origin

Does sky need an encryption model. Is it to control their customers. I would hope that by now the adverts pay for the channel. Sky News and BBC news doesnt make money. Its a service we need, sometimes. Its great when something important is happening. I fail the need for the PM to be followed by news helicopter everytime he does something.

GregWTravels

Paying for it out of general tax revenues? That's what they do in Canada. I don't really see a reason to have a whole separate tax collection mechanism for what is essentially no different than other government services.

Jimmie76

Well would it be simpler to enforce, given everyone who has access to something that can access a digital television signal (that carried the BBC) would need a subscription? So you then have to encrypt the television signals so that non subscribers can't access BBC tv signals without having paid up which brings up another point. You have to conisder at the differing differing transmission systems (i.e. DVB-T-C-S-H),that are used in this country and handheld tv's and computer based receivers. It would be very difficult but maybe not technically impossible to have an encryption system that worked on all these systems but it wouldn't be very easy to set up at all. Sky/NDS aren't going to be any help here as they won't let people near their encryption system, and can't see that working on a hand held receiver with no return path.

You would need a method of imposing Conditional Access (i.e. encryption) on all the BBC TV channels in this country. Now you then have to make sure that this will work on USB PC TV Tuner sticks, hand held tv's through to basic set top boxes and the expensive LCD/Plasma jobs which would be very challenging to do. So maybe you have a (slightly) different system for each type but that then adds to the complexity of the CA system and the administration of the system. Every different device would need to have a functioning and registered smart card to get it to operate which would be a nightmare, for example if I go out and buy another tv for the spare room I need a card fot that before it will operate.

Also you have to consider hacking as a threat to your subscription model, once the system is hacked you have a major black hole - ask ITV Digital how having pirate cards on sale almost everywhere worked for them. If you have to make the system work on a computer then you are just asking for trouble as it will in all probability make hacking it massively easier to accomplish. If it is something that can just be sent over the internet (i.e. a decoding programme) then you need to change your decoding software (firmware) on all the decoders to allow legitimate subscribers to continue to watch their tv without allowing the pirates access. If you were a Sky subscriber you may have seen how often they had to reissue smart cards to deal with hacking on their videocrypt system and occasionally on videoguard. You have to do this everytime there is a serious breach that can't just be patched, which is expensive.

And this ignores the radio stations how do you make them subscription only?

So yes you could theoretically have a subscription model but I suspect the pros would be far outweighed by the cons.

MAN Pax

Completely agree - the cost of collection and enforcement must add ££££ to the fee.

Jimmie76

I've asked them not to write to me in the past to remind me about renewing my licence, which I know when to do as it is in my BlackBerry. They said it wasn't possible not to send a reminder as I could claim that they hadn't told me as an excuse. I pointed out that as they didn't send out the reminders registered or recorded post his argument made little sense as I could still say I hadn't seen it. I now shred anything they send me and lament the waste both in terms of postage and paper.

Circumknowitall

They now send reminders by email if you ask