Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

Bear with me chaps, I'm trying to make a point.

The poster asking for the latest Starview image prompted me to start thinking about a situation that's annoyed me for a long time. What if you don't want to 'steal' cable (or satellite) but just want a better box?

For example, my friend in Germany has a twin-tuner satellite PVR. It runs linux. It has a network connection. He records his TV, drags it over the network to his pooter and reencodes it to DiVX and archives it out to DVD or keeps it on his 2TB of HDD space. And this is legal.

But in the UK, both Sky and Virgin have placed restrictions on the receiving equipment you can use with their services. Sky won't make a CAM available and VM state that you cannot connect any non-branded equipment to their network. I realise the argument that can be put forward for a closed network - you know all of the kit and exactly how it should react. However, the customer (and particularly the tech-savvy early adopter) loses out because there are no manufacturers competing to make the receiving equipment better. Can you imagine if the BBC mandated the use of specific equipment with their service?

Admittedly, I don't think CS in it's current state could handle it (they can't even seem to get a new V+ install working reliably it seems!) but if you think back to the old days of analogue Sky they seemed to manage with a multitude of different boxes.

I've been contemplating getting one of these all-singing cable boxes but using it with my legitimate card ('pretending' to be my second Samsung box in effect). However, I think I'm still too chicken and would hate to be cut off by VM.

Thoughts? Please keep it legal as well!

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

There's nothing stopping you from buying such a box and using it on Satellite. It's just Sky that won't let you access their service.

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

Not legal to tamper with the VM boxes at all as you are only renting them really.

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

But the OP isn't planning on tampering. He is considering replacing the box.

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

I think that part of the problem with Virgin is that if you buy a bad box, install it badly, or even with incorrect cable then your service may be fine, but the feedback and signal reflections caused within the cable would affect other people connected to the same cabinet as you.

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

The other issue is that every card is 'paired' with the Set top box it comes with so it will not work in another box or any other replacement box.

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

@Mick: I believe this works [Admin Edit(Mick):- Removed]

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

But now you talking about tampering with 'hardware' this is not keeping this discussion legal.

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

The box and card are paired so without Admin Edit: Derek S - No link but getting into dodgy ground here and the relevant hardware and a clue about what you're doing your just gona get smartcard invalid (1008).

Re: Legitimate question about 'dodgy' boxes
 

I'm afraid there is no 'legal' or legitimate way around this issue. To discuss this matter further, is discussing illegal means for which we do not allow here.

This thread is now closed due to the above reasons.