/CAMConax.jpg http://www.overclockers.se/images?id=64651311&type=web Their purpose in life is to decrypt encrypted digital broadcasts (legally.) There's a different type of CAM for each different type of encryption. (You could buy a Conax CAM, a Nagravision CAM, a ViaAccess CAM, etc., depending on what encryption method the local broadcasters use.) CAMs, in turn, have a tiny slot on them. This is essentially a built-in smart card reader, for inserting a smart card which allows access to the channels you have paid for. Here are a couple of pictures of a Conax CAM with a smart card beside it: http://www.pentacard.co.uk/catalog/images/m2conax.jpg http://www.centurysat.com/images/CAM-CONAX.jpg This kind of modular approach allows choosing the encryption standards your STB will support, and upgrading your system to the latest level of encryption the broadcaster might require. Satellite viewers - those with DVB-S set-top boxes - benefit from this system the most, as satellite broadcasters are a pretty diverse bunch, and have not been able to decide about a common encryption standard. Being able to upgrade the supported encryption system is surely better than having to buy a completely new box when things change! But the same modular system can also be used with DVB-C and DVB-T set-top boxes. You can plug CAMs into them, too, if they have CI slots. At least in theory. A more typical approach, however, appears to be that most DVB-C and DVB-T set-top boxes come with a built-in support for the encryption method that is favored by the local broadcasters, so you don't need to buy a separate CAM. (This is certainly the case with most DVB-C STBs sold in Finland: the manufacturer has customized them for the local market and included a built-in support for Conax, plus a mere smartcard reader. Some models might include a CI, too, but it's usually empty - an option for possible future needs.) * * * It should be noted that the underlying DVB platform - the logical MPEG-2 transport stream, and the data structures and the video and audio streams within - remains basically the same regardless of whether your STB or tv has a DVB-C (cable), DVB-T (terrestrial), or a DVB-S (satellite) tuner. Although it's not too common, there are even some tv sets and STBs - such as Dreambox DM7025 - that have their tuner modules on removable cards, making it possible to replace them with a different tuner. (In other words, you could turn your DVB-S sat box into a DVB-C cable STB, or a DVB-T terrestrial receiver, etc.): http://www.dream-multimedia-tv.de/english/products_dm7025.php http://www.dream-multimedia-tv.de/english/products_dm70 25_technical.php -- znark |
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