# Showtime Digicipher 2



## AntAltMike (Nov 21, 2004)

Showtime's analog feed on G-14 Transponder 24 is going to be shut off soon. I have been notified by my program broker (WSA LLC) that to continue to receive this programming, I will have to replace my Videocipher descrambler with a Motorola Digicipher 2 receiver, which they have furnished, and that I can now get the Digicipher 2 signal from AMC-11 transponder 19. Here is Lyngsat's description of that signal:

AMC 11 Tr. 19
Showtime
4075 Mhz
Digicipher 2
SR- 19,510
FEC 3/4


Unfortunately, for technical reasons, I cannot develop suitable signal quality on that transponder. I can never get my signal error measure above 2.5, and it is usually closer to 1.0, and it won't hold a lock at that quality level for more than a few seconds.

I've noticed that Showtime is also carried in Digicipher on Galaxy 16 Transponder 17 (HITS 9). Here is Lyngsat's description of that signal

Galaxy 16 transponder 17
HITS
12,040 Mhz
Digicipher 2
SR-19,510
FEC 3/4

I would have no trouble developing a good quality signal from that Ku transponder because I have available a six foot Prodelin Ku dish there that has been abandoned. Given that I have a commercial Motorola receiver that was furnished by Showtime and has been authorized for reception of Showtime by this customer, I am wondering if it is possible for my authorized Motorola Digicipher 2 receiver to decode that signal.

I wasted about an hour on the phone today, talking to people at Showtime, Motorola and WSA LLC to find out if I can obtain the programming from that alternative, Ku signal source with the receiver and authorization I have. None of the people I spoke to were technically knowledgeable, to put it diplomatically. Basically, they had enough technical education to find and read me answers from their FAQ lists.

My concern is that since the Galaxy 16 stream is maintained by HITS (Headend in the Sky), that they might have somehow inserted their own security so that only their customers can use their signal transport stream. I don't want to drive an hour an a half to this site, experiment for an hour or two and then drive home unless I have some assurance that what I will be truing to do is do-able.

Does anyone out there have a C/Ku system that enables them to view Showtime from both AMC 11 C-band transponder 19 and Galaxy 16 Ku transponder 17?


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