All About Direct TV Test Cards

The Direct TV test card, a small electronic chip, inserts into the TV receiver and serves the main purpose of identifying and match the customer to the service provider. Each of the test cards has a unique code allocated to them which identifies the customer to the service provider.

This credit card size access card works as an auxiliary processor to the receiver for billing, security, encryption, decryption, and other purposes. You may be familiar with the test cards, as it enables you to make use of the Pay Per View programming.

The Direct TV test card is linked to the service providers computer through their land-based telephone line. This access card contains all the necessary information about the type of subscription and is essential for activating the program. With this connection, subscribers additional billing information, like Pay Per View for sports, movie, etc programming is mirrored to the companys receiver and to the computer network.

Now and then, some advertisements are found touting Direct TV test cards at tempting low prices. They usually promise that their cards can provide their customers access to almost all channels available on the system. It is done so by reprogramming or removing the blocks of copy-written software, software which is used for decrypting all the channels available on the system.

All these advertisers actually sell is pirated test cards which cost them practically nothing. Because these cards access the programs through some other genuine service providers systems, you are actually stealing programming when you use these pirated test cards.

This unavoidable problem of these cards of linking TV set through some unsubscribed service providers system to access to the satellite transmissions provides the service providers the opportunity to command the control over the services of those unsubscribed service consumers.

The service providers can easily get to know through their system that people are using their systems without their permission. The piracy was rampant until a few years ago but the Direct TV has now been able to improve the security of these cards and is cracking down on pirators through the law. The service providers continuously hassle these users in order to force them to subscribe to their service. They hassle these pirated card users so much that they almost make these cards useless. Therefore these users are ultimately forced to subscribe to their service.

These illegal test cards; in some cases; may even be incompatible with the system with which it is used or sometimes may work only for a short period. Hence, the hassle of buying and selling an illegal Direct TV test card is much like gambling, and probably isnt worth your time in the first place.

Direct TV has introduced the following cards so far:

a) P1 Cards: Was used until 1997. It featured the picture of a satellite on it.

b) P2 Cards: Was introduced in 1996 and was in existence until 2002.

c) P3 Cards (Hu cards): Introduced in 1999 and featured the picture of a football player on it in the front so it is also known as football card.

d) P4 Cards: These current generation P4 cards were introduced in 2002 in the market. It has been highly successful over the P3 cards in controlling the piracy. It is also known as access card #4.

Written by David Johnson. Find more information on the how to Get Direct TV Deals