dan@prism.UUCP (11/16/85)
For the last month or so there has been an ad in the Boston
Globe advertising "subscription TV Decoders." I thought these
were illegal. Apparently they're not since this is a good sized
ad (4 x 5 inches), and has been running for awhile. Does anyone
know anything about these things? If they're legitimate they sound
like a pretty good deal. It sounds especially enticing since we
don't yet have cable in Cambridge.
Here is some of the information given in the ad:
*****************************************************************
PREVIEW -- Vancouver Video Enterprises, Ltd. presents
Zenith SSAVI 1 Descrambler System
Subscription TV Decoders
NO CABLE? NO PAY TV? TIRED OF MONTHLY PAYMENTS? POOR SERVICE?
You can now OWN your own decoder.
o No installation needed -- unit connects externally to any
TV and/or VCR.
o Utilizes any UHF antenna.
o Compatible with any VCR.
o Non-addressable -- cannot be turned off by pay TV company.
o Can be used in other locations if you move.
o Perfectly legal to own according to new Federal anti trust
legislation.
o Works with or without cable -- homes, apartments, offices, anywhere.
o Most of the same movies offered on cable plus adult features not
available on cable -- and no monthly fee!
Only $149.00. Our Zenith decoder is identical to that being used
by Preview Pay TV. It enables you to view all phases of Preview
TV Programming.
*****************************************************************
Is this too good to be true? or what's the catch?
---------------------
Dan Solis {mit-eddie, ihnp4!inmet, wjh12, cca} !mirror!dan
Mirror Systems, Inc.
2067 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 661-0777jimb@tekcbi.UUCP (Jim Boland) (11/20/85)
> > For the last month or so there has been an ad in the Boston > Globe advertising "subscription TV Decoders." I thought these > were illegal. Apparently they're not since this is a good sized > ad (4 x 5 inches), and has been running for awhile. > > NO CABLE? NO PAY TV? TIRED OF MONTHLY PAYMENTS? POOR SERVICE? > You can now OWN your own decoder. > > o No installation needed -- unit connects externally to any > TV and/or VCR. > o Utilizes any UHF antenna. > o Non-addressable -- cannot be turned off by pay TV company. > o Works with or without cable -- homes, apartments, offices, anywhere. > o Most of the same movies offered on cable plus adult features not > available on cable -- and no monthly fee! > Only $149.00. Our Zenith decoder is identical to that being used > by Preview Pay TV. It enables you to view all phases of Preview > TV Programming. > ***************************************************************** > > Is this too good to be true? or what's the catch? It is not only too good to be true but it is extremely illegal, ads or no ads. It's been proven in court cases in California and elsewhere.
lo@harvard.UUCP (Bert S.F. Lo) (11/21/85)
In article <2700003@prism.UUCP>, dan@prism.UUCP writes: > > For the last month or so there has been an ad in the Boston > Globe advertising "subscription TV Decoders." > > Only $149.00. Our Zenith decoder is identical to that being used > by Preview Pay TV. It enables you to view all phases of Preview > TV Programming. I'm not sure whether this is legal or not BUT I do believe the only thing you'll receive is Channel 27 when it turns into Preview Pay TV after 7pm. There were 2 stations like Channel 27 in the San Francisco Bay Area a couple of years ago and they both folded in short time, so I don't know what you'll get for your money before the decoder becomes obsolete. Those 2 pay TV stations had pretty junky second run stuff and I think Channel 27 might too. _____________________Bert S.F. Lo (lo@harvard.HARVARD.EDU)_____________________
rp321@uiucuxa.CSO.UIUC.EDU (11/21/85)
/* Written 3:42 pm Nov 16, 1985 by dan@prism in uiucuxa:net.consumers */
/* ---------- "Are pay TV decoders legal?" ---------- */
For the last month or so there has been an ad in the Boston
Globe advertising "subscription TV Decoders." I thought these
were illegal. Apparently they're not since this is a good sized
ad (4 x 5 inches), and has been running for awhile. Does anyone
know anything about these things? If they're legitimate they sound
like a pretty good deal. It sounds especially enticing since we
don't yet have cable in Cambridge.
Here is some of the information given in the ad:
*****************************************************************
PREVIEW -- Vancouver Video Enterprises, Ltd. presents
Zenith SSAVI 1 Descrambler System
Subscription TV Decoders
[...]
Is this too good to be true? or what's the catch?
---------------------
Dan Solis {mit-eddie, ihnp4!inmet, wjh12, cca} !mirror!dan
/* End of text from uiucuxa:net.consumers */
Vancouver Video Enterprises? Sounds like a Canadian company to me. However,
as far as I know, unauthorized pay-TV decoders are illegal here. If it's not
a Canadian company, it just might be a government scam. I remember that
in _Popular_Science_ a while back they had a little notice in the "Chemicals"
section of the classified ads that there had been a report in the _New_York_
Times_ to the effect that one of the chemical supply ads had been placed by the
Drug Enforcement Administration. Perhaps the pay-TV ad is something similar.
I hope not, but it seems like the Feds are pretty fond of scams.
Russell J. Price
University of Illinois
{ ihnp4, pur-ee, convex }!uiucdcs!uiucuxa!rp321
rp321@uiucuxa.CSO.UIUC.EDUayers@convexs.UUCP (11/21/85)
> For the last month or so there has been an ad in the Boston >Globe advertising "subscription TV Decoders." I thought these >were illegal. Apparently they're not since this is a good sized >ad (4 x 5 inches), and has been running for awhile... It is not illegal to sell them. It is not illegal to own them. It _is_ illegal to use, or "own with intent to use" (?) a subscription TV decoder of your own. Falls under the "theft of services" stuff. (Or at least that is the way the courts have been deciding lately...) <sorry, _I_ know it sucks> blues, II
rastaman@ihdev.UUCP (Gus Anthozoan) (11/22/85)
In article <518@harvard.UUCP> lo@harvard.UUCP (Bert S.F. Lo) writes: >In article <2700003@prism.UUCP>, dan@prism.UUCP writes: >> >> For the last month or so there has been an ad in the Boston >> Globe advertising "subscription TV Decoders." >> >> Only $149.00. Our Zenith decoder is identical to that being used >> by Preview Pay TV. It enables you to view all phases of Preview >> TV Programming. > >I'm not sure whether this is legal or not ... I was reading a back issue of the "Tampa Tribune" last night and noticed a guy in Ft. Lauderdale was being presecuted on *federal felony charges* for selling decoders to tap into local cable systems. Seemed pretty extreme.