| reply to hottboiinnc
Re: Basic tiers going away? said by hottboiinnc:Many cable companies had boxes back a long time ago. Analog HBO anyone? Many early cable systems offered analog channels and no box. Analog boxes were added later to compensate for past-generation TVs that had channel limitations. As TV tuners were expanded up to channel 125, the original need for analog boxes was eliminated.
In many systems, analog HBO and other premium channels then were delivered directly to cable-ready TVs. Line filters, or "traps," were used to limit access to authorized, paying customers. |
fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | You are partially correct. However, analog boxes were also addressable with security capabilities. MANY systems used them as a way to protect the security of the system and offer tiers.
MOST all systems that use the trap model send the signal in the clear (analog) which makes stealing easier. Trapping the signals only worked, mostly, on legal hookups. Remove the trap, get the channels. The analog box was put in place as cable companies scrambled the 2nd tier. The box was the enforcer and it worked well.
Having a good portion of my time as "cable cop" in my systems, I know this policy very well.
In the end, it primarily depended, traps, on if systems wanted to deal with rolling trucks to mess with passive traps, or use the active cable box which gave greater control of the system. |
