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From: seifert@hammer.UUCP (Snoopy)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Re:  Satellite Signal Scrambling
Message-ID: <1875@hammer.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Mar-86 10:20:53 EST
Article-I.D.: hammer.1875
Posted: Tue Mar 18 10:20:53 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Mar-86 04:43:03 EST
References: <8603141633.AA05684@seismo.CSS.GOV> <860314131814.6.DE@SHAPIERON.SCH.Symbolics.COM>
Reply-To: tekecs!doghouse.TEK!snoopy (Snoopy)
Organization: The Daisy Hill Puppy Farm
Lines: 22

In article <860314131814.6.DE@SHAPIERON.SCH.Symbolics.COM> DE@SCRC-STONY-BROOK.ARPA writes:

>No, no, no! - None of the above stuff will ever happen.  This is both
>simpler and more high-tech at the same time.  HBO doesn't require that
>you do anything at all other than pay your bill and give them some info
>on your box.  There is almost no difference between what HBO is doing
>and what your local cable company does with premium channels.
>
>The M/A Com boxes are all addressable, just like your cable boxes.  When
>you have paid HBO and given them you box serial number, they can then
>program their master computer to send a secret code to your own box (via
>their satellite link) and enable it.  If you don't pay your bill, they
>disable your box from their computer.

If this is in fact what they're doing, what's the big stink?  Just
modify the box to ignore HBO's enable/disable feature.

Snoopy
tektronix!tekecs!doghouse.TEK!snoopy

HBO's legal-eagles will please note that I do not own a satellite
dish, and have no plans to buy one.