Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!sjsca4!news
From: grimesg@magic (George Grimes)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Cable TV problem - VCR doesn't work now
Summary: Scientific Atlanta box causes problem
Message-ID: <1989Sep19.221047.8394@sj.ate.slb.com>
Date: 19 Sep 89 22:10:47 GMT
Sender: George Grimes
Reply-To: grimesg@magic.UUCP (George Grimes)
Distribution: na
Organization: Schlumberger ATE, San Jose, CA
Lines: 25

I just moved to California from Texas and the cable company here forces me
to use a Scientific Atlanta box to receive HBO(ESPN, etc) [which renders the
remote control for the TV useless, but that's another problem].  Last night
I wanted to record a movie on HBO for later viewing.  All I got was sound and 
a black screen.  As long as I have the VCR on all I see on the TV or end up
with on the tape is a black screen.  If I connect straight to the VCR and 
bypass their #$%^&* box then everything works fine.  Does anybody have any 
idea what's going on?

George

P.S.  The channels that the box will descramble seems to be controled by a
prom.  Does anyone know anything about the prom and how it is programmed?

What?  Would I do what?  Good heavens no!  It's only idle curiousity...but I 
did find out that it will not work without the prom in the socket(I assume it 
is the prom since it was the only IC in a socket).


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DOMAIN: grimesg@sj.ate.slb.com           | George Grimes
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