I'm not a coder, far from it, but so far this is what I understand. Dish cards and recievers have something called a MAP built into the harware that does the mathematical operations that "decode" the stream. The problem with FTA's is that they EMULATE these functions, so everythime there is an ECM coders check out the stream code to see where there have been changes and apply those changes in new bins. These new bins then have the necessary instructions built in to instruct the FTA units how to do the necessary mathematical calculations to decode the stream and we have tv. In the past it either pretty easy to find the changes made to the stream or simply buy the hack from some unknown source. Now things have changed. As we have all noticed there was a time when new bins were out a day after an ECM, now thay are taking a lot longer to come out. This is because the changes being made to the MAP functions are occuring in an are of the card, so to say, that is very difficult to hack into. Once the changes have been found and implemented into a new bin dish simply does another ECM in this area and again FTA is down for a week or two until a new bin comes out. Seems dish has found the achilles heal of FTA. The strategy here is to crank out ECM's until FTA users give up and stop buying, making the cost of coders too large to be economically feasable for FTA makers. Since FTA's only emulate these MAP funtions they are more susceptible to these tactics. Rom 102 has similar MAP functions as dish built in so they are up right now and FTA is not. There are rumors that a hack is available and is offered up for sale to the highest bidder. Viewsat bought the hack the last time around and had a working bin days before anyone else which saw their sales skyrocket. The problem was that once their bin was out all other coders had to do was reverse engineer the bin and figure out the fix which they implemented into their own bin. That is why I believe BL claimed to do it in two hours, he already had a working bin to work with. So the other FTA makers basically got a free bin at the expense of viewsat. This time around no FTA maker is willing to pay up beacuase the cost is too high (more than a hundred thousand), no garantee of a spike in sales and coders for others FTA makers quickly copying their fix this making any gain minimal at best. So in this scenario, whoever pays loses in the end. Remember guys, this is a buisness.
The problem with paying for the new hack is that whichever FTA maker pays for the hack is basically paying to release the hack to the competition in a matter of days. Add to that that all Dish has to do is send another ECM in a couple of days and we are all back in square one and all that money goes down the drain.
The FTA hardware makes should work together and pay the coders on time basis, i.e. if there are 3 ecms in one month the coders still get their monthly payment. However it seems to me that there has come to a point where coders and FTA makers are having an argue over prices. The coders are the ones most likely to win this battle because they hold all the cards and the FTA makers have everything to lose.
But there are a lot of bright guys out there so the FTA makers are probably headhunting new ones as we speak.
But no worries. There has been pirate TV as long as there has been pay TV and it will continue, it's a never ending battle. This time the jedis won but the dark side will be back with vengance
The problem here is greed. All FTA makers can join up and pay for the new fix so it can be released in all bins at once, but there seems to be a snag somewhere. Maybe one or two of the big companies do not want to fork over the money, waiting instead for the other companies to pay for the fix so they can then basically use those new bins to fix their own for free. I'm just making assumptions though based on the little information thats out. Believe me people, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes we are not aware of, and its not about coders sitting behind computer terminals day and night trying to get a working bin as they might want us to believe.
etorres posts are too long. I don't read anything with more than 10 words. I'm a visual learner with a short attention span. Summarize your explanation, please. Thanks.
basically this means that in order to get the fix al FTA makers have to work together, but greed amd the fact that no one wants to get screwed means there is no fix yet.
I don't know where you guys keep comming up with this GREED facter, I paid $139.00 For my Pansat and have had TV for a year with hardly any down time and not another cent spent, Who Making all the money. DN thats who, cause you shure ain't going to get all those channels for $139.00 a year. Don't beleve me Look at what dtv want's for there special try $7500.00 a year. its a hobby don't be so cheap.
J cash your totally right in what you say. But the FTA makers make money on NEW boxes sold. When you take into account that every week thousands, upon thousands of new boxes are sold and you multiply that by what each box costs we are talking some serious money here, tens of millions of dollars EVERY MONTH. Its all about money my friend, anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves.
Thats very true but they ain't sell'in not'in when there is no fix. and the cost to the individual consumer is still very inexpensive and shure manufactures don't like being down either. and it's still not quite legal any way
Not only that it cost a lot of money to go into production on equipment that might become paper wieghts a month down the road. It's just the chance we all take, no use complaing just play the cards your delt.
