Virgin media possibly getting serious on dodgy boxes?

[tvtimes]

Originally Posted by sniper007

Interesting thread. So basically Nagra 3 rollout involves new smart cards which will stop cable pirates in their tracks? I don't understand how pirates get hold of their dodgey STBs. Is it usually originally down to a breach internally with Virgin employees selling STBs? Or on the black market are there STBs that mimic a virgin box? Also, how many pirates are out there? Are we talking say 100,000 in the UK?

---------- Post added at 17:13 ---------- Previous post was at 16:58 ----------

Wow. I'm shocked. I just did some googling and came accross "another forum" shall we say. It's like the people there think that Virgin (they refer to them as "Vermin") owe them something for nothing. It absolutely fills me with rage. They talk in " txt spk innit m8 " and there is a guy on there that was/is actually contemplating moving from Leeds to Manchester in an attempt to keep recieiving "free tv". Another person on there back in December complained publically that he had just bought LCD flat screens for his kids (one each) for Xmas and that they wouldn't be happy.
Absolute scum on there. Why should we all pay for services they receive free? Does this really spell the end for them and when will the whole country be on the new cards as I have not got a letter about it yet at all.

Come April they'll be screwed mate. The new Nagra 3 has been around years and years and no-one has managed to crack it. They won't have the choice come april to pay for it or be happy with Freeview pmsl! F'ing freeloaders can't wait for them to get their commupence. I was at college the other night and we was talking and it came up in conversation that one of the guys brothers had recently bought one and it had gone down and they could no longer get channels, another three people openly admitted that they also haqve chipped boxes! I couldn't believe it. If 4 people in one class have chipped boxes it mnakes you wonder how readily available they are.

I had a vm tech round a couple of years back and he offered me a chipped modem and a box i said no thanks i don't fancy getting facing a jail term if i get caught! I also know they are available in Wolverhampton market!

[Lord Nikon]

I ditched the TV side for a simple reason - I don't actually watch the TV, there's nothing on there I can't get from other sources and too much stuff I don't want to watch.

[sniper007]

Originally Posted by tvtimes

Come April they'll be screwed mate. The new Nagra 3 has been around years and years and no-one has managed to crack it. They won't have the choice come april to pay for it or be happy with Freeview pmsl! F'ing freeloaders can't wait for them to get their commupence. I was at college the other night and we was talking and it came up in conversation that one of the guys brothers had recently bought one and it had gone down and they could no longer get channels, another three people openly admitted that they also haqve chipped boxes! I couldn't believe it. If 4 people in one class have chipped boxes it mnakes you wonder how readily available they are.

I had a vm tech round a couple of years back and he offered me a chipped modem and a box i said no thanks i don't fancy getting facing a jail term if i get caught! I also know they are available in Wolverhampton market!

Chipped modems as well!? Erm...do people get free internet as well then somehow? What about phone lines?

[Sirius]

The mighty N3 removes all known thieving scumbags that other encryptions missed

[Lord Nikon]

Nothing is unhackable, all it means is that no-one has so far achieved it, at least, not within the public domain. One thing is for sure though, now that it's rolling out more there will be more people trying.

As far as I can see the UK TV channels have achieved a different method of preventing channel hacking. They show very little worth watching.

[dilligaf1701]

Originally Posted by Lord Nikon

As far as I can see the UK TV channels have achieved a different method of preventing channel hacking. They show very little worth watching.

You think it was a cunning plan?

[tvtimes]

Originally Posted by sniper007

Chipped modems as well!? Erm...do people get free internet as well then somehow? What about phone lines?

I'm afraid so i wish i had got his tech identification number as he said he has a shed full of them!

---------- Post added at 18:33 ---------- Previous post was at 18:28 ----------

Originally Posted by Lord Nikon

Nothing is unhackable, all it means is that no-one has so far achieved it, at least, not within the public domain. One thing is for sure though, now that it's rolling out more there will be more people trying.

As far as I can see the UK TV channels have achieved a different method of preventing channel hacking. They show very little worth watching.

It will take further years for them to manage it if they actually do manage it. There's plenty of other things that have never been hacked. Not everything is hackable. People in Europe have been trying for years to hack it but have been unable to. I imagine by the time they manage it virgin will have increased it subscription base and got some much needed extra revenue from those who had pirate boxes before the switchover.

[*sloman*]

Got my new cards Tuesday here in Derby so i presume the switch over will happen soon for Derby Area

[Digital Fanatic]

Originally Posted by *sloman*

Got my new cards Tuesday here in Derby so i presume the switch over will happen soon for Derby Area

Yep... not long now for all those cable theives

[newbie1001]

Well if Virgin Media were more carefull with their equipment piracy might not be an issue. I have an ntl box and modem in my loft for over 5 years now and no doubt i will have this V+ box,V Box and cable modem for years as well. Contract ended 21st of january and they have made no effort to retrieve the equipment.

[Horace]

Originally Posted by newbie1001

Well if Virgin Media were more carefull with their equipment piracy might not be an issue. I have an ntl box and modem in my loft for over 5 years now and no doubt i will have this V+ box,V Box and cable modem for years as well. Contract ended 21st of january and they have made no effort to retrieve the equipment.

I agree, VM have their own part to play in the mass piracy in cable , not collecting old equipment and even worse, not disconnecting people from the taps in the cabinet, of course, some determined people may break into the cabinet and reconnect but most won't and it just leaves a live feed asking for non-subbed equipment to be connected.

The points on the age of Nagra 3 made aren't really valid, N3 has only be comprehensively used in the US for just over a year, the US is far more important in this respect than Europe since it's been the source of most of the old Nagra hacks, probably because that market offers the biggest financial return which is important if you're going to invest a few million in breaking an encryption system. European providers have been using it for a similar time period simulcrypted with other open versions or encryption systems.
It often takes 3-5 years of installation before any real progress is made but by all accounts N3 is so dynamic that it may take much longer this time around and by that time card based encryption systems may be deprecated.

[Ben B]

Originally Posted by Horace

I agree, VM have their own part to play in the mass piracy in cable , not collecting old equipment and even worse, not disconnecting people from the taps in the cabinet, of course, some determined people may break into the cabinet and reconnect but most won't and it just leaves a live feed asking for non-subbed equipment to be connected.

The points on the age of Nagra 3 made aren't really valid, N3 has only be comprehensively used in the US for just over a year, the US is far more important in this respect than Europe since it's been the source of most of the old Nagra hacks, probably because that market offers the biggest financial return which is important if you're going to invest a few million in breaking an encryption system. European providers have been using it for a similar time period simulcrypted with other open versions or encryption systems.
It often takes 3-5 years of installation before any real progress is made but by all accounts N3 is so dynamic that it may take much longer this time around and by that time card based encryption systems may be deprecated.

And also it will probably be easier for them to make future encryption changes once we are all on the same network

[Maggy J]

Again I ask when is the smart carding supposed to be finished?

[Toto]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Again I ask when is the smart carding supposed to be finished?

I'd like to know that too, not had mine here in South Wales.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Again I ask when is the smart carding supposed to be finished?

I don't think VM will give out that information for security reasons.