How does Sky decoder PIN work?

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Johnmen

12 posts

Geek

#27263 20-Oct-2008 10:51

I needed to change the picture ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 in my Sky decoder box the other day, but didn't have the PIN number to be able to go into the "advanced setup" menu to do it. Hence I rang up Sky, the operator reset the PIN for me on the phone and it was all good afterwards.

After that, just out of curiosity, I started wondering how does the Sky decoder box PIN work????

My understanding was that the PIN was just a value configured and saved in the decoder box locally, but my experience proved that was wrong!!!

Given the fact that the decoder box has no way to tell Sky what PIN number I tried pressing on the remote (Phone line was disconnected on the box, and Sky dish is only for downstream transmission), I am thinking Sky must be maintaining a database with all decoder's PIN numbers saved in it. And that info got broadcasted over the satellite to all decoder boxes. Whenever a user presses a PIN number to his decoder box, the box will match the input up with the one broadcasted from satellite Optus D1 to see if it is valid.

Can anyone in this forum shed some light on this?

Dingbatt

6754 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#172223 20-Oct-2008 11:36

In the same way that your Sky Docoder 'knows' what channels you subscribe to, I assume that the info is linked to the Sky Smart Card and its personalised account number. The info is broadcast to all decoders but only yours responds because of its individual number.
Not really an HTPC topic tho'.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

wellygary

8312 posts

Uber Geek

#172224 20-Oct-2008 11:39

Yeah, sky can address individual decoders to perform updates like this, or add services etc
But the pin will be stored locally in the decoder/card and not checked "live" when ever entered.

cisconz

cisconz
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#172306 20-Oct-2008 16:57

all they did was told the decoder to reset the pin.

Hmmmm

Etacovda

31 posts

Geek

#172380 20-Oct-2008 21:13

its all stored in the card, the dec is just the recieving device, allowing the card to be 'hit'. You can take out your card + put it in another decoder + it will have the same services and pin number.