Does The Satellite Descrabler Still Work Today?

When the first television satellite transmission and satellite television dishes were introduced in the early 1980’s, the public was astounded by the amount of programming they provided. Unfortunately, early technology of the satellites did not keep millions of people from intercepting the signals, thus getting expanded television service for free. This, of course, disturbed cable programming owners, who weren’t getting the revenue for their service, as well as subscribers, who were angry that they were paying for something others weren’t. When Congress decided, in 1984, that using satellite transmission was not illegal, Cable companies convinced program suppliers to scramble satellite uplink feeds to prevent non-subscribers from enjoying programs for which they were not paying. Eventually, cable companies realized they could do the same, and in doing so, their offering programming directly to users allowed them to recognize a direct profit. It was at this time that satellite descramblers entered the marketplace.

What had been occurring to this point was that the provider of programs scrambled the signals which were beamed up to a satellite, which in turn beamed the signal to a satellite dish, which went through a cable into the TV owner’s receiver. The receiver changed this signal from its radio frequency to audio and video frequency so that a user heard and saw the cable television broadcast. Because those radio frequency signals were scrambled on purpose, folks without satellite dishes received only static. With the introduction of the satellite descrambler, the process included having the decoding software beamed up to the satellite along with the original signal (in order to interpret them correctly) before continuing through the rest of the process. Without a satellite descrambler, pictures would still be scrambled. In some cases, they were even necessary for rural customers who required satellite dishes to receive the major networks such as CBS, NBC and ABC!

A standard had been reached which allowed for a basic manner of descrambling different company’s encryptions. However, this software was not without its flaws, and combined with the black market pirating of decoding mechanisms, many people were still able to hack into satellite transmission for free service. It was estimated in the early 90’s that only 300,000 (or 10%) of satellite transmission users were valid, paying subscribers. Since then, much has been improved in the science of satellite scrambling and unscrambling.

Today’s satellite descramblers are actually cards which allow customers to obtain transmission, for which they pay a standard fee. Satellite descrambler software now controls public misuse in a variety of ways and includes stop-gap measures in case unauthorized entry has been discovered. But not every satellite descrambler is the same; they are unique to the subscribers plan and will not allow reception for those stations not covered. This is done by a process involving individual program decoding at the time the signal is being sent to the satellite. Vendors charge for this software in different ways; the satellite descrambler may be charged monthly, one time, or be included in a higher satellite cost.

Television via satellite utilizes Free to Air signals and Premium signals. Basically, those stations that offer first run movies, pay-per-view selections, live sporting events, or that which are considered "premium" by cable companies will require a satellite descrambler. Satellite customers pay a monthly bill to offset the provider’s cost of the (very expensive) satellite and still don’t want to see their service stolen. Fortunately, satellite scrambling and satellite descramber software has almost removed this fear. Only with high tech, professionally engineered satellite descramblers have satellite owners and customers been able to enjoy the many benefits and viewing choices of satellite TV.