[mythtv-users] OT-ish: decoding encrypted channels

[Tim Draper]

On 13 June 2011 13:35, Richard Morton <richard.e.morton at gmail.com> wrote:

> Do you have myth running currently with sky free channels?
> How is this connected?
>
> My understanding is that prettymuch all sky channels even the free channels
> are encrypted and require a subscription card. Freesathd is however
> unencrypted and if you look at the website kings of sat you will see which
> channels require which decryption method. Mythtv can capture any freetoair
> channels using a appropriate tuner. It can capture any encrypted channel
> where an official cam is provided by the provider (nds videoguard is what
> sky uses iirc and there is not an official cam available). In addition sky
> transmits the programme schedule in a proprietary method so you would need
> to use the radiotimes xml guide data until the work is completed to
> incorporate support for the sky programme data... I saw info on this list a
> while ago about work going on for it.
>
> Alternatively if the sky box outputs on component out at the quality you
> want you can use a video capture card (I can't remeber if it is called a
> hdpvr or a hdhomerun).
>
> Personally I use freeview and freesat and that is enough. There are more
> channels found then freesat offers quite a few are freetoair. Sure id love
> lemans and sky one... but I don't want it enough... eurosport used to be a
> free channel in the old analogue days of sky...
>
> Please excuse brevity and pistakes this email was composed on a mobile
> phone.
>
> Thanks and best regards,
>
> Richard
>
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>
> looks like my gmail account has got very confused, and i've been emailing
one person and not the entire list - whoops!

heres what i wrote:
I moved away from SkyHD, to 'FreeSAT from sky' as the majority of what we
watched was on non-subscription TV anyway! Come to think of it, im not sure
we are getting 'freesat from sky', maybe just freesat, as i currently do not
have a decoder card. I know you need a decoder card to get Channel5 in the
UK from the 'freesat from sky' service as it's an FTV, not FTA.
For those outside of the UK, 'Freesat from sky' and 'freesat' are 2
different products.

we get the satellite signal direct from the dish into a sat. card on the
myth BE.

i'm also not after anything illegal, but it would be good to be able to view
events from subscription/encrypted channels. i guess depending on the
product would determine it's legality.

thanks for the info guys!

unless channel5 (or Sky for channel5) recently changed their FTV status,
then i am not actually on 'freesat from Sky'. it's not really related, but i
sold an old sky box last month, and required to activate 'freesat from sky'
viewing card to get channel5. i'm currently getting channel5 on my mythtv
setup, so i suspect i'm actually using 'freesat' (my available channels do
match up with the 'freesat' listings)

so i guess i dont have Sky to worry about now :)

i did do some research on subscription channels, and based off some
non-affiliated forums, it seems you can get either 1 month subscription or
pay-per-view on subscription channels; eurosport being one of them. ok, I'd
no doubt be paying a premium for that, but it'd be a damn sight cheaper than
£30+/month for Sky.
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