[FinnSwede]

Does anyone know of a way to receive encoded tv channels (cable) into a Mac and descramble them? On a pc, this is possible with special tv cards and decoding software, so... can you do it on a Mac as well? I read that for example EyeTv doesn't accept encoded cable channels.

I am thinking of buying a 17" iMac or an iBook.

Thanks!

[druber]

i had a pci tv tuner back in the day, that was my only tv. really not as cool as i hoped it would be. you don't believe how bad tv image quality is until you see it on a monitor next to regular stuff on screen. if you're just looking to watch tv on your computer, i'd advise against it.

otherwise, i'd get a av -> firewire converter. right, now cable in, but if you have a vcr with av output, you could probably run it through there? that's what i'd try, anyway.

[michaelb]

I think he wants something a bit beyond that: a tuner card PLUS software to descramble encrypted cable broadcasts, which use an algorithm like Videoscrypt or Newscrypt.

This is definite hacker territory and if you want to learn more, do a Google search on "hVCPlus" or "hNCPlus".

As far as I know, there is no Mac version, and you can hardly ask a company to make one, as the authors of these programs live way underground!

They're open source though, so maybe one day they'll be adapted for the Mac OS. For now, if you want to rip off cable, you'll have to have an XP box.