If you are able to watch at least one channel that should have been
encrypted, that's simply the problem/fault of the cable company.
From time to time the cable companies put HBO or other premium
channels in the clear for promotional purposes. Perhaps the clear QAM
version was just a promotion where they removed the encryption for a
weekend?
I kind of wonder how cable is able to charge for digital when you
have access to many digital cable channels when you hook up a DTV
receiver to cable.
Actually, when you subscribe to digital cable on most systems you are
required to choose one or more tiers, which you typically pay for.
With digital cable the cable company can enable/disable channels on
an individual basis via the STB - a critical part of the two-way
cable agreement. So you do not gain access to the digital channels
unless they program the system to allow you to view them.
Cable has used this argument to fend off the ala carte overtures of
the FCC and public interest groups. In essence they have said that
they cannot offer ala carte until every subscriber has a conditional
access box. The fact that DBS cab enable/disable channels on an
individual basis but still offers programming packages says volumes.
THEY COULD EASILY offer ala carte but do not. One would think that
they would jump on this opportunity as it is a major CURRENT
advantage over cable. But they go along with the same bundling
schemes because that's what the congloms want, and they make a little
more money too.
Regards
Craig
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