this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2025
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Memes

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Can someone explain what's going on here?

I mean I understand that they're watching a smut channel, but technically what's going on? How was it possible to do this?

(born after cable era)

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Before peeps had access to internet and whatnot, you could tune into the scrambled porn channel and watch the scrambles for a while. Occasionally, it would unscramble enough to be able to see the sex stuff!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah, I have had cable, I meant what's the technical thing going on here. What's this scrambling/unscrambling stuff.

Were these porn channels illegally broadcasted? If it was scrambled how would the intended viewers watch it?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

It was broadcasted scrambled, legally. You could see the scrambled channel by just tuning in. To unscramble it, you paid some amount of money PER VIDEO, it was pretty ridiculous.

My mate growing up had a box that unscrambled it automatically for free, a “pirate box”. That was also an option.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Between that and the underwear ads you could almost even get off?