FTV Card Services NOT Issuing any more Series 2 Cards

"Chris Vowles" wrote...
On Thu, 3 Jul 2003 11:19:11 +0100, "Lawrence Rust"
wrote:



If you want a FTV card phone the Beeb now! (0870 243 8000 and be prepared
to
wait).


I have just phoned that number and they confirm they did send cards
out up to and on the 1st July but they were the last ones, they will
not send anymore.

I have just been told the following on the phone, I obviously can not
confirm if it is true

"ALL FTV CARDS (assume both Series 1 and Series 2) CURRENTLY RECEIVING
ITV1, CHANNEL 4 and FIVE WILL BE SWITCHED OFF ON JULY 10TH, TO CARRY
ON RECEIVING ITV1, CHANNEL 4 and FIVE YOU WILL NEED TO SUBSCRIBE TO
SKY"

This stinks, I have bought and installed four Sky boxes just for
reception of FTV channels, especially five.

Just to clarify I emailed ITV and they replied that service will continue
after the 10th July until cards are routinely expired sometime in the
futu


Thank you for your recent enquiry concerning ITV1 via digital satellite.

The BBC is due to broadcast unencrypted via digital satellite and as a
consequence will no longer provide viewing cards, which enable access to
ITV1.

As part of Sky's routine security updates, changes are made to encrypted
services. To overcome this, new cards would normally be distributed by the
BBC, but this option is now no longer available. Thus your card will
continue to function until updates are made to the transmissions.

We are currently looking into the issue that may arise from the above;
however at this stage as long as you still have a functioning card in your
receiver and/or access to terrestrial television, you will continue to
receive ITV1.

Kind regards,

ITV Duty Office

- Lawrence Rust

snip
Just to clarify I emailed ITV and they replied that service will continue
after the 10th July until cards are routinely expired sometime in the
futu


Thank you for your recent enquiry concerning ITV1 via digital satellite.

The BBC is due to broadcast unencrypted via digital satellite and as
a
consequence will no longer provide viewing cards, which enable access
to
ITV1.

As part of Sky's routine security updates, changes are made to
encrypted
services. To overcome this, new cards would normally be distributed by
the
BBC, but this option is now no longer available. Thus your card
will
continue to function until updates are made to the transmissions.

We are currently looking into the issue that may arise from the
above;
however at this stage as long as you still have a functioning card in
your
receiver and/or access to terrestrial television, you will continue
to
receive ITV1.

Kind regards,

ITV Duty Office

- Lawrence Rust

From that it does not imply that the service will continue after July 10th,
but that the v2 cards will continue after the 10th, as at a guess it seems
that sky will deactivate the v1 cards on that date. As it seems most of the
FTV cards are v1 it would apear that a significant number of the ftv viewers
are set to loose itv/c4/c5 very soon.

Jaime

Mark Carver wrote:

What is needed is for the ITC to step in and make
sure that this does not happen, because there is no need for it to (IMHO)

I don't think that the ITC are going to do anything about this.

Anyone who wishes to complain about these proposals should do so to
this address: as they (the DCMS) seem to
be the only people who have any power to do anything.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/4f9c
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://www.logofreetv.org.uk/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

Jomtien wrote:
Walt Davidson wrote:


Very few countries in Europe distribute their national TV programmes
free via satellite. Germany is the only significant one. France and
Italy still do it in analogue (for how much longer?), but the digital
versions are only available by subscription.


Holland provides an FTV card for a small fee (£10).


Yep, you can rely on the Dutch to have this sort of thing sorted. £10
seems like a god deal to me, assuming that it's a one-off payment.

Stephen Muir wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message
...

It's then a matter of discussion as to who should ay for FTV access
cards. Should it be the broadcaster who has public service obligations?


It is, and here's what their Lordships had to say on 3 June when discussing
the Communications Bill.
(http://www.parliament.the-stationery.../ldhansrd/pdvn
/lds03/text/30603-12.htm):

"Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Clause 270 requires Ofcom to include in the
licences for the must-provide services conditions which secure free
satellite reception of those services for people who cannot receive them by
other means. Nearly everyone will continue, after switchover, to be able to
receive their television services through their terrestrial aerial, but a
number of households will have to get their digital signals through a
satellite dish and a satellite receiver. Like everybody else, they will have
to get their digital equipment and pay their licence fee.
As the public service channels have to be encrypted on satellite, however,
those households might also need a smart card, software, or some other
system allowing them to decrypt the signals and watch the services. As the
noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, said, the current technology is a solus card,
but there could be other technologies in future. Those who cannot get their
digital public service channels by other means and who have the relevant
equipment-the box and the dish-will get the solus card or equivalent system
free of charge.

The cost will be shared by the public service broadcasters, including the
BBC, and in the event of a dispute Ofcom will determine what each of them
has to pay. Although it was not clear to me from what the noble Baroness
said, Amendment No. 195CF seems to require Ofcom to set the proportion of
the cost that each broadcaster will have to pay a priori, even before any
dispute has arisen. That is not how we see regulation. We should let
broadcasters discuss together and try to come to an agreement, and only if
they fail to do so should Ofcom intervene."



OK, so if I understand the text correctly, then ITV, C4 & C5 will have
to share the costs of providing Solus cards when BBC goes FTV. Why are
they back-tracking now, saying that it costs too much, given that they
must be aware of the issue - it's not as if it's been sprung on them, is
it? I suspect that until now, they were relying on the BBC to cover this
issue.

On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 11:12:51 +0100, Clem Dye wrote:

OK, so if I understand the text correctly, then ITV, C4 & C5 will have
to share the costs of providing Solus cards when BBC goes FTV.

What you're quoting there is the Lords' DISCUSSION about a bill, so
even if those points were accepted (which is far from a done deal),
none of this is currently the law.

Ant wrote:
On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 11:12:51 +0100, Clem Dye wrote:

OK, so if I understand the text correctly, then ITV, C4 & C5 will
have to share the costs of providing Solus cards when BBC goes FTV.

What you're quoting there is the Lords' DISCUSSION about a bill, so
even if those points were accepted (which is far from a done deal),
none of this is currently the law.

Basically someone is going to have to take over paying for the
issue of new Solus cards.

Either ITV, C4, and C5 are forced (by the Government) to do this.
(They obviously have no desire to volunteer to pay)

Or, the Government force Sky to enable a system whereby any viewer
can purchase a Solus card for a one-off payment (at a fair and reasonable
price, a figure of 10 Quid probably)

In the short term, Sky can help the situation with two easy actions:-

1: They maintain the V1 encryption keys on ITV-1, C4, C5. This will mean
that FTV and lapsed Sky cards issued before Feb 03 will carry on working

2: Promise that FTV access is not disabled on any V1 or V2 cards.

That would solve the problems for *existing* FTV viewers, until V3 cards
are issued.

I honestly don't believe (despite what C4 and C5's duty offices have said) that
either of the channels intend to suddenly be unavailable on FTV cards from July 10th.
If Sky do that, then that's a different matter.

On Fri, 4 Jul 2003 17:26:54 +0100, "Anthony Thomas"
wrote:

It might mean that we can get more free channels, for example eurosport
which was a free channel in the uk. I think we should at least be able to
receive the chanels that are broadcast on freeview FTA if they are on the
sky platform.

How on earth would removing Channel 4 and five from satellite give us
more free channels????????

"ALL FTV CARDS (assume both Series 1 and Series 2) CURRENTLY RECEIVING
ITV1, CHANNEL 4 and FIVE WILL BE SWITCHED OFF ON JULY 10TH, TO CARRY
ON RECEIVING ITV1, CHANNEL 4 and FIVE YOU WILL NEED TO SUBSCRIBE TO
SKY"

I think that this is most unlikely. However, if it did happen, the
resulting barrage of complaints would be most entertaining.

That is just what the announcement says if you call the BBC FTV card
orderline.


--
Clive

On Mon, 7 Jul 2003 22:25:43 +0100, Clive Carmock
wrote:

| "ALL FTV CARDS (assume both Series 1 and Series 2) CURRENTLY RECEIVING
| ITV1, CHANNEL 4 and FIVE WILL BE SWITCHED OFF ON JULY 10TH, TO CARRY
| ON RECEIVING ITV1, CHANNEL 4 and FIVE YOU WILL NEED TO SUBSCRIBE TO
| SKY"
|
| I think that this is most unlikely. However, if it did happen, the
| resulting barrage of complaints would be most entertaining.
|
| That is just what the announcement says if you call the BBC FTV card
| orderline.

But maybe the Beeb are playing a deeper game trying to get $ky to set up a
proper FTV/FTA system.

Dave Fawthrop Reading threads which are both
bottom and top posted is a pain in the *rs*. Posts should be trimmed
and bottom posted. http://www.usenet.org.uk/usenet-information.html
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt