Zapped!
Illegal users of satellite TV signals get a nasty surprise from a U.S. service tired of being pirated
By MAC TRUEMANTimes Globe staff writer
Dozens if not hundreds of New Brunswickers have been caught in a net that U.S.-based DirecTV cast to catch pirate viewers of its satellite television.
The attack came two Sundays ago, as millions of viewers in the United States and Canada were settling in for a free evening of HBO or the World Wrestling Federation's Royal Rumble.
That's when DireTV - the larger of the two American mini-dish services - sent out a mysterious signal that zapped the black-market access cards through which hundreds of viewers in the U.S. and Canada watch its satellite shows without paying subscription fees.
As soon as Bell ExpressVu dealer Ron King opened his Sussex store the next Monday morning, his phone started ringing.
"And then the people started coming in."
Although his Saint John store has been quiet, Mr. King estimates that in two weeks, his Sussex store sold 35 ExpressVu systems to rural residents whom he is convinced were owners of the disabled RCA-based DirecTV sets.
That was of yesterday morning. He had already sold a further 10 yesterday when he spoke to this newspaper, at 2 p.m.
"It's Christmas all over again, that's what it is. Bonus time."
Hundreds of New Brunswickers use these illegal U.S. dishes, said an RCMP satellite TV expert who asked not to be quoted.
"All you have to do is drive around the countryside to see them," said Vonda Healy, co-owner of 5 Star Satellite Services in Lower Norton. "There's lots of them out there."
Ms. Healey, whose company sells Bell's Canadian satellite rival Star Choice, said she has received "at least a dozen calls" from viewers whose DirecTV blacked out.
The same with Cox Electronics and COmmunications, in Saint John, "and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it," said Cox salesman Derek Lomax.
Ms. Healey is convinced that large numbers of owners intend to stay with their U.S. dishes, blacked out or not.
"Any that I've talked to have decided not to buy Canadian...The people with hacked cards will just continue to hope there will be a better hacked card out there and they will continue to get their programming for free."
While DirecTV has fought back before in its cat-and-mouse game with pirates, the problem may be harder to fix this time around. Web sites dedicated to satellite TV are abuzz about whether this signaled the end of the current access cards or whether they can be repaired.
One Internet dish site devoted to satellite TV (www.skyreport.com) quotes hackers as saying it could take weeks to recover from the ECM, or electronic counter measure. Other hackers are claiming they're already close to solving the problem.
DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer, in an e-mail exchange with the Winnipeg Free Press, was tight-lipped about what his company put in the knock-out signal.
"Signal security is a top priority for DirecTV and we take the theft of our signal very seriously," he wrote. "We have an Office of Signal Integrity which actively manages an extensive anti-piracy progam."
DirecTV supplies American channels to American viewers only. If a Canadian wants to watch DirecTV programming - including premium cable channels HBO and Showtime - there are two options. One is to subscribe to the so-galled grey market by pretending to be an American, arraging for a U.S. billing address and credit card through which to pay for the service.
The second option is the black market. Vieweres buy a satellite system from a domestic dealer, or cross the border and bring one back. It is legal to bring the duty-free equipment over the border; Canada Customs charges PST and GST on the converted Canadian value.
The setup includes a mini-dish, a receiver, remote control and an access card. But instead of activating that card with a paid monthly subscription to DirecTV, most Cnadians pay one time for a pirated card that has been cloned from a legitimate one. It is these viewers who got zapped.
Rick Hodkinson, director of the Toronto-based lobby C-Band Alliance of Canada, says DirecTV regularly employs an ECM but hasn't had one this pervasive in years.
"What it really does is make the money for the pirates, because the people still want the service."
With files from Canadian Press
There are a lot of RCA dishes around here... I'm glad I have good-ol' legal Bell ExpressVu... 
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"Lately I've noticed that everyone seems to trust me. It's really quite unnerving. I'm still trying to get used to it."
- Garak, "Empok Nor"
[This message has been edited by Fabrux (edited January 31, 2001).]
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