gil@limbic.UUCP (Gil Kloepfer Jr.) (08/29/89)
While in a hotel recently and having some time to fiddle with the SpectraVision (for in-room movies and hotel services through the television) box, I discovered a way to get the box into what seems to be a diagnostic mode. If PAY8 is pressed, then channel 99 is immediately selected, the box will begin displaying control information on the LCD readout on the box. Some of this information includes the mapping of the pay channels to standard channels, what the room number is, what the high and low channel is, and what the hotel information and menu channels are. Pressing any key seems to scroll one-by-one through the information. As any other "normal" computer person would do, I tried entering values to see if anything unusual would happen, and it didn't. My questions are-- does anyone know anything about this? Are there ways of changing the values from the box? How does the box get programmed (from the desk or is it in some kind of NV RAM)? Are the pay channels really mapped to regular "extended" channels (eg. cable frequencies) and those channels are locked-out by the box so you can't view the pay channels without paying? Note: These queries are for informational and educational purposes only - no attempt at theft-of-service is intended by knowing this. (Actually, aside from that little devilish temptation to get something I'm not entitled to, I *really* am just curious :-) Thanks in advance for any light that can be shed on this topic. Any information e-mailed to me will be summarized on the net. Please indicate if you wish to keep your name anonymous. Gil ...!icus!limbic!gil
lsheldon@cup.portal.com (Laurence Larry Sheldon) (08/31/89)
I too once discovered that the Spectravision box could be made to do interesting things, except it seems like it was an unprovoked 88 that made it go diagnostic/control mode. It also seems like I had to call the desk to get somebody to come up and clear it. Further thought--it was one where you could review your bill, and whatever I did was a more-or-less explainable result of doing what I _thought_ the on-screen instructions said to do. I'll be travelling again soon. Field research report to follow.