Bullet Busters :: essays research papers

On Wednesday, the 13th of March 1991, American Cablevision of Queens, New York, sent the first electronic "Bullet". This so-called "Bullet" was in fact, an electronic signal directed to unauthorized cable boxes causing them to turn-off. Approximately 300+ unsuspecting customers then called the cable company to complain and were subsequently taken to court for cable theft. The "Bullet" works by ordering the computer processor within the cable box to lock-up if it is authorized for all channels. Since pirate chips installed in a cable box would authorize all channels, the TV "goes black". HOW THE CABLE COMPANIES CATCH PIRATES There are several methods; here are some of the more popular. The first method is somewhat costly to the cable company, and is used usually only when they think they have a thief. A device called a Time-Domain Reflectometer(TDR) is used to send a timed signal from the cable line outside you home to your decoder. The reflected energy of the signal is measured and then compared to previous measurements to find a time difference which would indicate that the box has been tampered with. Pirates were able to get around this by installing an in-line amplifier which would weaken the reflected signal. One problem with TDR is that you need previous readings, which are not usually taken at the time of installation for a reference point. The second way is to modulate an identification signal onto the cable line at about 108 MHz. This signal sounds something like a "cuckoo", and "leaks" from the converter box where it can be picked up by cable company employees outside of suspected pirates homes using hand held receivers. Unfortunately the signals sent by the cable companies can also cause interference with FM reception within the home. A third method is to program all cable boxes from the headend to display a message. This message is displayed only by boxes which have had a test chip installed and left in. The message informs the customer that they have won a free t-shirt or something similar. They only have to go to the Cable Company HQ to pick up their prize. And what a prize it is! A FREE trip to jail! Don't fall for this. There is no free lunch. IS THERE A FIX FOR THE BULLET? Yes, there are several solutions to the problem. The "Bullet" as sent from headend causes the box to lock-up, and not output a picture. The fix is simple - unplug the power cord. After a few minutes, plug-in the box again and it should reset. At worst, the box may stay dead for up to 24 hours.