The Eurovox is a

Digital Cable Digital cable is the distribution of cable television using digital data and video compression. The technology was first developed by General Instrument. By 2000, most cable companies offered digital features, eventually replacing their previo ...

set-top box A set-top box (STB), also known as a cable converter box, cable box, receiver, or simply box, and historically television decoder or a converter, is an information appliance device that generally contains a Tuner (radio)#Television, TV tuner inpu ...

, notoriously known for its ability to decode cable television services without a subscription, which has been imported into the UK from Korea since 2004.

History

The Eurovox product heralded the 'new generation' of proprietary non-

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

based receivers and was designed to fill the market previously occupied by the

DBox2 The DBox is a Digital Video Broadcasting, DVB DVB-S, satellite and DVB-C, cable digital television integrated receiver decoder (set-top box). They were distributed widely for use with Pay TV, Pay television channels. It was commissioned by t ...

. The DBOX was a Linux-based German cable receiver — which became available through markets like eBay as second-hand receivers in the late 1990s / early 2000s.

Dream Multimedia A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...

produced the incredibly popular Linux-based Dreambox 500 receiver - which became the 'unofficial' new DBOX for Linux enthusiasts to enjoy. To ensure maximum market coverage these were available with a variety of tuners allowing the same Dreambox 500 shell to be used in Satellite, Cable and Terrestrial areas. The ability to manipulate the code on the

Dreambox Dreambox is a series of Linux-powered Digital Video Broadcasting, DVB DVB-S, satellite, DVB-T, terrestrial and DVB-C, cable digital television receivers (set-top boxes), produced by Germany, German multimedia vendor Dream Multimedia. History ...

was hugely popular within the UK cable community as it allowed hackers to produce

firmware In computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, h ...

which could decrypt UK cable channels without subscription. The Eurovox product became the fastest selling 'brand' name non-Linux based receiver in the UK as the huge uptake of free or low priced 'Internet Forums' allowed users across the country to share information about the product. The Eurovox 2 was initially imported by one individual in the West Midlands. However, the questionable legality coupled with the huge potential market were sufficient to make larger organizations interested in re-branding the earlier product. In 2005 a rival group headed by Rayyonics Ltd rebranded the product as the Eurovox MAX. Using a dedicated sales force and allowing only selected resellers to acquire the product wholesale, the 'MAX' became the best known 'non-Linux cable receiver' in the UK within a year. It is believed that over 600,000 units are currently being used in the UK and Ireland.

Legal Pressure

While never explicitly stated, it was widely known that the main purpose of the Eurovox to decrypt free channels from the main UK cable providers of that time (namely

Telewest Telewest (previously Telewest Broadband and Telewest Communications) was a cable internet, broadband internet, telephone supplier and cable television provider in the United Kingdom. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and was also ...

ntl NTL may refer to: Companies * NTL Incorporated and NTL Internet, later Virgin Media, communications media company ** NTL Ireland, later Virgin Media Ireland * Arqiva, UK company formerly ''NTL Broadcast'' and ''National Transcommunications ...

and

Cable & Wireless Communications Cable & Wireless Communications Ltd operating as C&W Communications is a telecommunications company which has operations in the Caribbean and Central America. It is owned by Liberty Latin America and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, US. ...

). The use of the Eurovox (and similar cable receivers - The Starview/ Kryptview/

/ ITGate etc.) and many other units of this type is strictly prohibited by

Virgin Media Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...

's Terms of Service. Following the merger of

and

into NTL:Telewest and subsequently

, there has been considerable pressure on importers, re-sellers and individuals trading online to stop the distribution of these units.

References

* * * * * * * {{cite web , title = EUROVOX LTD , website = Dellam Corporate Information Limited, England , date = 18 January 2011 , url = http://www.dellam.com/06412134-EUROVOX%20LTD.html , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131002005823/http://www.dellam.com/06412134-EUROVOX%20LTD.html , url-status =dead , archive-date =2013-10-02 Cable television technology Set-top box

History

Legal Pressure

See also

References