Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!elf!wang!tegra!vail
From: vail@tegra.COM (Johnathan Vail)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: cable TV and better black boxes
Message-ID: <1544@atlas.tegra.COM>
Date: 4 Oct 90 14:28:34 GMT
References: <TIMS.90Oct3212314@infidel.infidel.lanl.gov>
Organization: Tegra-Varityper, Inc., Billerica, MA
Lines: 39
In-reply-to: tims@infidel.lanl.gov's message of 4 Oct 90 03:23:14 GMT

In article <TIMS.90Oct3212314@infidel.infidel.lanl.gov> tims@infidel.lanl.gov (Tim Sullivan) writes:

   Now my question is: Why can't someone make a box that will take all
   those channels coming in, descramble the ones you've subscribed to,
   and put them all out at once on a cable to your tuner so the tuner can
   do its thing?

1) It would be the equivelent of N cable boxes where N is the number
of channels.  By current standards, you need to descramble each
channel independantly.  Anyway, much too impractical and infeasible.

2) The cable co would lose revenue since you need only one of these
boxes and then could attach as many sets as you like.

3) the tvs and vcrs used would all have to be "cable" ready, an in a
consistant way.  there is no consistancy between cable ready things
now.


Cheaper Solution to Taping:

A programmable remote control.  It can be programmed to turn the vcr
on, set the cable channel of the box and start the vcr running.

Problems:

1) not compatible with all cable boxes.

2) you still have to pay the remote control rentals since they
typically block the access if you don't

jv

"The hippies won't come back, you, say
 Mellow out or you will pay" -- |). |<.
 _____
|     | Johnathan Vail | n1dxg@tegra.com
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