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HBO did the same thing early 80s in the USA. My father removed or added some filter device from a cable box OUTSIDE OUR HOUSE (big green box on the lawn) and we

• phire 4y ago
  That was something different and much, much simpler. The pay-tv channels would be broadcast unscrabled, unencrypted to the whole cable network. But they would install notch filters at every subscriber's house to prevent the frequencies of the paid channels from actually entering their house. When you actually paid for HBO, they would send a tech around to your house to remove the corresponding notch filter.
  • iso1631 4y ago
    > When you actually paid for HBO, they would send a tech around to your house to remove the corresponding notch filter. Or just paid the cable guy $50 cash
• 13of40 4y ago
  When I bought my first house, I got Comcast cable internet and they guy had to put a filter on to block the TV and just let the internet signal through. Or at least he would have, but he couldn't find one in his truck. Years later, I got around to plugging my TV into it and found that I had full access to all of the non-paid channels, and I'd missed out on half an adult lifetime of free television. Can't say I missed it, though.
• ok123456 4y ago
  When I first got a cable modem around 2000, the tech installed another line where it terminated and didn't bother to put any of the line filters on. So on that drop I got all the premium channels.