This is in response to some of the guides submitted by other eBayers


While the authors makes some salient comments, there are some points that prospective equipment buyers should be made aware of.

First and foremost is the ability to own your own cable boxes.  The US Congress has long ago ordered the cable industry to allow consumers to buy their own receivers instead of just renting them from the cable providers.  The Canadian industry have similar regulations, and have been more compliant than their US counterparts.  Well, a recent FCC rule has finally put that congressional order into effect.  It has been over a decade since the original congressional comment, but now there may be more "weight" behind the regulation.  However, you mileage may still vary.

Now, there are some caveats to owning your own equipment:  With a rental unit, if there are any equipment problems, the cable company will (hopefully in a timely manner) fix or swap out (replace) your unit.  With your personally owned receiver, you may be dependent on the warranty service from the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or the vendor you purchased from.  Repair policies for customer-owned equipment may differ from cable provider to cable provider, so read carefully and/or inquire diligently about your provider's TOS (Terms of Service).  For eBay purchases, unless otherwise specified in the offering, you cannot count on any warranty coverage from sellers of used boxes.

As for purchasing cable receivers on your own, well, there is, of course Ebay and also vendors and liquidation sellers that offer used receivers to the general pubic.  This latter group may only sell in bulk lots and units may be refurbished or sold "as-is".  There are also yard sales, estates sales, pawn shops, Craigslist, that weird geek down the block, etc.  It must be noted that all cable boxes (analog and digital) carry a serial number. It is this number this is registered on the cable providers' networks to initial the box for service.  This number must be intact on your purchase(s). 

If the receiver was rented to consumer, it is legally the property of the cable provider that issued the unit.  If the box has outstanding charges and/or was not returned, this may affect the ability to "register" that cable box for a new subscriber since the serial #  may be "blacklisted".  It certainly would be on the same cable provider's network, at least in the same geographic area from which the box originated, possibly nationwide and maybe even across all cable providers' networks [this is speculation on my part, but it makes sense from a provider's point of view].  So caveat emptor.  For newer units such as HD and PVR capable receivers, along with the sources mentioned above, major consumer electronics store may be stocking them in some markets.  Due to recent FCC rulings, I expect to see more retailers offering more products.

As a buyer you must confirm that the equipment purchased is compatible with your cable provider's network (eg: Time Warner may issue Pioneer boxes in one area/region, but exclusively use Scientific Atlantas and/or Motorola units in another area.  So make sure before you buy).  

Regarding “hacked”, “chipped”, or euphemistically described  “upgraded”, “improved”, "enhanced”  boxes.  eBay's VeRO policy forbids this.

Analog is going the way of the do-do since most markets are migrating to digital cable.  Currently, most areas at the time of this writing are hybrid; that is, along with digital channels, there are still analog channels available while the system is transiting.  But it should be noted that the analog offerings may not be premium content (HBO, Sho, et al) but regular basic channels.  This varies from system to system and area to area.  Also, just because a box is chipped, modified, “upgraded”, whatever, does not mean it will work in your area.  First, just like digital, the box must be compatible with your cable provider's network.  Second, even if box is compatible, there may be variations in how your provider handles signaling/encryption. So different chip software and/or chip type or wiring scheme may be necessary for specific areas/regions/markets/providers.  This is the risk you take when purchasing such units.

As for digital boxes, buyer be very aware.  There is currently no such thing as a “chipped” digital cable boxes (that I am aware of).  There is one known vulnerability, but it's specific to a particular manufacturer's box and is mostly viable in the area from which the box originated.  AND, the box must have been previously authorized for service in that area. Be wary of any seller who promises to deliver any fully activated and working digital box.  As for “filters” you may see offered, save your money.  These *may* allow you to order programming (specifically PPVs) and block the return path to the cable company so you're not *immediately* billed.  But rest assured, your purchases are stored within the box and since the box is not communicating with the company, it will eventually shut down.  In order to reactive it, you'll need to remove the filter in order for the company to “hit” (initialize) the box; your purchase(s) data will then be sent and you will be billed [note that PPV events can be user-cleared on the above-mentioned vulnerable box].  Either way, with analog or digital boxes, if you're getting programming you are not paying for, know that it is or can be considered theft of services.

For further reading on customer-owned cable equipment, please see the FCC's website.  Also, there is a recently published (July '07) Business Week article entitled "An Early Independence Day" that covers FCC ruling on this issue.

I welcome any and all comments, errata or details of any omissions I may have made.    Happy eBaying.

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