Xref: utzoo rec.arts.tv:41110 sci.electronics:21250
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!unlinfo.unl.edu!hoss!greg
From: greg@hoss.unl.edu (Life...)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Cable converters that don't disturb channel mapping
Message-ID: <1991Jun28.234336.12227@unlinfo.unl.edu>
Date: 28 Jun 91 23:43:36 GMT
References: <1991Jun22.225534.4713@hermesa.uucp> <1991Jun23.174621.15850@Think.COM>
Sender: news@unlinfo.unl.edu
Organization: GBBS/ACOS Sysop Support
Lines: 38
Nntp-Posting-Host: hoss.unl.edu

barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin) writes:
>mark@hermesa.uucp (Mark McWiggins) writes:

>>I subscribe to a couple of premium cable channels that require a descrambler.
>>The descrambler maps everything to channel 3.  If I had an "inline"
>>descrambler, it would generally be much handier for me; I could tape one
>>premium channel while watching another, etc.
>>
>>Does anyone offer this?  Is there some technical reason why it's not feasible?

I am told that the cable company in Omaha, NE has this.  Lincoln, NE says
they are working on it.  (They have also mentioned a 5 channel tuner, and
upgrading service for more than 36 channels, which are yet to be seen.)

>It would be more expensive.  Most converters only have only one tuner and
>descrambler circuit, so only one channel's signal can be descrambled at a
>time.  To permit simultaneous descrambling of all premium channels you'd
>need as many tuner/descrambler combinations as there are premium channels.

Ord, NE as far as I know has never had descrambler boxes in homes, yet
they have more than one premium channel now.  The population of the town
is less than 3000 people.  We've had TVs connected in 3 different places
in the house, 2 at a time, and no problems.

>Barry Margolin, Thinking Machines Corp.
>barmar@think.com
>{uunet,harvard}!think!barmar

Right now I am resorting to two AB switch boxes.  The first controls the
signal going to the VCR (box or cable), and the second controls the signal
going to the TV (VCR or cable).  That way I can record a scrambled channel
while watching something else.  I can even listen to them both!

--
///   ____   \\\ "The major problem--one of the major problems, for there are
| |/ /    \ \| |       several--one of the many major problems with governing
 \\_|\____/|_//            people is of whom you get to do it, or more to the
greg \_\\\/ hoss.unl.edu    point, who gets people to let them do it to them."