Cable theft
Encyclopedia
Cable theft is the act of obtaining unauthorized access to cable television
services. With the advent of digital cable
, cases of people obtaining illegal service are less common. Digital cable can be more secure and can be very difficult to crack, although this is wholly dependent on the security of the encryption system chosen by the cable company in question. Old cable equipment used an analog signal
that was scrambled by tuning the signal so the picture was unsteady, just as Macrovision
does at an attempt to copy a video. The equipment would descramble the signal so that it can be viewed by the subscriber. It also is addressable, meaning that it can be remotely controlled by the company's technical staff. The first case covered by the media was when 317 subscribers were caught in 1991 when the company they subscribed to sent a "bullet" (a video signal that turns off the equipment) to their cable box
es. The boxes were modified, but possibly belonged to the cable company.
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
services. With the advent of digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
, cases of people obtaining illegal service are less common. Digital cable can be more secure and can be very difficult to crack, although this is wholly dependent on the security of the encryption system chosen by the cable company in question. Old cable equipment used an analog signal
Analog signal
An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
that was scrambled by tuning the signal so the picture was unsteady, just as Macrovision
Macrovision
Rovi Corporation is a globally operating, US-based company that provides guidance technology, entertainment data, copy protection, industry standard networking and media management technology for digital entertainment devices and services...
does at an attempt to copy a video. The equipment would descramble the signal so that it can be viewed by the subscriber. It also is addressable, meaning that it can be remotely controlled by the company's technical staff. The first case covered by the media was when 317 subscribers were caught in 1991 when the company they subscribed to sent a "bullet" (a video signal that turns off the equipment) to their cable box
Cable box
The term cable box can refer to:* Cable box an electronic device that controls cable television in individual homes.* Cable box a box located outside a residence that connects cable television....
es. The boxes were modified, but possibly belonged to the cable company.