DSTV Will Marry Your Smartcard to Decoder

[kilps]

I don't have dstv but I have noticed that there are a lot of guest houses which tell you to bring your own smart card (ie they have the decoder and everything there) - I wonder if this might have anything to do with it... mind you it is probably a very small problem for them

 

[d3c]

Please will you clarify this point because we have two Multichoice sets.

If I buy a wi-fi splitter I can put our card in this machine and it will let us watch two programs at the same time. The card says "Series 5".

This is the Setup:

1 x DSTV SUB Legal with PVR add on

1 x Smartwi Card Splitter (Comes with 3 client cards)

1 x PVR DSTV (One Client card)

1 x DSTV DSD6?? thinks its DS626 (One Client card)

1 x DreamBox 500-S (One Client card)

1 x DreamBox 500-S (Connecting to CardServer from first DREAMBOX)


He does not know how long the DSTV DSD626 will last but he is waiting to see if all goes well, then going to buy a dualview(R700- R900) or Dreambox 7025 (R4900) and replace DSTV DSD626 unit.

SmartWi did not work in the beginning but they emailed a beta firmware and all was fine after that.

No one knows whats happening if it will work now or in the future but I have seen it work with little or no issues for myself. (After the firmware update for SmartWi)


d3c

 

[darkevil]

Irdeto2 has been hacked.... circumvented with the release and sale of the Gamma card.
Gamma cards have been doing the rounds for some time in Europe now.

No crack yet for Multichoice i am afraid but i would give it a guess that its just a matter of time before we see a card working here.

 

[Luke7777]

*sigh*...and the reason for reviving a year old thread .....? or did you miss the date ?

 

[Franna]

To everybody that say that the smart card is married to the decoder have a look at the official word from Irdeto:

http://www.irdeto.com/page.php?page_id=129

Smart card/set top box Marriage: When subsidizing set top boxes in your subscriber base, you will want to make sure that they’re going to remain in the subscriber’s home, rather than being moved or used for competitors’ services. Locking the set top box to a specific smart card is a good way to accomplish this. But you also need the flexibility to manage the “marriage”. Irdeto PIsys allows you to do this flexibly and securely from the head-end and will protect your investment.

This is solely to prevent your competitors from using your decoders.

 

[Turiko]

and just a reminder, that IRDETO is owned by the same parent company that owns Multichoice... Naspers.

This is pretty much the same as SIM-locking a cellphone, an unethical, yet common practise in SA

 

[PeterCH]

This is solely to prevent your competitors from using your decoders.

That would be blatantly illegal in the EU.

However in SA it's OK then again THERE IS NO REAL COMPETITION in SA.

 

[Turiko]

@Peter

Yeah we know it is illegal in EU to do this, we both know that but ja, this is SA where companies, especially the size of multichoice, are above the law.

Slightly OT:
Did you know that I have never ever been a DSTV subscriber because every time I consider it I am reminded of their dirty tactics such as these.

Do you know how many 2nd hand decoders I have picked up, in the trash, in pawn shops, etc... but because of their smartcard marriage crap, one cannot use it potentially on other networks.

What a load of crap!

 

[Syndyre]

and just a reminder, that IRDETO is owned by the same parent company that owns Multichoice... Naspers.

This is pretty much the same as SIM-locking a cellphone, an unethical, yet common practise in SA

Do they still lock phones here? I've never actually had a locked phone but maybe they don't lock contract phones seeing as they've got you locked in anyway.

 

[PeterCH]

@Peter

Yeah we know it is illegal in EU to do this, we both know that but ja, this is SA where companies, especially the size of multichoice, are above the law.

Yeah, my cousin works for the European Commission. You should see all the pro-consumer laws they have over there.

I have DSTV, I only have one decoder and for the limited amount of time I have I only watch that. ETV/SABC is worthless IMO.

 

[Turiko]

Do they still lock phones here?

To be honest, not too sure... The last two upgrades I got were not sim locked. However my previous phones were all sim-locked and I had to *ahem* hack them to get rid of that inconvenience ;-)

ETV/SABC is worthless yes, I don't have time to watch much TV so it doesn't mean much for me. Much rather be playing RP games or reading.

 

[Road runner]

The phones are not sim locked anymore.. But the supplier warns you that if u use another services card in the phone the guarantee will lapse. I don`t really know how they can know that?

 

[Turiko]

To do so they will have to get logs from the competitor SP as to whether that IMEI was used on their network. Even the police need court orders AFAIK to do that so it ain't gonna happen.

The warranty thing is an idle threat/scare story. Phone was designed for a wide range of SIM cards and stuff, so it follows it is BS if the warranty is void.

 

[Twan Wijers]

Dreambox

Hi,

I am from europe, and planning to buy a dreambox for my brother in law. Just to be sure: The decoder is married to the smartcard, not the other way arround, right? So it is still possible to use the dreambox with the latest smartcards?

Regards,

Twan.

 

[onebrickshort]

On the subject of satellite TV, is it possible to get a huge dish, a Satellite tuner and channel surf the worlds satellites in the Cape?
Is it technically possible? and if so how much would a decent "rig" for the lack of a better word cost.
Actually is it possible to bypass Mnet completely?

 

[Turiko]

Yes it is, the expense of the big dish is prohibitive. So said tuner that I have sits in the garage gathering dust...

 

[neung2006]

The DreamBox can marry with card, who can confirm?

 

[Darkang]

Yes Dreambox is working with dstv smartcard, if you want to have card-sharing forget it, it is not working

regards