TV Satellite Access Card.

DirecTV access cards authorize the TV satellite subscriber to receive the channels available in your programming package according to your subscription agreement. DirecTV access cards feature an imbedded IC chip which you must insert into your receiver to active the TV satellite and view programming.

The satellite service that is offered by DirecTV is a rather complex service that is more the sum of its parts than anything else. The broadcasting station and satellites themselves are useless without the satellite dishes on the ground, and the satellite dish is useless without a receiver to pipe the signal to. However, despite the fact that all of this equipment is in place and functioning, it is all useless without a valid access card.

Smart cards are used in a great many industries, including satellite cable. Every subscriber to a service such as the Dish Network (Echostar) or DirecTV will normally receive a smart card encoded with their subscription information - and it is legal, expected, and necessary to possess and use that smart cart to watch the satellite service. It is only where the smart card technology is used improperly, such as the use of a smart card which has been reprogrammed to allow the user to watch unlimited television programming without payment, that the use is illegal.

In recent years, the satellite television industry has been quite aggressive in litigating against companies and individuals who sell smart cards encoded to descramble their television broadcasts. As a result, they have also acquired many customer lists, which include the names and addresses of their customers. Some companies, particularly DirecTV, have been reported to have aggressively pursued people on those customer lists, sending demand letters accusing them of "illegal signal theft equipment" or "pirate access devices", demanding payment and threatening litigation. Many innocent people have received this type of letter.

Offers end 10/31/08 and are based on approved credit; credit card required. Credit card not required in MA and PA. New customers only (lease required). Programming, DVR and HD Access fee commitments required. To access DIRECTV HD programming, a DIRECTV HD Receiver, HD television equipment, and HD Access fee ($9.99/mo.) are required. Number of HD channels varies based on package selection.

The consequences for being using an illegally reprogrammed smart card depend upon the amount of evidence possessed by the police or satellite television company. Even where the satellite television company has records showing that suspect equipment was purchased by somebody at a particular address, that may not be enough to act against the resident of that house. As smart card technology has many legal purposes, the mere possession of cards or readers is probably not enough to interest the police. While the satellite company can file a civil lawsuit for "theft of service", after recent court rulings they will likely not file a lawsuit unless they believe that they can demonstrate that the smart card technology was used illegally.

On occasion, Dish Network may also send out new digital cards for Satellite TV receivers. If the new card is not immediately used the subscriber may find that they will not have satellite service working correctly. If you are sent a new card in the mail you will need to insert the card into your Satellite TV receiver and follow the instructions that come with the card. Once you replace the access card you will find that your Satellite TV service will be restored. /p>

The government alleges that these individuals profited at the expense of satellite TV company DirecTV, which provides specialized programming to customers for a periodic, flat fee. When a customer signs a contract with DirecTV, a small plastic access card comes with the receiver that the customer inserts into a box on a television to activate the service and receive satellite programming. The customer activates the card with DirecTV via the telephone and satellite, and the programming he or she receives is based on the price paid per month.

DirecTV controls access to their signal through smart cards shipped with every system. Each plastic card resembles a credit card, but is in fact a completely self contained microcomputer with its own embedded software and memory. In normal operation, a subscriber inserts the card into a slot in the DirectTV receiver, and a satellite signal from the company tells the receiver which channels, if any, the subscriber is allowed to watch, based on the unique identification number coded into each card.

In satellite piracy, the cards are the keys. Inserted into an inexpensive receiver, a card unlocks the streams of entertainment to a user who points a small dish antenna in the right direction. Legitimate users pay a monthly fee to unscramble the signals. But a satellite access card can be transformed to a free card through reprogramming. What was once available only by subscription -- basic channels and premium services like HBO, pay-per-view movies and sports -- can be viewed for the one low price of hiring someone to hack the card, anywhere from $20 to $50 a pop.

In July 1999, DirecTV used technology to shut down the pirated cards sold through the government's Web site, as well as most other known pirated versions of satellite access cards. After the cards were shut down, Customs agents coordinated operations to execute search warrants and conduct interviews with more than 30 dealers who were targeted by the investigation.

The television set of the present invention is further equipped with a satellite system access card assembly. This access card assembly, which includes a receiver slot for the satellite access card, is connected to the digital satellite receiver on the main satellite chassis. A cable/satellite control panel which contains transmission-mode/channel-selection controls is mounted on the front of the television set and also connected to the digital satellite receiver input on the main satellite chassis. This cable/satellite control panel can be activated by the user via a single remote control device or via manual controls (push-buttons). The satellite system access card assembly and cable/satellite control panel are contained within the television cabinet, as are the main television chassis and the main satellite chassis with the digital satellite receiver input.

The user selects the desired rf/cable/satellite transmission mode by activating the infrared receiver device using the remote control device, and then uses the direction buttons on the remote control to select the desired mode and channel. It is possible to manually select the desired mode and channel by pressing the MENU button on the cable/satellite control panel and using the up/down/right/left buttons to make a selection. A satellite access card receiver assembly is mounted within the television cabinet. The user can insert an access card into a card slot that is integrated into the television cabinet. The modem connection provided on the main television chassis allows the user to dial up the satellite system server to order services and allows the system server to record information from the card for billing purposes.

So No matter how you look at it, there is no such thing as 'free satellite TV'. Within this context, there is only one thing worth considering - if eligible - the offers from the two leaders in the field: DirecTV and Dish Network.

When Alberto started his business four years ago, he had to shop for a satellite dish antenna, a receiver, an access card with the correct code to capture the signal, a signal amplifier, and cable on the black market. He distributes the satellite signal from his single dish antenna to his neighborhood through a spider web of cables over the rooftops. There's a catch, however. Everyone on the network has to watch the same channel that the satellite dish owner is watching. Alberto does an informal survey of his customers to find out what they like to watch. His programming schedule includes telenovelas from Univision and Telemundo, movies from HBO and STARZ, popular talk shows such as "Don Francisco Presents," and the variety show "Sabado Gigante."

Every so often, DirecTV sends a message in its signal ordering the set-top receiver to alter the programming in hacked cards, confusing them and shutting them down. Hackers parried by making the cards "read only," meaning no new data could be encoded on them.

A: DIRECTV is a dish tv satellite entertainment service provider. Using advanced satellite technology, DIRECTV is able to offer more than 225 channels of programming to homes and businesses that have the necessary receiving equipment - a small satellite dish, a digital set-top receiver and a remote control.

Satellite receivers come in two common types, carded and cardless. Carded receivers have a small slot to facilitate a credit card sized access card. This card contains your account information, and your subscription details. Every channel on a satellite tv system is accesses using a subscription. This is created when you purchase the receiver and is written to the access card. The access card itself contains a small microchip that holds the subscription information. The card cannot be modified without special equipment.

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The access card and your receiver both have unique serial numbers and these are married together upon your initial activation. The satellite tv service provider performs these tasks for you when your account is created. The card and receiver will not work apart from each other.