Advice Needed Would a cable section be permissible here?

[RichardCoulter]

There are rumours/speculation that Digital Spy may be being cut back or even closing altogether.

In my experience, when forums (or any business) closes, it's often denied right up until a sudden closure with no notice at all.

Just in case this does happen, I have suggested to the long running Sky and Satellite Weekly News thread that we should agree on another forum where we can all migrate to and i've given the link for this site- hope that's OK.

They are good people and Analoguesat used to sometimes post in there prior to opening this site.

There is a similar thread for cable, I know that this is a site primarily for satellites, but as it's in the same vein, would a cable section ever be considered?

Thanks.

 

[Ghostleader]

Sorry Richard, couldn't resist...

 

[rolfw]

In Fairness, we have a Terrestrial TV section and other sections which don't relate to Satellite. The main reason we have in the past avoided Cable talk, is that the chat was all about getting the service illegally by chipped boxes etc and as our hosting is in the UK, didn't think it was a good idea.

Personally don't have an issue with a section on Virgin Cable TV and Broadband performance etc, will discuss with our Admin team.

 

[RichardCoulter]

Cheers.

We just tend to discuss new channel launches etc.

Digital Spy also don't allow discussion of illegal activities, so this seems to be in the mindset of contributors already.

 

[Lazarus]

Quite a few of us are/were Members at DS and reasonably familiar with what goes on.

Heavens, some of us might even have been the driving force behind the creation of eg the non-Platform Specific sub-Forum ;)

 

[Analoguesat]

Hi Richard, just a quick correction - I didnt start this forum, although I appreciate the compliment. I am the most prolific poster here though and can be found keeping an eye on things most evenings

 

[2cvbloke]

I suppose now they have the encryption in "duck's arse" territory, making it pretty much worthless to try and be naughty with it, it'd probably be useful to have discussion about it here, it's not too dissimilar to satellite, the cabling is the same (but with one cable per box that can be split easily), and setting up boxes for different media centre setups is about the same, the only thing that's different is the name and the software involved...

And just as with satellite, there'll be the odd idiot asking how to get it for free, so, that wouldn't really be much new...

 

[archive10]

Blimey!
A cable-tv section??
Soon we'll have all those cable-tv "professionals" crawling all over the forum telling us how to do cabling and configuring an STB
And ... some might even slip into satellite land and become hybrids??!?!
Whaddayaknow - someone with a cable background talking about satellites??
I warn you: Better be careful with those cable people...



(Hint: I work for a cable company...)

 

[Analoguesat]

The admins are having a good old natter in the background & we should have an answer tomorrow (Sat)

 

[Channel Hopper]

I suppose now they have the encryption in "duck's arse" territory, making it pretty much worthless to try and be naughty with it,

Whatever gave you that idea ?

 

[Analoguesat]

Consensus reached by the admins.

Should DS scale back or shut up shop* then of course we will welcome any members who wanted to join us.

Yes a cable section here would be permitted. HOWEVER any chat whatsoever about illegal or nefarious activities with the VM boxes or third party boxes would be absolutely forbidden. Technical chat about new channels or problems with service - absolutely welcome. How to get free tv - take a hike.

* at the moment there is absolutely no proof apart from some rumours. However nothing is impossible these days!

 

[archive10]

Consensus reached by the admins.

Should DS scale back or shut up shop* then of course we will welcome any members who wanted to join us.

<soapbox>
I applaud the consensus reached.

Forgoing the latent promise of irony, I would firmly promote a Cable TV portion of discussions here.

First, there's lots of similarities in the cabling, sockets, installation woes, cowboy installer endurances and equipment failures.
The current core of member have so much to offer to hobbyists and amateurs on that front.

Secondly, there's the added prime focus of wathcing telly. Doesn't matter where it comes from.
(Notwithstanding that Cable won't give you Brazilian tv even if you tried - that's more for the adventurous).

Thirdly, you'll have to accept that the lines will blur quite badly within the next 10 years. Maybe even 5.
Steaming tv, Google, Amazon, Facebook, younameit. There will be a big ball of tv channels coming from a multitude of sources.
The longevity of this site will greatly increase if it support reception discussion from cable and even IP television.
The core is that tv is tv, regardless of delivery method.

So even if DS does not cease ... let's welcome in the cable fora!

</soapbox>

 

[Lazarus]

Actually watching telly?

Are you mad?

Surely it's the process that's the important thing?

 

[archive10]

Actually watching telly?

Are you mad?

Nono, not at all. But I don't actually watch tv.
I employ my wife and children to do so.
I merely am their humble servant providing interesting moving image streams for them to appreciate.
I do so by a synthesis of image from cable, satellite, IP, internet and other means (including ploppping in a DVD occasionally - Barbie movies spring to mind!)

Having said that, I just had a quality moment with my better half watching top-chef Rick Stein on British TV visiting Copenhagen and walloping in new and old Nordic kitchen cooking. Great tv, especially if your from Copenhagen! Last time I watched this good tv was, erh, .... lemmesee ... erh, last time I watched telly was ... erh ... hmm ... sometime last week maybe? Don't really remember....

I seem to spend most of my time hanging around what is really this sat-fan alternative to Facebook called ... satellites.co.uk!

 

[Channel Hopper]

I seem to spend most of my time hanging around what is really this sat-fan alternative to Facebook called ... satellites.co.uk!

Well we are a few points above Barbie, but infractions have been given for comparisons to other sites in the past. Why would you stoop so low as to link social media into it ?

 

[2cvbloke]

Whatever gave you that idea ?

Not having had access to cable for over 5 years now means I'm out of the loop when it comes to that stuff, but, I'd guess they've upped the encryption alongside $ky (who I recall bought quite the large stake in VM, cos anti-competition laws are irrelevant to them so I presume they had to protect their investment!!) to combat the naughty people trying to get TV for free...

 

[Ghostleader]

I know its not really that relative but I hooked up my Alien2+ to the Virgin Media feed that's been left in the house and after a lot of settings farthing about I tuned in the free channels, weird, weird selection there.

 

[2cvbloke]

Yeah, you get a basic "freeview-esque" selection of channels that are free-to-air (or is that free-to-cable?? ), not very good ones if memory serves, just the basic terrestrials plus a load of shopping crap...

It was fun back in the analogue days, you could hook up a TV tuner to the cable and it'd pick up the free channels in the VHF range, though that'll probably be long gone now I'm sure...

 

[Adam792]

I know its not really that relative but I hooked up my Alien2+ to the Virgin Media feed that's been left in the house and after a lot of settings farthing about I tuned in the free channels, weird, weird selection there.

I've done the same both with my Wetek Play and a Samsung TV with a built-in DVB-C tuner at my parents' house (they can get cable in a town of ~15,000 people whereas here in Worcester with ~100,000 the entire city has never been covered by Virgin or its predecessors at all!)

BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, C4, C5 and I think a couple of random ones like ITV3+1 (but not ITV3) are FTA on the network, and everything else is encrypted.

I seem to remember at one point (in the days where it was widely pirated before the encryption updates), there was one FTA channel with some kind of amnesty notice telling anyone that could see that channel that their dodgy box would stop working soon and to subscribe legitimately!


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[Analoguesat]

Ok we now have a brand new shiny cable section.