n
Cable operators and
programmers rely grl
paid by cookumen to main
tain their systems and pro
vide mare and better ser
vice and programming,"
explains Kathryn Hilton
Creech, President of the
Council for Cable Infor
mation, a New York-based
Industry group.* "The
quality and quantity of
“-“a*-1-sSrnvailahle*on
‘subscriber’
checkout Hne,” as some
executives have stated,
through “scrambling”
devices. These devices win
prevent non-paying
viewers from receiving
programs if the monthly
fees have not been paid for
the service. Programs
would be scram held at the
source, and an
unscrambling device, to
provide dear reception of
the program, would be
supplied to cable
subscribers or antenna
owners who pay a monthly
fee for it. The Cable
Communications Policy
Act of 1984 authorized cable -
system operators -to
scramble cable TV signals.
(If signals are not
scrambled, they may be
lawfully received through
non-dish antennas.)
Scrambling and Decoding
How It Works
In simple ' terms,
scrambling works by
taking apart the TV picture
and sound track - through
a special code, splintering
it into millions of
fragments and rearranging
them. The rearranged
pattern ia transmitted to
‘ the communications
satellite in space.
Backward dish antennas
can pick up die coded
signal; but viewenrwill.see
they mist have STapedai
decoder boat, which will be
available to regular sub
scribers and those dish
antenna owners who pay a
monthly fee for its use.
To avoid the need for
many separate coding and
decoding systems for all
the varied pay services
available, efforts are being
nude within the cable
industry to establish a
standardised unit. A
centralised computerised
scrambler system is being
sought into which all
systems could feed, and
_ _ •
*
\
which would require a
single decoding device for
the cable consumer.
When aad Hew Mach?
Many program services
are now testing scrambling
devices. HBO; Gnemax,
Showtime and Turner
Broadcasting are among
those poised and ready for >
a 1986 start. HBO will begin
scrambling all
programming on January
15, 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. Others are
following doee on their
heels in testing and buying
scrambling technology.
Even broadcast networks
are beginning to scramble
satellite program “feeds”
to their affiliate stations.
While some groups of
owners have requested a ~
moratorium on scrambling
for two years, industry
experts predict that
scrambling will be well
under way by the end of
1986.
Costs to dish antenna
owners for descrambling
the many available cable
services, though fair, will
vary. “And with everyone
paying their fair share,”
notes Creech, “cable
programmers and cable
delivery systems can
continue to offer the very
best in technical capability
and superior
entertainment and
iuiotljsatioh program
ming.’’
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