Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uflorida!mlb.semi.harris.com!thumper.mlb.semi.harris.com!jws From: jws@thumper.mlb.semi.harris.com (James W. Swonger) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: Re: cable TV and better black boxes Message-ID: <1990Oct4.133730.28246@mlb.semi.harris.com> Date: 4 Oct 90 13:37:30 GMT References: Sender: news@mlb.semi.harris.com Organization: Harris Semiconductor, Melbourne FL Lines: 14 Nntp-Posting-Host: thumper.mlb.semi.harris.com The problem is not hard per se. If anyone was suitably motivated, that sort of box could be developed. Instead of one output stage and a selector/ tuner, you would need a gang of outputs along with input and output traps and summers. What you would end up with is a box with about 5X the circuitry. (Assuming 5 pay channels. You also must be able to make assumptions about where the pay channels are located in the channel block or be able to select which ones to decode). Since most people watch only one channel at once, or at most watch one and tape another, most of the extra circuitry will be idle. I doubt that the difference in price would be justified - neither the cable company nor the majority of the customers would be willing to pay that much extra for the feature.