20 What Channels Will Never Be Scrambled?
Description
This article is from the Satellite TV FAQ, by Gary Bourgois flash@lopez.marquette.mi.us with numerous contributions by others.
20 What Channels Will Never Be Scrambled?
For the foreseeable future, there should always be SOMETHING in the
clear, though with the conversion to digital transmission, a new
definition may be needed for "unencrypted digital transmission" which would be
available free, but would require a digital decoder. Digital TV will be
the future, not only for satellite, but for cable and YES even broadcast
TV by the year 2000 or so. Raw feeds, backhauls, audio, etc. may never be
scrambled. Gene Scott will probably never scramble. The non cigar smoking
religion channels also won't. And those few channels AIMED at home dish
owners won't scramble. Usually when a new channel comes along, like the
SCI FI channel, it does not scramble right away, and some like the LEARNING
CHANNEL, and CSPAN, though designed for cable have managed to
remain in the clear for years. Shopping Channels will never scramble.
Some channels, NOT entrenched in cable, will not scramble. There are
several channels which program for the "LOW POWER TV" market (Channel
America, Main Street TV, etc) and these are in the clear, and do have
some interesting programs. CBC from Canada is not scrambled. PBS will
always have at least ONE channel in the clear. NASA SELECT does not
scramble their main channel, though, unfortunately, the "mission video"
contract channel began scrambling in the summer of 1992.
Audio feeds are not scrambled (Subcarrier, FM Squared, SCPC), though there
is more and more of a move to DATS (Digital Audio Transmission Service) which
can not be received by the home dish owner. Yet.
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