is it even possible to break the encryption of these QAM channels? people jailbreak iOS devices, break the encryption code on DVD and Blu-ray and rip these, strip DRM from iTunes files, etc, but I never heard of anyone hacking a TV box to break the Comcast encrypted QAM channels and watch TV, just curious if this is practically impossible or people do it but don't post about it.

Have you fired up TOR recently?

From a possibly faulty memory, I seem to recall that the providers like TWC and ScumCrap use a rotating key. It changes every xyz minutes. The device needs to have (or spoof) a valid ID on the regional network to get the current key. It should be possible to crack it with the right software. The problem is when it is updated, it might take your computer a few seconds, to several minutes, to find the new valid key. Someone might even have a Raspberry Pi that can do this real time, but I didn't see it in a few quick searches.

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In tha 360. MRF User Map

Forced encryption by Charter was the Bridge Too Far for my wife. We lost access to digital channels on all televisions in our house that did not have a cable box.

And Charter required $5/ month per box.

We decided to spend the $$ going cordless and purchased a couple Rokus and a SimpleTV.

I don't see the reason to hack it. If you're fine doing so, it's much easier to just download the shows off the interwebs.

I just got a m-card from Comca$t, for free.

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M A V I C
I don't see the reason to hack it. If you're fine doing so, it's much easier to just download the shows off the interwebs.

I just got a m-card from Comca$t, for free.

And it was coded properly? On the first try? It took me at least five cards and weeks of begging to get one. Please share the secret knock.

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M A V I C
I don't see the reason to hack it. If you're fine doing so, it's much easier to just download the shows off the interwebs.

I just got a m-card from Comca$t, for free.

Comcast doesn't give anything for free, you just end up paying for it indirectly.

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JoeH

Quote
M A V I C
I don't see the reason to hack it. If you're fine doing so, it's much easier to just download the shows off the interwebs.

I just got a m-card from Comca$t, for free.

Comcast doesn't give anything for free, you just end up paying for it indirectly.

To be fair, after the disaster that was my cable card adventure, my mom did knock $10/month off her bill. Even though some channels are HD, she no longer has to pay the HD fee.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2015 01:03AM by silvarios.

And how many hours of your time and other expenses did that cost you to get that $10 off?

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JoeH
And how many hours of your time and other expenses did that cost you to get that $10 off?

Per month. That's $120 savings in a year. Worst case, it's break even, but some people luck out and get it free the first time around. Not every employee is incompetent. Now that I know the problem, it would have taken me less than an hour. That's on me for not being smarter. We all know Comcast is the pits, I should have just expected the worst to start and done my thing right off the bat.

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JoeH
And how many hours of your time and other expenses did that cost you to get that $10 off?

Or one could argue that it's complete BS to charge an extra fee for HD in 2015.

Cable companies are losing subscribers year over year.

They are only going to continue to lock down their product - that's their current 'innovation' , DRM- and they expect to keep their profit margins.

There is no way that cable rates are going to drop. There's no cable competition, and these companies own the number one way for internet (in many ways, they are their own competition).

The only way this will change is for people to stop buying cable.

If you LIKE cable, the current best thing you can do is become a cord cutter and force cable to become what it should always have been - a user-defined experience.

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silvarios

Quote
M A V I C
I don't see the reason to hack it. If you're fine doing so, it's much easier to just download the shows off the interwebs.

I just got a m-card from Comca$t, for free.

And it was coded properly? On the first try? It took me at least five cards and weeks of begging to get one. Please share the secret knock.

Yes, I brought it home and it worked fine. I think I had to call them to activate it.

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M A V I C
Yes, I brought it home and it worked fine. I think I had to call them to activate it.

Ah, competence. I'll trade you my three closest Comcast centers. Yes, you did have to activate. Non premium channels will work regardless, but if you want it fully activated, On Demand, Premium, etc. you need to activate.

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silvarios

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M A V I C
Yes, I brought it home and it worked fine. I think I had to call them to activate it.

Ah, competence. I'll trade you my three closest Comcast centers. Yes, you did have to activate. Non premium channels will work regardless, but if you want it fully activated, On Demand, Premium, etc. you need to activate.

Except that I think they told me they activated it at the Comcast center when I picked it up. IIRC, it was supposed to just work without having to contact them again.

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Quote
M A V I C

Quote
silvarios

Quote
M A V I C
Yes, I brought it home and it worked fine. I think I had to call them to activate it.

Ah, competence. I'll trade you my three closest Comcast centers. Yes, you did have to activate. Non premium channels will work regardless, but if you want it fully activated, On Demand, Premium, etc. you need to activate.

Except that I think they told me they activated it at the Comcast center when I picked it up. IIRC, it was supposed to just work without having to contact them again.

I don't think they can do that since they need at least a couple of numbers off your device to finish activation. It doesn't surprise me if they didn't understand the process.